Darragh O'Keeffe

There are times when I nearly have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming with the way things have gone for me in the last year and especially this season, to have 28 winners on the board.

After Punchestown we got the ball rolling. We had a few winners. Then the racing broke up for 10 days. As soon as we came back it hasn’t stopped. The amount of rides I am getting and the winners, it’s unbelievable. Even at Galway, it took me three or four days to realise I was after nearly riding three winners. It is the highlight of the summer almost. It is great.

A lot of it is luck. You have to have the right people around you as well. With Enda Bolger, and everyone I am riding for. In fairness Mr (JP) McManus has very good to me throughout the summer, supporting me. They have all been a big help to me, my agent Gary Cribbing is vital too because I have been getting rides for loads of trainers although I don’t ride work anyone other than Enda.

I was having a chat with mom and dad at home one evening about where I might like to go. I knew with Enda, you get a lot of schooling and that. Obviously you would know about him and all of the success he had. Bruree is only half-an-hour down the road from us in Doneraile. I said I would go down there and give it a go. I have never looked back since.

Enda is great for the schooling and everything. He got me going last summer. I have learned loads since I have been there. It is the place to be if you want to become a National Hunt jockey. In fairness he has been the reason for a lot of my success that has come around now.

I suppose a lot of it you just have to put in the work. Definitely I don’t think there is any other place where you get to do as much schooling. I just found from when I first started there, you don’t get away with doing anything wrong because Enda will correct you straight away. Everything you do you are corrected on and that is the way you learn, if you are not told what you are doing wrong you can’t learn.

And then the schooling, all it does is help you. A lot of yards have the same routine every day. At Enda’s, every day you go in you don’t know what you are going to do so that is the good thing about it. You are not just going up and down a gallop and doing the same four or five lots every day. You will be doing something different.

On the Fringe is unbelievable to ride. I have schooled him a few times. He was brilliant. All of them cross-country horses, Josie’s Orders and all of those, they are foot perfect schooling. It’s such a pleasure to be on their backs.

Racing goes back a long way in my family. My grandad, Johnny was champion amateur two or three seasons in a row. My dad, John rode and my cousin Alan rode in England. He rode a couple of Cheltenham Festival winners. A few more of the relatives would be selling and breeding.

I started pony racing when I was 10. I did four or five seasons of it. I learned loads. I rode a good few winners at it as well. Then I went on and was an apprentice on the flat with Johnny Feane at The Curragh for a while but I was just too heavy.

I always idolised Tony McCoy. I just thought he was brilliant to watch, his dedication and the way he used to ride, the fearlessness of him.

I thought about whether I might be in danger of losing my claim too quickly last year. I rode 10 winners in a short space of time. Everyone was saying it to me, ‘You are doing it too quick.’ Three days later I fractured my wrist in Gowran Park. I haven’t thought about it much since. I just let things go and whatever happens, happens. If the claim does go you will have to put in more hours and work harder. Build up the contacts.

A lot of people have been mentioning being champion conditional to me but as I say to them, it is a long way away. All I am worrying about is staying injury-free, trying to improve my riding. If it happens, it happens. It would be great if it does. I wouldn’t start thinking about it until it gets closer to the time. Anything is possible in this game.

There is a long winter. Then the spring. You are going to get falls. The main thing is to walk away from them and see what happens then. It would be great if it did happen though, no doubt about that.

Winning the big handicap hurdle at Listowel 12 months ago on Ballyoisin was one of the highlights of my career to date because a lot of my family were there as well. They enjoyed it as much as I did. And then Galway this year. In Galway last year, I was lucky to have three rides. This year, to have three winners was brilliant.

Ilikedwayurthinkin was very convincing both days. The first day he was very good. He came back five furlongs the second day and rain fell, the ground was softer. Two miles didn’t bother him. He won nicely as well. Who knows what he can do next? There are plenty of options for him and Gavin Cromwell’s horses are flying, which is a great advantage. He does a great job.

Looking ahead, it will be nice to be back on Ballyoisin in Killarney and another spin on him in a big handicap would be great. To be honest, rides in any of those big handicaps are what you are looking forward to.

That will only come with time. I couldn’t really say I would like to be riding this lad in three weeks’ time because I wouldn’t know. The dream would be to get a spin on a nice handicapper. That is what I have been aiming for. But we will take it as it comes.