Robbie Colgan

I’ve been working for Sheila Lavery for a few years now and she has been on to me for a while to go on a diet and this year I just said I’d give it a go and it has taken off from there really.

I’m happy enough the way it is going. I was finding it hard to get on a good horse over jumps and I was sort of getting fed up of going to the races to ride jump horses that nobody else wanted to ride. I was getting a few rides but a lot of ordinary ones.

My weight was always good for jumping, I was always able to do 9st10lbs but I never really thought about doing any lighter until Sheila was on to me. I’m doing 9st now and it seems to have settled down well and I was even looking at the phone today and I’ll probably have a chat with a nutritionist shortly and see if there’s any more they can help me get off. There are some good options like that in place for jockeys now. I think if I had to I would probably get down to 8st11lbs or 8st12lbs.

When I started to get the weight off it was just a case of looking after it by eating healthy and doing plenty of running and exercise but the routine wouldn’t be as tough now as it has settled down but I’d always be looking after it.

Sheila has a team of 30 riding out now and always buys a lovely type of horse and I wouldn’t have been able to give the flat a go if I didn’t have the support of her and a yard of horses behind me. I wouldn’t be able to walk around at 9st just hoping to pick up a ride here or there.

Sheila’s yard is getting bigger every year and I just thought if I didn’t give it a go this year I probably never might. When you ride a horse for Sheila you always know it might have a future and the chance of winning a race. It’s good to be part of a team where I can give my opinion, she’ll give hers and we’ll see what works.

Lady Kaya has been the highlight so far. She seems to be a lovely horse and I would have never expected back in May to be having such a good Galway and going to the Curragh this weekend to ride in a Group 2.

Lady Kaya is doing everything right and couldn’t have done anything better when she won at the Curragh and we’ll see where we stand this Sunday. I don’t know if they didn’t follow me the last day or couldn’t go with me but we’ll find out on Sunday! She’s got a very high cruising speed.

It’ll be something special to ride in a race like that to be honest. I’ve ridden winners at Cheltenham and big winners for Gordon Elliott, Tony Martin and Arthur Moore but it’ll be nice to get a ride in a race like that on the flat. I’d have never imagined it happening. I don’t think I’ll ride over jumps this week… just in case!

I hope to be busy over jumps again in the winter. Karl Thornton has been very good to me letting me ride anything I want and I go back a long time with Tony Martin and it was nice to ride a winner for him at Galway. I also finished second on Newcross for Tony at Galway and he is owned by Newtown Anner and just to be riding for those sort of people is massive.

Hopefully the few winners on the flat are getting people to take notice of me again. I’m starting to get busier again and I’m fit and still trying to improve all the time.

It probably took about 20 rides to get used to riding on the flat. It’s just different, you are riding a lot tighter, you’ve to be a lot sharper and it’s a lot different. It’s not as easy as it looks!

I do get plenty of slagging off the jump boys in the weighroom when I go racing but I don’t mind that. I’m 36 now but it seems to be working out at the moment and hopefully it might add a few years to my career.

I never really thought about riding on the flat, I never thought I’d be good enough. I just thought I was a jump jockey but I’m settling into it now. I’m probably a bit more dedicated now than I was a few years ago. I’d be hard on myself as well. I’d come home and watch the video of every race and if I was second or third you’d always wonder where you could have found a length or two. It’s good to be competitive and trying to ride winners.

I just live across the field from Sheila so I’m in there six or seven days a week and it’s good to see the horses back running well again after an issue with the water and hopefully that will continue this weekend with Lady Kaya.

I think I’m beyond the stage of my career where I get nervous but I’ve certainly got the buzz back again and I can’t wait for the Curragh on Sunday now.