An amateur maestro and the horse that cheated death
EDWULF’S emphatic victory in the Gold Cup was more than just an achievement for all of those who nursed him back to full health from near death in 2017, but also for his amateur jockey Derek O’Connor who was securing the biggest win of his career on the same day.
An 11-time amateur champion on the point-to-point circuit, these days the 35-year-old combines a thriving career both between the flags and on the track. This recent success undoubtedly now puts everything else in the shadows.
Less than three hours before the big race at Leopardstown, at 1pm he had ridden the Pat Doyle-trained Appreciate It to place third at the point-to-point in Ballinaboola outside Wexford.
A quick spin to Dublin saw him mounted up before the off for the 3.35pm spectacular on board the Joseph O’Brien-trained 33/1 outsider. It just typified the dedication that is shown by jockeys, day in, day out.
More than anyone, O’Connor will never forget that day in Cheltenham when Edwulf was pulled up before collapsing on the home straight in the closing stages of the JT McNamara National Hunt Chase. “Nobody really knows what happened that day — he ran out of oxygen or got a slight heart attack, nobody clinically knows what,” he recalled. The horse began to convulse and the veterinary team soon realised something was seriously wrong. After being down for well over one hour, he eventually rose to his feet and was transported to the local equine hospital, where he was treated for almost a week before being passed fit and returning home to Ireland.
Commenting on his recovery, O’Connor added: “Because of those incredible circumstances and the way people looked after him since, he was able to come back racing this year and then come in under the radar.”