FOR the past decade, the names of just four riders have featured in the podium places in The Irish Field riders’ leader board by the season’s end.

Such has been the tight stranglehold that Derek O’Connor, Jamie Codd, Barry O’Neill and latterly Rob James have had on the top of the sport, no other rider has been able to achieve a top-three finish in that time.

That could change this season, as the resurgence that Pa King’s career has experienced in recent years has stepped up a gear this season.

The victory of Townhill at Loughrea a fortnight ago has already brought his running tally for the campaign to a personal best of 22 for a 25% strike rate, a figure which only partly tells the tale of his current red-hot form.

From a total of 89 rides this season, the Tipperary native has also notched up 16 runner-up finishes and 13 third placings in addition to those 22 victories, ensuring that one in every two of his mounts this season is finishing in the placings at a minimum.

Productive

That all follows on from the productive season that he enjoyed last year on the track during the Covid-19 interruptions to the pointing season, when 11 winners saw him return a notable profit for his supporters of €145.95 for anyone that would blindly back each of his 51 rides at a €1 stake.

Collectively these statistics clearly portray a rider finally enjoying the deserved spoils of a career’s work.

However, it has not always been plain sailing. Successive years dogged by injury woes left King having to wait 12 years to match the 16 winners that took him to the under-21 title in 2008, a spell that included successive seasons of single-digit winner tallies.

Injuries

“I have had a lot of injuries and they have often come when I was going to have a good season,” the 34-year-old admits.

“I would have had more injuries than most lads unfortunately. I have had a lot of breaks – I had a bad shoulder injury – I dislocated my shoulder, then I broke my other shoulder, I have dislocated my ankle, broken my jaw, broken my hand and I was getting knocked out a good bit too. I have been unlucky that way you could say.”

That luckless period culminated in 2018 when he recorded just one winner between the flags.

Crossroads

“I was at crossroads really as to whether I keep going or try something different. I didn’t want to give it up, I still love it and always have, but I had to be realistic, I wasn’t happy with how it was going and something had to change because I couldn’t keep going along like that.”

The support of his partner Áine and wider family led him to continue his career in the saddle, revitalised by a change as he formed stronger allegiances with the stables of Sam Curling, Pat Doyle and Willie Murphy, to lay the foundations of this renaissance.

“They are great yards to have the support of. The first season I was with them I broke my leg and then we have had two seasons of Covid, so this is really the first clean run that I have had with them and things are going really well.”

This change of fortunes has also seen King add a first Cheltenham winner to his CV on his first ride in Britain when teaming up with Christian Williams at Cheltenham’s October meeting earlier this season, as he continues to reap the rewards for his perseverance.

“I don’t take this for granted. I know both ends of this game. You appreciate every winner. There is not one time now that I go by the line in front, no matter where it is – if it’s in Stradbally or Cheltenham – a winner is a winner.”

THE Co Clare Hunt hosted a very successful and enjoyable launch for their upcoming Easter Sunday Quakerstown point-to-point last week in Hotel Woodstock, Ennis.

The evening saw a full house in attendance to hear from guest speakers that included the Cheltenham Festival winning jockey Mark McDonagh, Jane Davis of sponsors Red Mills, and leading point-to-point rider Derek O’Connor.

McDonagh was also presented with a bottle of champagne to mark his first Cheltenham Festival victory aboard the former Irish point-to-pointer Banbridge in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle.

He also thanked the hunt members for catching his pony all those years ago while out hunting with them.

Pony riders

He later joined fellow riders O’Connor and Eoin Mahon in giving advice to the nine budding pony riders who will take part in one of the most anticipated races of the Quakerstown card.

MC on the night Ger Hannon filled the crowd in on all the activities that the Co Clare Hunt have lined-up on the day, saying: “Not only will we have some top-class racing at Quakerstown, but we have lots of fun guaranteed for the family with trade stands, artisan food stalls, a dog show, pony rides, a hound display and the Red Mills most appropriately dressed competition.”

Ukraine appeal

The Co Clare Hunt have also announced that they will be supporting the Irish Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal by holding a charity auction on the day with all proceeds going to the charity.

Prizes include a weekend at Hotel Minella, a four-ball at Lahinch Golf Course, Man Utd tickets and a Peter Curling print among many more.