Racing community mourns loss of talented rider John O’Connor

The entire point-to-point community was left in shock over the weekend as news broke of the tragic loss of jockey John O’Connor, who passed away following a road traffic accident in Cork, not far from the racecourse on Saturday evening.

Based at Eugene O’Sullivan’s stable near Lomardstown, the 20-year-old was surely destined for a long and successful career in the saddle on the early evidence of his talents that had seen him finish joint-second in last season’s Racing Post Leading Novice Rider award, with six winners to his name.

That had marked the culmination of a successful season for the Lismire native, who had partnered his initial winner only early in that same campaign when teaming up with the Matthew Daly-trained Hit The Upright in a novice riders’ race at Corbeagh House in November 2015.