Great Scot rising on Irish soil
After a successful three-month stint in Ireland, Scottish jockey Tom Hamilton now plans to split his time between the two islands, he tells Siobhan English
WHEN up-andcoming jump jockey Tom Hamilton came to Ireland in the summer of 2016, the plan was to take a break after a three-year stint studying business in Edinburgh.
The initial term was three months, with the intention of returning home to Scotland to work and to pursue his racing career there. Eighteen months later though, and the 22-yearold has settled in well as a freelance amateur based here with top young trainer, Joseph O’Brien.
A highly successful point-topoint rider in his home country with close on 60 wins to his credit, Tom says he came to Ireland with an open mind. “I was riding plenty of horses for people at home, including my Mum, but I thought I would come over and see how things went. I never really intended staying on longer than the three months but I just loved the job right from the start.”
Steeped in a family involved in horses for generations, Tom got the bug for racing while still attending school near Hawick on the Scottish Borders.
Winner
A regular winner on the pony racing circuit from the age of 14, this continued onto the pointto-point field and he earned his first ride in December 2011 for his mother, Wendy.
“Mum always trained a few horses and some ran in the colours of my grandfather Billy who also had some winners, including Earls Brig, third in both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and King George VI Chase in 1985.”
Tom’s brother, Jamie, followed the same route and has notched up 16 wins as a conditional jockey in the UK already this season, while their father Michael is a Clerk of the Scales for the British Horseracing Authority.
During the 2013/2014 season, at the tender age of 18, Tom notched up 20 point-to-point winners to earn the Northern Area men’s championship title. On his way to the win, he also picked up a four-timer in one afternoon.
In the meantime he had caught the eye of Henry Beeby at Hawick-based Doncaster Bloodstock Sales. Sponsorship continues now through Goffs UK.
“I am very grateful to Mr Beeby of Goffs for his continued support and for also giving me a chance to pursue my other interest in bloodstock by being able to do some bid spotting at the sales,” Tom said.
In more recent times Tom has had great success with the family-owned Cave Hunter, with seven point-to-point wins and three successes over fences to date.
Cave Hunter was originally trained here in Ireland by Philip Dempsey for his owner/ breeder Paddy Crinion and won at Tattersalls. He later went through Doncaster sales ring where he was picked up by the Hamiltons for £6,000.
With such an impressive track record, Tom soon impressed the O’Brien team on arrival in Ireland and within three months had secured a couple of bumper rides for the Co Kilkenny handler. This included the JP McManus-owned Aeglos who provided him with his first win on Irish soil at the Christmas Festival in Leopardstown last December. “I’d had a few rides up to that, but to get a big winner at the festival was just fantastic, especially for JP McManus.”
TO GET A BIG WINNER AT THE FESTIVAL WAS FANTASTIC, ESPECIALLY FOR JP McMANUS
Success
Following on from that success Tom continued to secure some nice rides for Carriganog Stables, including one on Shady Operator who gave him another win at Limerick last March.
The 2017/2018 season has been equally good to him, and to date he has ridden five winners. A host of other placings are currently keeping him in the top 10 on the Irish amateur jockey leaderboard.
Across the water Tom is still regularly in demand on the point-to-point circuit, and with the season there about to get underway he will be busy juggling his career again on both sides of the Irish Sea.
“I have been very lucky I suppose in that last season I was able to travel over and back and ride for my mother as well as a few other trainers.
“I hope I can continue to do that over the next few months while also getting some great rides here too,” he concluded.