Donoghue battles crippling self-doubt to hit new heights
HALF an hour before the first race on Gold Cup day, there was a palpable buzz of anticipation on the steps outside the weigh-room at Cheltenham.
This hallowed place is akin to Clery’s clock. Keith Donoghue wasn’t difficult to find. There are few six-footers in the jumps game.
The genial Meathman was relaxed and chatty. Why not? For Donoghue is now a Cheltenham Festival winner, a badge of honour which the jump boys covet deeply. Donoghue’s success for Gordon Elliott on Tiger Roll in the Cross-Country Chase last Wednesday wasn’t the only first-time winner of the week at Cheltenham, but his story was one of the most compelling, for few jockeys have sweated more to reach their goal.
More than once, Donoghue cried ‘no mas’ and turned his back on the sport, a victim of its relentless physical challenges. From somewhere, he found the resolve to fight back. Most jocks are short and wiry; those of average height hardly eat. As for the taller professionals, few survive.
A year ago, Donoghue clocked in for Cheltenham week at 12 stone 5 lbs, which may be under par for a fellah of his height but is bordering on corpulent for a jockey.
There was no way he could assist any horse and rides went abegging, chiefly on Labaik in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Trained by Elliott, Labaik was Donoghue’s ride, once the scales permitted. He never came close and didn’t bother travelling over.
‘I watched the race in Swan’s of Skryne with Paul Carberry,’ he recalled. ‘As soon as he crossed the line, I just walked out and went home. ‘I’d put a lot of work into the horse. I knew the ability he had. I told so many people week before he’d win the Supreme, even though he was 50 or 66/1 to win. I knew he could do it. While I was delighted for the horse, it was very hard to take. I was very down.’ Donoghue’s despair was understandable in the context of his struggle to establish himself as a frontline jockey. ‘I broke my leg when I was only 20 or 21, was out for eight months and went to 13 stone. ‘Two years ago, I nearly lost an eye in a hunting accident and missed a grade one winner on Flemenstar. ‘Then last year when I missed out on Labaik I went to 13 stone. When I was out, I’d have put on a stone and a half, even two stone sometimes and you’d say to yourself “that’s definitely it, I’m walking away” and then you’d get things back under control and you’d get the bug back.’
It helped Donoghue, now 24, that Elliott never turned his back on him. ‘I’ve wanted to give up more times. It’s very hard on the head, doing what I’m doing with the weight. A couple of weeks after Cheltenham last year, I met Gordon and he said he didn’t want to lose me riding out and to see how it goes. I got riding back for a few months and the weight started to settle down.
‘I’ve been in Gordon’s since I was 14 and if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be in this position (a Cheltenham winner). With my weight, I wouldn’t get rides off anyone else, because you couldn’t commit, but Gordon understands where I’m at.’
Donoghue had trusted support from friends, including Carberry, a genius jockey, Paddy O’Rourke, the Meath goalkeeper, and Ciarán Kilkenny, serial AllIreland winner with the Dubs.
‘Paul will never say too much to you. We hunt a lot and you learn by watching. He’s a master, to me he’s God. No one can ride like Paul Carberry but I do try and style myself on him.’
The Kilkenny connection came through O’Rourke and has been of benefit to Donoghue in his constant war with the scales. ‘Ciaran loves horses and while I do a lot of long distance running on my own, with him I do the sprints and stuff they do with the Dublin team. He’s a sound fellah.’
By his reckoning, Donoghue runs 50 miles a week to keep his weight steady at 11-7, before a pre-race sweat. He was almost slim-line at 11-4 on Wednesday when he coaxed Tiger Roll across ditch, dyke, bank and brush, to win at the Festival for a third time.
As Tiger Roll was a little distressed after his exertions, Donoghue dismounted and walked towards the winner’s enclosure, armed with a smile and tri-colour. ‘It was a great feeling. You’d crawl back in if you had to,’ he smiled.