Aine O'Connor

Riding Drumcliff to victory at Ascot last Saturday was undoubtedly the biggest kick I’ve got out of racing since the very first day I ever sat on a racehorse.

Ever since I watched my sister, Ciara, start riding out at Seamus Braddish’s, I’ve been glued to racing and Ciara is now married to Harry Fry and my boyfriend, Niall Madden is based over here too so I made the decision last year to follow them over and give it a shot and the last month has been so good with two rides and two winners for Harry and Mr McManus.

Harry had said to me early last week that I might ride Drumcliff in Ascot and I schooled him on Thursday morning. On Friday morning I was declared on him so I was thrilled and to be riding a horse like him with a chance at a racecourse with such history like Ascot was a brilliant experience and thankfully one I will never forget.

That said, the only instructions I really got from Harry and Noel Fehily were not to hit the front on him until coming to the last fence or after the last but that completely went out the window at the fourth last! In fairness to the horse he was jumping and travelling so well and when the horses in front of me both made mistakes I didn't want to take him back and he went on and won well anyway. It was funny because Noel was to do the same on Acting Lass later on the card but he ended up getting to the front earlier than he wanted to but both horses won and Niall had a winner for Mr McManus and Rebecca Curtis as well so it was a good day all round.

I had ridden in a ladies amateur race at Ascot during the summer but this was my first jumps ride there and even though I never get nervous before I ride, when I walked the track on Saturday I did just think to myself ‘I hope I don't muck this up!’.

When I won on Litterale Ci for Harry last month it was just my second ride for him… but my first was three and a half years ago! I was slagging him saying it took me a while to regain his trust but that’s two winners in two rides now and this time it only took three and a half weeks so I think I’m on an upward curve!

I do enjoy it over here though. Niall moved over when he felt it was time to explore other avenues and when he settled in over here I then decided to give it a go myself. Since I was growing up Ciara and I have always been very close, she was always looking out for me, so it’s great to be back living near her again and although Harry is my brother-in-law, there’s certainly no special treatment and I get stuck in like everyone else.

There is a smashing team of horses here and some brilliant owners and I love riding out here. I ride out seven mornings a week and then in the afternoons I’d come back to work in the office or to deal with the vets or physios in the yard or whatever needs doing and you’d always be learning something as well.

There are definitely opportunities to be had over here and while there aren't as many amateur only bumpers on every card like there are at home it is more common for trainers to use an amateur if they want to claim off a horse or if they’re working in the yard so hopefully more opportunities will present themselves after last Saturday.

Rachael Blackmore and I would have been very close and would have started out together so to see the decisions she made and the rewards she got and without a so called “big name” or “big yard” supplying her with all her winners was just an incredible achievement really. Rachael is a huge inspiration to me, as I am sure she is to a lot of people.

I did find it hard to move away from Ireland. I had a very good job with Alan Fleming and it was tough to leave that as Alan’s is also a great place to work and the staff there are all looked after really well but I just felt the time was right. Niall was here and Ciara was pregnant and on to me to come over and off I went!

Ciara and myself bucked the trend a small bit because there was always an interest in horses in the family, with hunting and showjumping, but we weren't steeped in racing or anything like that and just one day Ciara started riding out for James Nash’s dad, Francis, and when I was 10 or 11 I used to go over in the evenings and watch her. She then started to go to Seamus Braddish and when I was 14 they let me have a go and I just kept going after that.

Seamus was very, very good to me. He gave me my first winner point-to-pointing and he let me keep the rides on horses on the track against professionals and that kind of got me started.

I did a summer in Willie Mullins’ and then I ended up in Dessie Hughes and that was a brilliant time. Dessie was brilliant. I went from really looking like a buck amateur to tidying up and I learnt so much from him. Dessie always filled me with confidence, whether it was about style or schooling or working, Dessie would just always instill confidence and I loved every minute of working for him and he had a major influence on my career.

While I found it tough to initially make the move across to England I’m glad now that I did and hopefully we can continue the momentum. I won the Ladies’ National at Fairyhouse last year and that was a great thrill and I’d love to get another go in that this April but I’ll go anywhere that I’m wanted. If someone wanted me for a Ladies’ race in Ireland I’d be there, or if someone wanted me in France I’d go over there. Be it for Harry or anybody else, wherever there’s an opportunity, I’ll follow it and try and make the most of it.