Wexford duo in Britain’s top ten

IT IS remarkable that two Wexford-born jockeys finished in the top ten of the British jumps championship when you consider that almost 300 jockeys rode winners over there in the season just ended.

Daryl Jacob (Davidstown) finished ninth overall with 88 winners and a strike rate of 22%, earning total prize money in excess of £1.28 million. This was his biggest seasonal total, his previous best being 83 in 2011-’12. He has ridden 649 winners in Britain since he began with just one in 2003-’04.

He was just one place ahead of Tom O’Brien (Adamstown) who had 81 winners and earned just short of a million pounds. Tom has recorded 787 winners in Britain since he began with just three in 2004-’05. He was champion conditional with 105 in 2006-’07, and had 83 in 2011-’12.

Jonathan Moore (Adamstown), who seemed to have a bit of an on-off relationship with trainer Rebecca Curtis, rode 26 winners from just 154 rides, to end up in 41st place.

Jacob finished the season on a high note at Sandown on Saturday as he had two wins and a second for his retained owner, Simon Munir, and earned £140,000 for Nicky Henderson to help confirm him as British champion trainer.

He won the £50,000 Juv. handicap hurdle on Call Me Lord (5/1f); the £50,000 Grade 2 hurdle on L’ami Serge (7/2), and was second in the £150,000 Bet365 Gold Cup on Vyta Du Roc (6/1), beaten a head by 40/1 shot, Henllan Harri, for the Bowens. For good measure he was second in the £30,000 closing handicap hurdle on Stowaway magic for Emma Lavelle.

Earlier in the week on the flat, Pat Dobbs won on Metronomic (10/3f) at Kempton on Monday for Richard Hannon, and Pat McDonald had a nice 6/1 winner at Pontefract for Mickey Hammond, Tuscan Gold.

Jimmy Quinn (New Ross) won a £28,000 handicap with his one ride at the Epsom trials meeting on Brorocco (7/1) for Andrew Balding on Wednesday.

Tom O’Brien went to Perth for two rides on Wednesday and had a win on Gayebury (3/1) for Evan Williams.