Principal Trainers: Paul Flynn, Tim Doyle
Notable Wins: Dial-a-Bet 1800 721 821 European Breeders Fund Novice Chase (Back Of The Pack 2010), Phil Sweeney Memorial Chase (Gaspar 2008), INH Stallion Owners European Breeders Fund Novice Hurdle (Turtle Dubh 2006)
Since riding his first winner just over a decade ago, Mick Darcy has established himself as one of the toughest and most consistent riders in the Irish National Hunt weighing room. Barring one blip in 2008/9, Darcy has ridden between 20 and 25 winners in each of the last six full seasons and is on target to record his best-ever seasonal total of winners this season.
Early Days
A native of Carlow, Mick Darcy got his start in racing in the point-to-point field, riding just over 20 winners up until he turned professional in June 2003. However, well before he made that decision, he was making an impact as an amateur rider on the racecourse. Darcy took his first ride in public on the John Bleahen-trained Canary Wharf in a bumper at Naas on October 22nd 2000 and while he only finished fourth on that occasion, his next two rides on that horse resulted in wins in bumpers at Thurles in January and at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival. A few weeks after that latter win, Darcy rode the Bleahen-trained Ate Moscow to win a bumper at Ballinrobe and he went on to ride another two winners during the course of that season. Riding primarily for Eamonn ‘Dusty’ Sheehy, he rode two more winners during the 2002/3 campaign and it was a couple of months into the 2003/4 campaign that he elected to turn professional and concentrate on his racecourse career.
Professional Life
Darcy’s decision to turn professional unsurprisingly saw his workload increase notably and he duly upped his performance levels, riding a total of seven winners from 82 rides during the course of that campaign. However, it was the 2004/5 campaign that would prove to be Darcy’s breakout season. His workload positively erupted and with his main supporter Dusty Sheehy also enjoying a career-best campaign, it was little wonder that his winner numbers ballooned. From 260 rides, he rode no less than 21 winners, with him gaining two wins apiece on the Dusty Sheehy-trained trio of Carraig Blue, Gold Spear and Paddys Girl. Despite the ever-present risk of second-season syndrome, Darcy had no problem matching his 2004/5 performance in 2005/6, again riding 21 winners from 312 rides. While Darcy had yet to get on the big-race mark despite his increased success, 2006/7 would see that change.
Consolidating Success
The 2006/7 campaign was another one of consistent success for Darcy, with him registering a personal-best seasonal tally of winners, entering the winner’s enclosure on 23 occasions from 313 rides. The most significant aspect of his campaign was that he made the big-race breakthrough, winning the Listed INH Stallion Owners European Breeders Fund Novice Hurdle at Punchestown on the Dusty Sheehy-trained Turtle Dubh in December.
2007/8 saw Darcy register further increases in terms of both winners ridden and rides taken, securing a total of 25 wins from 407 rides, including a win in the Grade 3 Phil Sweeney Memorial Chase at Thurles in January. Then, for no apparent reason, Darcy failed to hit form during the 2008/9 campaign, riding just 10 winners from 306 rides. However, that proved to be just a blip, as Darcy was back to his consistent self in 2009/10, riding 20 winners that included his first two wins in Britain, both coming on the Paul Flynn-trained Kalellshan. Indeed, that season was also notable for Darcy taking more and more rides for the emerging Paul Flynn, as well as the more established Tim Doyle.
With his partnerships with Flynn and Doyle continuing to prove lucrative, 2010/11 has been another successful season for Darcy. That said, the term didn’t start off very well for him, as he picked up a 12-day ban for failing a breath test at Limerick in the opening days of the campaign. However, he bounced back admirably from that setback, enjoying an excellent run of form through the summer months. He continued that momentum into the autumn months, winning three chases on the Colin Kidd-trained Back Of The Pack in the month of October, with the highlight coming in the Grade 3 Dial-a-Bet 1800 721 821 European Breeders Fund Novice Chase at Cork.
At the time of writing, Mick Darcy is well on target to matching the level of performance that has come to be expected of him. He continues to add to his tally at Graded level and he looks set to remain in a strong position in the Irish National Hunt weighing room for many years to come.
Updated February 2011
