Donagh Meyler

I have been lucky enough to get the chance to ride regularly for Alan Fleming and Barry Connell in in recent months and it was great to ride a winner for them when Barwell won his maiden hurdle by 10 lengths at Wexford on Sunday.

Many people thought it might be my first for Alan and Barry but I actually rode a winner for them when I was a seven-pound claimer on All You Need in a handicap hurdle at Naas three years ago almost to the day (November 1, 2015). Hopefully we’ll have many more. There’s a good team of horses there and anything I get off them, I’ll be grateful.

Barwell was my sixth winner of the season so far. I have had a lot of rides for a lot of different trainers and that’s what it’s all about when you’re a freelance jockey, trying to ride as much as you can for different lads and get your name out there. Ciaran O’Toole is my agent and he is doing a good job at the moment for me.

You can’t get carried away as a jump jockey. I have been very lucky so far in my career and have plenty of great memories, from winning at Cheltenham and winning the Galway Plate, having great days on talented horses like Anibale Fly and Tiger Roll, and an amazing experience representing Ireland in Australia, and I’m not 23 until December. But there are no guarantees, it’s such a competitive sport as a freelance and I just have to keep the head down and work hard.

There is no real racing background in the family but my next door neighbours in Kilmacow were the Dollards, who owned Irish Grand National winner The Bunny Boiler. They had hunters and they got me pony racing. I was tricking around up there and that’s how it started. Eoin Doyle was only over the road from me and I spent time over there as well, so it’s always nice to ride a winner for him, which I’ve been lucky to do a few times.

I was based with Tony Martin as a conditional and he got me going. My first winner was Anibale Fly in a bumper at Navan on March 1, 2015 and that horse has been good to me. We won the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown last year as well. I also won the Midlands National in Uttoxeter for Tony on Phil’s Magic in July 2017.

Being based up that way, I was riding out for Gordon Elliott and that was great. I have gotten some great opportunities as a result of that.

Winning the Galway Plate on Lord Scoundrel was fantastic. I never thought it was going to be easy just because of that though. In this game, you can be forgotten about in a flash so you can’t be getting ahead of yourself.

I won a Munster National on Tiger Roll and what he went on to do was unreal, winning the Aintree National after bringing his Cheltenham Festival tally to three. Gordon has done some job with him.

There is no doubt though that the highlight of my career so far has been getting my first winner at Cheltenham. I still have a bit of catching up to do on Tiger Roll but it was great to get off the mark on Blow By Blow in the Martin Pipe and I’m thankful to Gordon and the O’Learys for putting me up.

I never thought we had a chance but just to be riding around Cheltenham was great. I’d be close friends with Keith Donoghue, who won the Cross Country on Tiger Roll, so for the two of us to get our first winners at the same festival was great.

Having the chance to ride in the Annual Jockey Challenge in Australia was unbelievable. I had three winners from three rides. To do that anywhere is great. To do it representing your country is something special.

I ride out at Alan Fleming’s two days a week now and go to Eoin and Gordon as well. I try to get around as much as I can and get the name out there. I appreciate any opportunity I can get.

Alan and Barry have a lot talented horses that will be coming back in over the next few weeks. But sure everyone is waiting on the same thing, which is for the ground to change.

Barry is a great investor in racing and there are around 30 young horese in a pre-training yard in Nurney. The dream is always alive with a young horse and they’ll be something to look forward to as well.

I had 14 winners last year and 24 the two seasons before but you just don’t know what might happen and the only targets I set myself is to ride as many winners as I can. It’s a tough game but hopefully we’ll stay injury free and keep going well.