Image © Healy Racing
Brian Dunleavy made his trip to Toomebridge count on Saturday when his only ride of the afternoon, Sarah’s Sister, provided him with his 50th winner between the flags.
The Dungourney native reached the milestone in the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden, partnering the Aidan ‘Scobie’ Fitzgerald-trained daughter of Order Of St George to an impressive 11-length success for the Cobajay Syndicate.
Although the landmark had been on his mind towards the end of last season, Dunleavy admitted it took a congratulatory message afterwards to remind him he had reached it.
“I actually had forgotten about it,” he explained. “I knew well about it at the end of last season. I just kept hitting the crossbar. The horses were running great for me.
“I knew it was there, but I kind of had forgotten about it over the summer.
“I got a text off someone saying congratulations on your 50th winner, and I was sitting in the weighing room after and kind of started laughing to myself because I remembered it. I was delighted with it.”
While pleased to reach the milestone, the 24-year-old was quick to put his achievement into perspective alongside the sport’s leading riders.
“The lads like Derek O’Connor, Jamie Codd and Barry O’Neill always keep you down to earth when you see the numbers of winners they’ve ridden.”
Dunleavy had been confident Sarah’s Sister could make a good first impression, having schooled her and ridden her in a few pieces of work before Saturday. Encouraging reports from Fitzgerald added to his confidence.
“I was fairly confident she was going to make a good first impression.”
The well-bred mare travelled within striking distance before joining the leader four fences from home, quickening clear approaching two out and putting the contest to bed before the last.
A £22,000 Goffs UK store purchase, Sarah’s Sister is a half-sister to the multiple Listed winner My Sister Sarah, while her dam is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner J’y Vole.
For Dunleavy, the opportunity to partner a promising four-year-old made the journey worthwhile, even with just one ride on the card.
“Especially those four-year-olds, they’re very important. It’s well worth going when you have one nice four-year-old.
“You go anywhere, you go and do your job, so it’s good when it pays off.”
Plans for Sarah’s Sister had yet to be confirmed when Dunleavy spoke following the race, although he expects her performance to attract interest.
“I don’t know what the plan is. I haven’t been talking to Aidan since.
“I imagine she could be sold privately between now and the sales, but I’m sure there’ll be plenty of people interested.”
Toomebridge has become a productive venue for the Cork rider, who was pleased to begin the new campaign at a track where he has enjoyed previous success.
“Toomebridge is a very lucky place for me.
“It’s been a track where the horses always run well for me. When you have plenty of luck, you enjoy going there.”
The milestone comes more than six years after Dunleavy opened his pointing account aboard the Alan Ahern-trained Here Comes Johny at Ballyvodock in February 2020, having made his debut at Turtulla the previous March.
His most productive campaign came in 2021/22, when 13 winners secured the under-21 championship, with doubles at Tallow and Knockmullen House helping him to the title.
“It was absolutely brilliant. It was another landmark,” he recalled.
“You always have to set the bar higher for yourself afterwards. It was unbelievable.”
Another source of satisfaction has been following the progress of horses he partnered early in their careers, notably The Jukebox Man, whom he guided to a six-length debut success at Turtulla in November 2022. The son of Ask went on to win the King George VI Chase at Kempton last December for Ben Pauling and owner Harry Redknapp.
“To look back now and see the horses I was riding, the likes of The Jukebox Man, he’s gone on to be a King George winner.
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“It’s nice looking back in a short space of time and seeing those horses that you won on go on as far as they possibly can.
“It’s nearly a pinch-me feeling sometimes. I was lucky to be with some great people.”
Dunleavy subsequently recorded ten winners in both 2022/23 and 2024/25, although last season’s return of five did not fully reflect how consistently many of his mounts were running.
“I think I went nearly 25 rides at one stage and none of them was out of the first five.
“Everything was running well. Everything I was riding was literally placed, and I was just struggling to get one over the line in front.”
With much of his riding centred on four-and-five-year-old maidens, he is conscious that a promising performance can be valuable even when it does not result in a winner.
“A lot of them were four-year-olds and five-year-olds in maidens, and it’s the game where winning is not everything.
“Even if they’re second, third or fourth, you’d move them on.”
Now established in Wexford, Dunleavy maintains a busy schedule across several yards.
“I’m still with James and Ellen Doyle twice a week. I’m with Scobie a day schooling, Sean Doyle a day schooling, I go to Jim O’Neill’s a morning schooling, and I’m with Alan Doyle every afternoon.
“I’m busy enough. There’s a good spread of people there.”
Dunleavy also retains his connection with Caroline McCaldin, having travelled north to school for her a day in previous seasons.
“I’m still involved with Caroline. We benefit off each other down through the season, so it’s nice.”
The willingness to travel and build relationships has been a feature of his career, while sharing a house in Wexford with fellow Cork jockeys Shane Cotter, Darragh Higgins and Frankie Murphy provides both company and competition.
“There’s four of us living in a house for the last five years in Wexford together.
“We’re all as hungry as each other.
“It’s nice that we can all come back from the races and have the craic about a day’s racing.”
Although Dunleavy has also ridden two winners under Rules, he has little hesitation about where his ambitions lie.
“Point-to-pointing is probably — well, there’s no probably about it — definitely my main focus.
“That’s where my heart and my head are at. I don’t really look for any track rides, to be honest with you.”
With his first ride of the season delivering both a winner and a personal milestone, his priorities for the remainder of the campaign remain straightforward.
“I’ll probably tell you the same thing at the start of every year.
“I just try to ride as many winners as I possibly can and stay in one piece. Anything after that is a bonus.”
“I just try to ride as many winners as I possibly can and stay in one piece. Anything after that is a bonus.”
