Hugh Morgan

The phone hasn’t stopped hopping since Young Dev won the Racing Again March 6th Handicap Chase at Navan on Sunday. I couldn’t believe it to be honest. It worked out well. If he hadn’t won, I’d have been screwed!

After jumping the first, the right stirrup went. At first, I thought it might have been the buckle that popped out but it was after breaking. When I saw that, I just kicked the left one and we jumped the next 17 fences without them.

We were always going to be going steady and when we jumped the next, it just felt the right thing to do to carry on. Also, he had plenty of experience. It wasn’t like a beginner’s chase. We just got into a rhythm and it felt fine.

I had spoken to the trainer Denis Hogan and I gave Damien Skehan a ring too because he got on really well with the horse. They said the main thing with him was to get into a rhythm with him, to warm up early on and go from there. So early on I left him alone and when he got into a rhythm, he was class and I was able to try give him a bit of a squeeze because he was happy and comfortable, and so was I. He could have put down or anything but he didn’t put a foot wrong.

I’ve done a bit of bareback riding before. I had to ride one or two bareback that had sore withers or that, and I would have done a bit when I was younger. It didn’t feel unnatural or strange or anything. I wouldn’t have schooled bareback but I just kept the legs around him.

The first time I thought I had a right chance was going to the third last. Going out the back I thought they had gotten away a bit but it’s a long way up the straight in Navan so there was no point going chasing up the hill. I gave him the chance to jump the ditch. He jumped that well, I just gave him a flick or two and he responded down the hill. At the third last, I still had loads of time, and after we jumped that I actually took a little bit of a pull because I didn’t want to get there too soon. He’s not roguey or anything but he just idles a little bit when he gets in front.

After the second last, I just wanted to hang onto a little bit. He got between the two then and he loves to pass horses so that worked ideal. After the last, he was idling a little bit but he passed the line in front which was the most important. I was delighted to win on my first ride for Denis and for the owner, Liam Mulryan.

I watched it back once or twice and looking at it as an outsider you’d say, ‘Will you pull the horse up?! You’ve only jumped one fence, keep him for the next day.’ But being in the situation, as I said, in the heat of the moment, it just felt the right thing to do.

Donagh Meyler noticed it and asked if I’d lost the iron or what was going on so I told him it broke. ‘Are you gonna keep going like that?’ he asked and sure as I said, I had no choice, it wasn’t as if I could push back on the irons! Ah he’s a legend of a horse. He was dead quiet for me.

I’m from Kilkenny, just over the border from Waterford. We breed horses at home so I always had the interest. I did a bit of time in Dick Brabazon’s and Jim Bolger’s and it went from there.

I did summers in Mr Bolger’s and a few people thought I was mad to go back but so many good people came out of there. It might be hard at times, but in the long run, what he teaches you, not necessarily just as a rider but in terms of conducting yourself and being grounded, stood to me. He would be recognised as a hard taskmaster and if I could survive there, it would help me in the future. And it has.

I started part-time at Henry’s (de Bromhead) six or seven years ago and am full-time now. At the start, I was in college at Maynooth, doing equine business. I was there for two years, but that was really because my parents wanted me to have something else to fall back on and you couldn’t blame them. They are in horses; they know how hard it is.

But I was rarely there. I went to Francois Cottin in France to ride one summer and from riding the whole time, my weight got really good. So I came back to Henry’s, he gave me a go. My results the first year in college were grand, but the second year, they spoke for themselves. I could have repeated but it wasn’t for me, not what I wanted to do. I was wasting my time and I went at riding full time then.

So every year, things have improved and my agent Ciaran O’Toole is doing a great job. I want to do as much as I can and it’s important to be busy. I am working predominantly in Henry de Bromhead’s but I go to Joseph O’Brien on a Friday and I try to get to Philip Rothwell whenever he wants me. On Sundays, when I’m not in Henry’s, I go to Joseph’s and I do a bit for Paul Power whenever he wants me, either at lunchtime or before I go to work. I school a bit for John Flavin too.

It’s an exciting time now at Henry’s with so many good horses and leading up to Cheltenham. The work everyone puts into it just to get the horses there is unreal. Henry puts so much thought into what he does and it pays off. So there’s a good buzz with a nice team of horses to go over and we can’t wait for it to come along.

I have ridden all of them work.

It’s too far out yet to know if I will be lucky enough to get a ride, in the Martin Pipe for conditional riders at least. But I’ll be hoping that I’ll get something. Fingers’ crossed.