Derek O’Connor announces retirement from race-riding Willie Mullins led the tributes to a “legend of the game” after amateur rider Derek O’Connor announced his retirement from the saddle. O’Connor, 43, has been one of the best amateur riders the sport has ever seen, winning the point-to-point championship in Ireland 12 times including his final title in May of this year. In addition to over 1,400 winners between the flags he partnered six Cheltenham Festival winners between 2011 and 2024 and landed a host of other big races including an Irish Gold Cup aboard Joseph O’Brien’s Edwulf in 2018. Mullins, a leading amateur rider himself, paid fulsome tribute to the retiring O’Connor at Naas on Sunday. “He’s a legend in the game. It’s a fantastic achievement to retire in one piece and still riding at the top of his game,” said the trainer. “He’ll be missed in point-to-points. He’s a tremendous rider, a tremendous horseman and a jockey when he needed to be. “Watching round Derek go round a point-to-point field or in a chase, where horses needed to be guided around and presented at fences, any young rider should be watching him. Sadly they won’t be able to watch him any more, but he’s had a tremendous innings and I congratulate him on a huge number of winners.” Four of O’Connor’s half dozen Festival winners were booted home in the famous green and gold silks of McManus – Corbetts Cross and Minella Rocco in the National Hunt Chase and Inothewayurthinkin and Any Second Now in the Kim Muir. In addition he rode another National Hunt Chase winner in Chicago Grey, with Zemsky in the Hunters’ Chase completing the six. Ruby Walsh echoed Mullins’ warm words speaking on Racing TV. “He (O’Connor) was a phenomenal amateur but he made riding horses look really easy and it is not easy,” he said. “He rode plenty of big winners. He was an incredible horseman and for me he made everything look incredibly easy and that is what made him so good to watch. “An incredible jockey and it was great to see him last so long but stop when he wanted to stop and do what he wants to do.” O’Connor is expected to continue building his growing training business, having taken out a full licence for this season with a focus on both point-to-point horses as well having runners under rules.
