Sadhbh Tormey

I live in Garristown, north Co Dublin, near Ashbourne in Co Meath. I started riding ponies when I was younger. I did a lot of hunting with the Ward Union Hunt and Fingal Harriers Hunt, and then I got into the Ward Union Pony Club. My brother, my two younger sisters and I all did the pony club for a good couple of years. We did eventing and show jumping and everything.

Lisa O'Neill (ex-jockey, current broadcaster and assistant trainer to Gordon Elliott) would be a neighbour of mine and I grew up always watching her on the TV, I was mad into the racing. Lisa was definitely an inspiration to me and her late dad Tommy would have had horses at his place and we would have called up a lot as we are good family friends. Tommy would always have tried to get me up on the horses while mam and dad were trying to keep me away from them! My uncle Glenn Tormey was also a jockey. Glenn did very well when he was riding so he was an inspiration as well. I would have looked up to him. I remember when I rode in a few local races when I was 10, I asked Glenn what to do. They used to have proper pony racing in Ashbourne, and they would have a local pony race on afterwards. Dad would always let my brother and I do that on our old ponies. I'd be stone last all the time, but I did win a pony race once in Dowth on my old pony in 2019. I thought that was the best day of my life! Megan Carberry would also be a neighbour of mine. She was riding when I was growing up and I always wanted to talk to Megan about pony racing as she did a load of pony racing and rode on the track for a long time. She would always tell me what to do and led me up the day I won my pony race. I won it in her pony racing colours.

When I started riding out for Paul Stafford, getting my licence out was always like a huge dream, an unrealistic dream that would never happen. I spoke to Paul about it one day and Paul said 'sure why not? You may as well'. Then when I went through with it all and got my licence, I never predicted a career in riding. I just thought I would stay signed on to Paul. He had four or five horses in the yard including two Flat horses that I'd get to ride every now and then. I was sitting my Leaving Cert the week that I rode my first winner on Are You In Or Out for Paul at my local track in Fairyhouse last June. I had my Construction exam that afternoon and I had to leave it quite early to get to the track. I did better than I thought and I passed that exam. It was the first time that I was riding a horse that actually had a chance. I was supposed to be studying that morning for my exam, but I just couldn't concentrate. All I could think about was riding later on that evening. I was just going through anything and everything to do with the race, like a gambler! I could nearly tell you the markings on every horse in that race! That feeling of passing the post first was just unreal. I couldn't believe it. He won really well. To actually accomplish a dream that I had looked at for so long, and never thought I would be able to do, and to finally do it was incredible. I was just so happy and proud. It was an amazing feeling. When I won, I remember that whole evening when I couldn't stop smiling. I was on cloud nine and people kept texting me. I realised then why people are so hungry for winners. All you want then is winners, winners, winners. I had another exam the following Monday and that exam went completely out the window!

When I rode the winner, it made me want it more and it confirmed the feeling that this is what I want to do. I knew deep down that I wanted to do it. It was more so trying to break it to my mam and dad that I wasn't going to go to college. A lot of my friends were all going to college. They were all getting their points and talking about going to UCD or different places. I went to an Irish primary school and am fluent in Irish. I might have done something along the borders of Irish or I would have loved to have done physiotherapy, but I didn't think college was for me. I was riding out for Paul and Tom McCourt. I was apprenticed to Paul initially and then Paul told me he was getting another job, so he told me to sign on to Tom. When I finished my Leaving Cert, I had moved over to Tom. Tom kept asking me what I was going to do after the Leaving Cert as September would be coming around and the decision had to be made about college. I decided I wouldn't be going to college. I want to at least try the riding for a year and say that I've done it and gave it my all and then if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out.

The Dundalk Winter Series has definitely improved my riding and my confidence so much. I don't know how many rides I had there, but I ended up having two winners and a good handful of placed horses. It was great for my race reading too. Dundalk is probably one of the easiest racetracks to ride around, so it helps with just the basic things like getting down and pushing one out and looking stronger and pulling your stick through. I found it very beneficial for myself to get better for the Flat season. Everyone knows Dundalk is on every Friday, so they are watching you and they see names. It makes such a difference going into the Flat season. I've definitely got a few outside rides from that.

I've ridden five winners now. Riding a winner on the opening day of the Flat season at the Curragh (March) on Smoke Them Out for Tom is definitely up there in terms of my best days in the saddle. I had had a good few rides in the Curragh, so to get a winner there was great. I think what made it even better was that it was on the first day of the season. It made the feeling even better and made me feel like I was kind of getting a head start getting a winner on the opening day. I did drop my stick, but I still won which was the main thing! I can't thank Tom enough. I learn off him, and he is very black and white, and he tells you straight. I was in the lorry with him on the way up to Dundalk to ride work today and he went through a few recent rides I had and what I did right and what I did wrong. He's very good at teaching. If I do something wrong, he will tell me straight away. He's good like that.

I'm starting to build up contacts. Skyrne Gallops would be local, so I would ride a bit of work for other people up there. Thankfully, Tom uses it quite often so if I'm going up with him I can hang around and ride bits of work for people afterwards. It makes a massive difference getting contacts and getting in with really good people who are willing to give apprentices chances. I'm definitely open to more and more outside rides, that's all I want. What drives me is getting better and getting stronger with the goal of riding winners. My riding has progressed a lot since I got my first winner in June last year, but there's always room for improvement. I still want to keep getting better. There's things that I want to improve on and am trying to improve on, but I've come a long way since last year. If you love what you do, you won't work a day in your life!

Sadhbh was in conversation with Michael Graham

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About Michael Graham

Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.

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