Brave decision to leave Ger Lyons set Emmet McNamara on path to Derby glory

Emmet McNamara has spoken of the "debt of gratitude" he owes to Ger Lyons and his wife, Lynn, after he rode Serpentine to Derby glory at Epsom last Saturday for Aidan O'Brien.

Speaking to the Racing Post for an interview in Sunday's newspaper, McNamara said: "Ger was like a second father to me. He gave me some fantastic opportunities.

"He made me champion apprentice, I rode my first black-type winner for him, and even when I was claiming an allowance which I wasn't allowed to utilise in the big races he showed an awful lot of faith in me."

Yet McNamara left the Lyons yard to move to Ballydoyle as a result of being shuffled down the pecking order following the emergence of Colin Keane.

"I knew Colin was talented from the first day he stepped foot in the yard," said McNamara.

"It became apparent after a few months that he was riding an awful lot of winners and riding extremely well. He was a very talented horseman in the mornings as well as the evenings and he deservedly got the job. He's top class and he's gone on to prove that it was a great decision by Ger. The best man definitely got it anyway, that's for sure."

McNamara has been overwhelmed by the reaction since Epsom, adding: "It's been mad. Nobody wanted to talk to me for the last 30 years and no one will want to talk to me for the next 40 years either! I'll get the week out of it and that's about it!

"It seems like everyone watched the race. Maybe I'm so involved in racing that most of the people I know were going to watch it anyway, but I've got college mates, old friends from school, people from Australia, New Zealand and loads of other places who contacted me afterwards.

"The whole world and its mother seem to have watched it, or at least seen the result, because I've been getting messages from all over the world."

If you were interested in this, read more . . .

Serpentine stuns Derby rivals for O'Brien to win a race as strange as the day

'We're all very proud of Emmet' – trainer Eric McNamara hails Derby-winning son

David Jennings: why did jockeys mess up the Derby? Because they couldn't risk being 'the eejit'

Five key lessons learned from a memorable weekend of spectacular racing

Read more from Emmet McNamara in the Big Read, available to members from 6pm on Saturday or in Sunday's Racing Post newspaper. Join Members' Club here