The most successful point-to-point jockey of all time, Derek O’Connor, has announced his retirement from the saddle.
One of Ireland’s most successful and high-profile amateur riders for over two decades, O’Connor’s achievements include multiple successes at the Cheltenham Festival.
But it was between the flags where the 43-year-old was dominant, with over 1,400 victories in all. In May, he was crowned the sport’s leading rider for a 12th time. The Galway rider had his first point-to-point success in 2000.
In 2003, he won Irish racing’s amateur Derby, the Galway Festival’s opening-day highlight, on Rapid Deployment. In July, he bridged a 23-year gap to win it again, this time on Comfort Zone.
RM Block
The latter’s trainer, Joseph O’Brien, also supplied him with Grade One glory on another JP McManus-owned horse, Edwulf, in the 2018 Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown.
Acclaimed as a superb horseman, particularly over steeplechase fences, O’Connor (43) came with an ace of a unique Cheltenham Festival hat-trick in 2024. He won the National Hunt Chase on Corbetts Cross and the Kim Muir on subsequent Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin. But an unprecedented hat-trick in the festival’s other big amateur prize, the Foxhunters, eluded him on another McManus-owned runner, Its On The Line.
In a statement to the Racing Post on Sunday, O’Connor said: “After the most wonderful and successful career I feel the time has come to hang up my boots.
“I feel incredibly lucky and privileged to have worked with some of the best people in horse racing; trainers, owners and most importantly the people behind the scenes.
“I am thankful for every day I got the opportunity to put a set of colours on and the enjoyment it brought to myself, my family, trainers, owners and racegoers alike.
“My association with the McManus family brought me to places unimaginable for most jockeys. I’ll be eternally grateful.
“To Paul Holden, Robert Tyner, Sam Curling, Pat Doyle, Pauric O’Connor, Wilson Dennison, Colin McKeever, Ian Ferguson and all their families and countless other trainers who have given me opportunities, a huge thank you for your constant support over my career.”
O’Connor had his first runners with a full trainers license last month having started training for point-to-points four years ago.
