Mikey O'Connor quietly following in the footsteps of giants as 400th win looms

On May 24, 1998 Enda Bolger steered Elegant Lord to success at Ballingarry and in doing so became the most successful rider in history, surpassing the record of 401 which had been set by Willie Rooney.

Bolger ultimately went on to ride his final winner between the flags in April 1999 at Kilmallock aboard Tearaway King, setting the new bar at 413. Roll the clock forward to April, 2006 at Ballysteen where the late John Thomas McNamara scored his 414th win aboard Clockers Corner and made the record his own until Derek O’Connor reached the top of the pile at Toomebridge aboard Bally Wall in 2008. His tally is a still-moving target of over 1,200 winners.

All of these landmarks were quite correctly marked by the sport for the dedication and excellence required to achieve such a score. One notable landmark which runs the risk of going under the radar revolves around another rider who has never been overall champion yet sits on the 399-winner mark following the success of Ajijic at
Dromahane last Sunday. That rider is Mikey O’Connor.