THE talent pool of young apprentices riding in Ireland is deep at the moment. Ben Coen, Shane Crosse, Joey Sheridan and Gavin Ryan have been regular visitors to the winner’s enclosure, consistently performing at a very high level.

Luke McAteer might not be a name as well recognised as those but it won’t be long before people start to stand up and take notice. Whatever he was working on in lockdown is already paying dividends because he has ridden five winners from just 33 rides since racing resumed.

It didn’t take long for McAteer, a native of Rathmullen, Co Donegal, to catch the racing bug. His grandfather had a riding school and a trainers’ permit so he had a natural starting point. His first experience of competitive race-riding came in the form of the well-renowned pony racing circuit. Starting off around his local tracks at the age of eight, he progressed through the ranks, travelling all over Ireland, recording 30 winners in all – an experience he feels has greatly benefited him to this day.

Huge help

“Pony racing was a huge help to me,” he recalls. “It’s competitive and you learn an awful lot from riding on the tight tracks, essentially riding proper horses, normally who’ve finished their time under rules.”

While navigating his own passage into racing through the pony racing circuit, McAteer marvelled at the excellence of Ruby Walsh, Tony McCoy and Barry Geraghty. However, it was a fellow flat jockey that gave him the most satisfaction to watch, his relationship with one horse in particular, and a riding style that he would often try to replicate himself.

“Richard Hughes was my favourite flat jockey,” he asserts. “He was stylish and so confident. His rides on Sole Power were some of the greatest I’ve ever seen.”

It was at the age of 16 that McAteer would get his first break, when the opportunity to work under the tutelage of Jim Bolger came about. So many racing household names have passed through the ranks at Coolcullen so it was significant development for the Donegal native.

He says: “I love working for Mr Bolger. He’s a tough boss but a very good teacher. Not only for your riding, but the way you present yourself too. He’s a great boss. I ride with a lot more confidence when I’m riding for him.

“He’s given me plenty of advice and the best is: ‘A closed mouth catches no flies’.”

First success

It didn’t take long for McAteer to taste success for the first time. His first ever ride in public came at the age of 17 and it was a winner – Pirolo for Bolger in a Fairyhouse handicap in June of the 2017 season.

It was a memorable moment, made even more special as the horse was trained by his mentor and also due to the fact there was one very interested observer in the stands that day.

Unable to hide the massive smile from his face, he proudly recalls: “It was unbelievable for my first ride to be a winner, and I’ll be forever grateful for getting such a nice ride on my first day under rules. It was an exciting day, and I was delighted that my mother was there to see it.”

With so many well-established professional jockeys associated with Bolger’s yard, a helping hand is never too far away. “I learn an awful lot in work,” McAteer says. “With Rory Cleary, Kevin Manning and Ronan Whelan around, they all give me plenty of advice, and would never lead you astray.”

McAteer also gives a helping hand at James Barrett and Barry Fitzgerald’s yard, riding out work. Another big supporter of the Donegal native is Tony Mullins. When the call was made to ride the tricky Piri Passu back in 2017, Mullins was impressed. The following year McAteer would partner the less-than-straightforward gelding to victory on two occasions and a healthy relationship between jockey and trainer was formed.

The next couple of years passed by, and a total of 11 winners followed, the most noteworthy of those coming in the form of Mother Vincent, whom he teamed up with twice for Bolger to win handicaps at the Curragh and Naas in 2019.

Although this year is void of any sort of normality for everyone, and one that we will all remember for the wrong reasons, McAteer may look back on 2020 as his breakout year, and he’s certainly hit the ground running.

Biggest victory

His biggest victory to date came when he partnered the Barry Fitzgerald-trained Beauchamp Bagenal to victory in a handicap at Leopardstown in July, and just three weeks later he rode his first winner at the Galway Festival on Next In Line for James Barrett. With the famous Ballybrit showpiece meeting behind closed doors, it still didn’t take any of the gloss off the 20-year-old’s big moment: “It was great to get my first Galway winner, crowd or no crowd, I got a great kick out of it. Next In Line was tough, and did it well from the front. I was delighted for James as well.”

Though determined to strike while the iron is hot, and with confidence high – not that he’s lacking in that department – he’s fully aware this sport comes with plenty more lows, than there are highs. A level-headed young man, he has his feet firmly on the ground in terms of his aspirations, his only goal being to ride as many winners as possible, and enhance what is already a growing list of connections.

Having a crack at the apprentice title in the coming seasons isn’t far from his mind either. “Yes, that could be a target,” he admits. “But right now, my main aim is to get down to my 5lb claim, hopefully that can happen at the end of the year.”