Dual champion conditional takes indefinite riding break to focus on new venture

Two-time Irish champion conditional jockey Donal McInerney has pressed pause on his career in the saddle to pursue a new pre-training operation, citing the financial viability of race-riding as a factor in his decision.

His decision comes just a season on from back-to-back Grade 2 wins aboard the Charles Byrnes-trained Blazing Khal at Cheltenham, with a haul of 13 winners from 147 rides in Ireland last term.

McInerney, 28, made a tremendous start to his career in winning back-to-back conditional jockeys' championships in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

Auvergnat, the Enda Bolger-trained stayer who provided him with a win on his first ride at Punchestown in 2017, also delivered McInerney's biggest success a year later when plundering the €200,000 Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown.

Donal McInerney: recorded a pair of Grade 2 wins for Charles Byrnes on Blazing Khal at Cheltenham last seasonCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

After recording tallies of 32 and 21 in his title-winning campaigns, a total of 15 winners in 2019-20 proved his best return in the seasons that followed after riding out his claim in August 2019.

McInerney is now relishing the fresh challenge of his pre-training operation.

"From January onwards I was thinking about doing something else because rides had dried up," said the County Limerick native.

"If you're not riding the right calibre of horse every day it's going to cost you money. Especially in the summer time when travelling long distances to the western tracks and the likes of Killarney – it doesn't pay you to go for one ride.

"I had two or three good years riding, and I'm happy that I did, but realistically it needed to make financial sense and I'm not sure I saw a future in it. I'm not a young lad anymore and you need more consistent money coming in to do the things you want to do in life."

Donal McInerney: 'I ride out for Ellmarie Holden in the mornings and work at pre-training in the evenings. It keeps me busy and I'm enjoying it'Credit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

On his pre-training operation, McInerney said: "Things got going around August. I've taken a yard just outside Goresbridge [County Kilkenny] with an 11-horse barn.

"All the facilities needed are there; a walker, a three-furlong gallop with deep sand and so on. I'm getting started out but have worked in plenty of good yards so hopefully I've learned enough along the way over the years."

Despite last competing on July 1, McInerney has not fully ruled out a return to race-riding in time.

"I wouldn't say never but if the pre-training took off I probably wouldn't be in a rush," he said.

"I ride out for Ellmarie Holden in the mornings and work at pre-training in the evenings. It keeps me busy and I'm enjoying it."

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