SATURDAY last was a huge milestone for me, as I rode my 500th UAE winner and became the second most winning rider in UAE racing history.

Richard Hills, now thankfully retired, is the winningmost rider with 503 wins to his name, so hopefully, with a bit of luck and injury free, I can surpass him to become the most successful numerically.

I never thought when I got off the plane in 2001, that I would reach this number, so all in all, I have enjoyed an incredible career. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum sponsored the Irish Apprentices Jockeys Championship, with part of the winner’s prize being a three-month trip to the UAE. Thankfully I won the title in 2001, a feat I repeated the following season.

I was fortunate in that Sheikh Hamdan had instructed all his trainers to give me their support as it was his initiative that brought me to the country. That first winter (2001),I rode for four of the owner’s principal trainers, namely Kiaran McLaughlin, John Sadler, Paddy Rudkin and Erwan Charpy.

It was a great grounding to get, as each trainer did things a different way and I learned so much just from watching them. Erwan Charpy was the first stable I went to and as I was very light, I got opportunities on the track straight away. He provided me with my very first winner, aboard an Arabian owned by the Maktoum family named Danidor. I rode seven winners from 92 rides that first year, including at now defunct tracks Nad Al Sheba and Ghantoot.

TITLE

Having retained the Irish apprentices’ title in 2002, I returned to the UAE in a similar capacity. Since then, I have started the last 16 winters in the UAE, staying from the beginning of October, until World Cup night in March.

In 2008, after winning the opening race on World Cup night aboard Mizzna for Sheikh Mansour, Sheikh Hamdan’s racing manager Angus Gold approached me with an offer to become the owner’s second jockey, behind retained rider Richard Hills. I was delighted to accept the opportunity and fulfilled that role for four seasons until 2012.

During that time, I rode the owners horses in Britain during the turf season, before returning to the UAE under a similar arrangement for the winter. I was champion jockey in the UAE during two of those campaigns, a title I have won on four further occasions.

DUBAI CARNIVAL

World Cup night is the highlight of the Dubai Carnival, with everything building up to that one particular meeting.

After the season comes to a close, my family and I return to Ireland for the summer.

I continue to ride most weekends in Arab races around the world, as well as the odd ride in Britain. Those latter rides are mainly for Jimmy Long, a Dubai-based owner I have a long association with. I just feel it helps to keep me fit and ticking over until I go back to the UAE later in the year.

While at home, we live in Co Wexford, where my wife Debbie is originally from. We have a house close to Blackhall Stud, which is owned and run by my father-in-law Andy Pierce. We keep a few young horses at the stud as well as broodmares.

It is great to be able to enjoy holiday time as a family, spending less time on the racecourse. It’s nice to get to go home and visit my mother and father as well, as they are and always have been my biggest supporters.

My wife and two boys, Daragh and Aaron, really love the UAE; the weather is fantastic and it is a very safe place to raise a young family. They go racing every weekend when we are there and the boys keep the pressure on Daddy to ride winners. I certainly hear about it if I am not coming back into the number one spot!

Hopefully I can get a few more winters out of it, as I continue to enjoy race-riding and feel I have more to offer.

I currently lead the jockeys’ championship over here, so am going all out to make it title number seven. Ted Durcan leads the way with seven championships, a target I would love to equal or even surpass.

Richard Hills remains the winning-most rider in UAE racing history but I am closing in on that number, needing three to draw level and four to take the lead. My main goal is to reach that milestone and create a piece of history in my own right.

Hopefully, in doing so, I can also claim the jockeys’ title, although I face a stiff challenge from Richie Mullen on that front.

Although we are viewed as arch rivals on the track, we are actually the best of buddies off it – he is a rider I greatly admire and respect.

Tadhg O’Shea was in conversation with John O’Riordan.