Derek O'Connor© Photo Healy Racing
Derek O'Connor has his sights firmly set on reaching a landmark 1,000 point-to-point winners.
The 10-times Irish champion has a double aim when the new campaign starts on Sunday as he wants to regain his title after being pipped by Jamie Codd last season.
"It would be a feat I'd love to do, but we take nothing for granted in this game. You never know what's around the corner, but we are in a good position," said the 32-year-old rider, who has also had two winners at the Cheltenham Festival.
"If I have a good season on the kind of totals I've been having the last couple of years I should be able to do it. I really really would love to do it.
"I got beaten last year in the championship when Jamie Codd won it. He chinned me at the end of the season. We had a good tussle and it's due to start again.
"Irish point-to-point horses are really doing well. They are selling very well. They are trained to a high level by professional trainers.
"They are going to England and to all the yards around the country and they are winning competitively on the track. We've had loads of successful point-to-pointers winning at all the festivals.
"I've had two winners at Cheltenham - Zemsky and Chicago Grey. I was very fortunate that I had a family tradition in racing."
