Image © Healy Racing
Shane O’Rourke is currently reaping the rewards of the decision to hold off on hanging up his riding boots, as a new relationship with his former weigh-tent colleague, Gary Murphy, has seen him enjoy a renaissance in the saddle.
Last weekend, the Wexford rider took his tally for the current campaign to seven following a four-year-old double at Durrow, which has left him on the cusp of matching his previous season’s best, 20 years on from his debut in the pointing fields.
Sadhbh’s A Singer was first to strike for him in the four-year-old mares’ maiden at the Offaly venue, where the Affinisea mare built on her Lisronagh debut to justify favouritism with a cosy success.
“She’s a straightforward mare,” O’Rourke said. “The first day we probably got the tactics a little bit wrong, but we knew what we were doing this time, and we’d have been very disappointed if she didn’t win.”
O’Rourke quickly doubled up aboard Living In Luxury in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden, although the Mahler gelding had to show more resolution to get the job done.
“He’s a lovely big horse. He’s a bit green and just took a bit of riding, but he’s a good horse. At home, he was doing everything right, and he showed that there.”
Both winners are likely to attract attention ahead of the sales, with O’Rourke expecting them to be offered if not sold privately beforehand.
Those seven victories this term have come from just 18 rides, a strike-rate of almost 39 per cent, with Murphy proving to be key to them, having supplied him with all seven winners
“I don’t really know why, it’s just good horses. Gary has a great yard, and the lads there are second to none. I’m only in a few mornings a week, but they’re the ones doing the hard work every day.”
The partnership between the pair is a long-standing one, having first crossed paths in Pony Club days.
“We were riding against each other from Pony Club and through the hunter trials and points, so we’ve known each other a long time.”
Their more formal association only developed in the past year after a chance meeting at the sales.
“I was actually thinking of calling it a day, but Gary met me at the sales last year and asked would I give him a couple of days a week. I went down and schooled a few, and one of them won, and it just kind of snowballed from there.”
That renewed enthusiasm came after a difficult period, with O’Rourke sidelined following surgery and unsure whether he would return to race-riding.
“I had an operation in April last year and was out for a few months. It took a while to come back from it, and I kind of lost interest for a while, but when I went back down to Gary’s, I got the bug for it again.”
Now aged 36 and nearing two decades in the saddle since his first ride at Affane in November 2006, O’Rourke is enjoying one of the most productive spells of his career, combining race-riding with life on the family dairy farm.
“I’m at home a few days a week, milking cows and trying to keep things going. My wife Aoife is brilliant — she keeps everything ticking over when I’m away riding, so it’s about finding a balance between the two.”
Despite scaling back slightly, the Wexford native still keeps his hand in riding out and schooling for a small number of local handlers, but is content with his current routine centred around Murphy.
“I’m happy enough riding for Gary. If someone wants me to school a horse or ride, I will if I’m available, but I’m mainly riding for him and trying to keep everything going at home.”
O’Rourke has ridden 69 winners between the flags, along with a sole success under Rules. He has enjoyed a strong association with Vinnie Devereux over the years and took particular satisfaction in seeing former mount Meetmebythesea win the Grade 2 Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival earlier this month.
“It was brilliant for everyone involved. Maurice Day bred him, and his daughter Grace used to come down and ride him, so it was great to see him go on and do that.
“We always thought he was a nice horse, but it’s hard to know how good they are when you’re in a smaller yard. He kept improving every time we brought him away, and you felt he might be a bit above what we’d had before.”
With a strong team of young horses still to run for Murphy in the closing months of the season, O’Rourke is hopeful there could be more to come.
“There’s a nice bunch there still to come out. Hopefully, a few of them can get the job done, and if I could get a few more winners on the board, I’d be happy enough.”
