Jockey Profile

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Among Brian O’Connell's 43 winners as an amateur rider was a Cheltenham Festival bumper success on Philip Fenton's Dunguib in March, 2009. His first success as a professional came when he won the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle on the same horse at Fairyhouse on December 2nd of the same year. No stranger to the winners' enclosure, O’Connell enjoyed further high-profile success when partnering the Fenton-trained Last Instalment to an impressive victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown in 2014 and scored another big win at Punchestown later in the year when taking the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on the Gordon Elliott-trained Don Cossack. Brian notched up his 200th career success when the Eoin Doyle-trained Roevin Star won the Boolavogue Handicap Chase at Wexford on June 21st, 2017.

On medical advice, Brian announced his retirement from race riding on April 5, 2018. Despite two operations, he failed to recover from a should injury sustained at Tramore in early October, 2017. He said, "I'd have liked to have ridden for a good few more years yet, but I've still been lucky to have had such a great career. I've ridden some brilliant horses and have enjoyed some brilliant days, but Dunguib winning at Cheltenham and Last Instalment winning the Irish Hennessy are the two that stand out the most. I've always loved the bloodstock side of things, and that's something I'd like to get involved in. We've also a yard at home that I could develop with my wife Donna, so that's something to also think about. I won't be leaving the industry."