I GREW up on a farm in Fethard, Tipperary. There would always have been horses around the place. My three sisters and I were all taught how to ride ponies at home, although I was the only one who took it further as a career.

My grandfather bred West Tip, the winner of the 1986 Grand National. Both my parents would have worked in the horse racing industry.

My dad, Tom, had an amateur licence and rode in a few point-to-points. I started off with the pony club at the age of six and went hunting with the Tipperary Foxhounds. I also competed in hunter trials and rode in a few pony races. During secondary school, I got my first job in racing with trainer Harry Kelly and worked there for a summer for experience.

When I was 16, I went up to RACE. I was sent out to Michael Halford as part of my placement. That was a great experience allowing me to work with some top quality horses.

After graduating from RACE, I went back to school and completed my Leaving Certificate. I was also working with Thomond O’Mara during that time. He had a mixture of breeze-ups, point -to-pointers and flat horses running on the track. That was a good education, as you’re teaching a lot of the yearlings/two-year olds the ropes and introductions into training.

Apprenticeship

I later moved yards and signed up my apprenticeship with Joe Murphy. I was working at Joe’s full-time for two years. He gave my father his first race ride as an amateur. My first ride was also for Joe on a horse called Fit For Function at Dundalk in January 2020. I had a handful of rides before Covid kicked in and racing came to a halt for some time.

In September of that year, I signed on with Andy Slattery. He gave me my first winner on the racecourse when Sunset Nova won at Navan in April 2022. I was working for Andy and the family-run team for nearly four years altogether.

The commitment, advice and valuable experience to this day I’ve learnt came from the Slatterys and I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunities to get my career on the road. I rode 15 winners in Ireland from then up to 2024.

My biggest success came aboard Redstone Well in the Nasrullah Premier Handicap at Leopardstown in July 2023. It gave trainer Daniel O’Sullivan his biggest winner and mine as an apprentice jockey.

Ride of the Year

In the same year, I also won the Ladies Derby at the Curragh on Alanya. As a result of Redstone Well winning the Nasrullah, I got nominated for Ride of the Year and won the title at the HRI awards in Dublin (2023).

I also became a brand ambassador for the Galway races and was proudly sponsored by them. I did promotional work on the social media for Galway races, and attended events and my jockey gear and silks were all branded for Galway races festival.

Towards the end of 2024, I flew to the other side of the world to Australia for three months on a short-term visa. At the time, I only intended to stay for a short period but ended up returning as I fell in love with it.

In 10 weeks, from late September to mid-November, I rode 11 winners. I was signed up as an apprentice with trainer Trevor Andrews who was based in Ascot, Perth. I returned home for Christmas and came back the following February with the paper work completed for another visa back to western Australia.

In May 2025, I moved to trainer Michael Grantham who’s based an hour outside the city. Bob Peters was the main owner amongst Michael’s training team, and he had very well-bred horses from over East and New Zealand.

I got great experience and adapted to the different rules of racing over here compared to back home. I’ve been given plenty of opportunities and received advice to help me improve as an apprentice jockey both off and on the track.

Australian success

My greatest success in Western Australia was riding my first Saturday metro double in Ascot in October 2025. It also just happened to be “Irish Day”.

The first winner came on a horse called Exquisite Taste, and later I rode Antique Star to victory to bring up the double. It was for my boss Michael Grantham and both owned by Mr. Peters, which made the day special.

I’ve turned professional as of last year 2025 and have been travelling all over Western Australia. I’ve spent a season in Broome, which is dirt racing and surrounding areas these last five months. The weather is a lot hotter up north so I got to escape the winter months back in Perth.

I also got to see a lot of Australia’s hidden gems of nature such as waterfalls, gorges and wild life. You’d generally fly to these meetings but I’ve been on a road trip and got to see the real countryside during the week and got to race on the weekends. It’s really about having a balanced lifestyle and horse racing can take you anywhere around the country or even the world.

I am currently in the second year of my working holiday visa. To date, between Ireland and Australia, I’ve had close to 600 rides and 53 winners. Of those, 38 have been here in Australia. There are some great opportunities for jockeys out here and I am really enjoying it.

I’m currently back in Perth, living beside the beach at my doorstep and now freelancing.

Busiest time

It’s heading into the spring carnival then into summer when racing will be at its busiest time of the year for both metro and country tracks. I loved my time here in Australia and would love to stay here for the long term. I’ve definitely adapted to the hot weather and wouldn’t be too keen on the rainy days back at home.

I’ve been home to visit my family, horses and dogs throughout the year. I got to bring my family out here last Christmas to the sun!

I still receive continued support from back home. My mother is always up and watching the racing live no matter what time it is. It’s generally early hours in the morning. She’s always been my number one supporter and keeps pushing me to my limits and dreams. That’s what family is all about no matter how far you’re from home.

Amy Jo was in conversation with John O’Riordan.