Allen claims Group 1 success Down Under
We’re delighted, it was a great win. I spoke to him just after and he was thrilled — Mary Allen
Araglin native John Allen notched another notable group winner in his career when steering three-year-old Explosive Jack to victory to claim the Group 1 Australian Derby on Saturday.
The Araglin jockey, who now resides in Australia, was pushed all the way in a close 3-way finish, as the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace trained colt won a thrilling edition of the Australian Derby (2,400m) at Randwick, Sydney.
"It was close, but we got there", Allen conceded in the post race interview. “I’ve had great luck with these owners. They are a great bunch of blokes. They’ve always supported me 100 percent, so it is good to pay them back again. Hopefully there will be more successes in the future.”
“He is a tough horse, the distance was never going to be a worry with him," John noted, when recounting the race. “We got cover on the back of Young Werther. Montefilia actually popped out down the side and pushed me out a bit wide. I didn’t want to take off on him too early, so I let her come around me.
“Once we got to the outside, he really let down and he tries his guts out this horse. I thought I did (win) but I didn’t want to celebrate just in case I hadn’t. With the horse in between us, it was hard to tell. I thought I had my head down on the line. It was close, but we got there,” a delighted Allen said.
‘THRILLED’
According to Mary Allen, John’s mother, this is John’s 11th group winner since he went to Australia over ten years ago.
“We’re delighted, it was a great win. I spoke to him just after and he was thrilled,” Mary told The Avondhu this week.
Mary, who was an instructor at Araglin Pony Club, said that this is where John’s initial interest in horse riding stemmed from. He then began spending summer holidays and free time at the stables of trainer Sean O’Brien in Kilworth.
These local influences, both pony club and hunting, kicked off John’s interest and saw him become a successful jump jockey, however, the move to Australia saw John swap scenes to become one of the most successful Flat jockeys.
According to Mary, John’s move to Australia over ten years ago was initially only for six months.
“He went over for six months to ride national hunt, then he came home and he was being encouraged to get his weight down and improve, then he went back to Australia again and now he rides all the time on the flat,” Mary said.
The official margins of a half-head x head indicates the close nature of the finish, with Explosive Jack just getting the better of Young Werther in 2nd and Lion’s Roar in 3rd. Explosive Jack has now garnered $1,459,910 in earnings, having won four of his seven starts and placed on another couple of occasions. The official winning time on an improving ‘Soft 6 racing surface’ was 2m34.13s (last 600m 35.81s)
‘A REAL FAIRYTALE’
Despite the move, many at home are closely following John’s success and cheering him on along the way, including Kilworth trainer, Seán O’Brien who welcomed news of John’s big win Down Under.
“He’s had a phenomenal season to be fair, I’m checking the results on my phone every morning and he’s just unreal,” Seán said.
O’Brien recalled John training with him in his younger years while attending school in Coláiste an Chraoibhín, noting that during holidays, weekends, and ‘any day off’, John would be at the stables.
John’s talent was already noticeable when he started with him, accrediting this to the Allen family’s involvement with horses and the training that his mother Mary would have offered.
“She would have given him an unbelievable grounding growing up so the talent was already there. We know the family very well and his sister would have been here riding with us too,” Seán added.
Once John had completed the Leaving Certificate, he then went on to Kilkenny where he continued training and riding winners for Joe and Frances Crowley.
While in Ireland, Seán added, one of John’s biggest wins was on Dromlease Express at Leopardstown in the Pierse Hurdle in 2004.
A key signifier of John’s talent, according to Seán, was the move from being a Jump jockey to a Flat jockey, that came with his move to Australia.
“We take great pride seeing him doing what he’s doing. It was by chance he went to Australia and every year he’s getting better and better. He went over there for a jockey’s challenge initially and it’s just snowballed from there.
“He always had such a talent and he worked awful hard to lose a lot of weight for Flat riding, but it’s just phenomenal. It’s a real fairytale story. He’s just such a genuine fella and you’d love to see him doing so well. Long may it continue,” Seán added.
SURELY MORE TO COME
One of John’s first major winners Down Under was in 2016 on Howard Be Thy Name in Group One during the SAJC South Australian Derby for Darren Weir.
John has also formed a successful stable partnership over the years with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the trainers of Australian Derby winner Explosive Jack. In 2019, John also secured the Jerico Cup at Warrnambool on eightyear-old Ablaze, also trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
Mary noted how the trainers ‘have been good to’ John, with John having ridden many horses for them over the years.
John also scored a major win in the Adelaide Racing Carnival in South Australia in 2020 as the Danny O’Brien trained Russian Camelot made history, becoming the first northern hemisphere bred horse to win any Derby in Australia.
From humble beginnings in Araglin, John Allen has outshone many riders with his successes as both a jump and flat jockey, continuing to make a name for the Araglin equine scene in Down Under. Long may his successes continue.