O’Sheaspeaks to Ten Furlongs about the current DWC Carnival and the upcoming DubaiWorld Cup night:
Q: You have been coming to Meydan for a long time now. Which was your first year and which was your most exciting Dubai World Cup since then?
A: I’ve been coming to Dubai riding since 2001.
Q: Which horses are looking forward to riding this season and why?
A: I look forward to the Carnival every year and it’s nice to ride some very good horses.
Q: What excites you about the Dubai World Cup?
A: The Dubai World Cup is an iconic meeting where the world’s best trainers, jockeys& horses come to compete in the fantastic stadium which is Meydan.
Q: Which race would you consider your most difficult race this season and which race would you consider the most hard-won title of your career and why do you say so?
A: 4 The carnival has always been very competitive to win so to win on George Villiers gave me a great kick, All of my seven jockey championships have been hard-fought victories and I’ve had some great battles with my great friend and arch-rival Richard Mullen.
"All of my seven jockey championships have been hard-fought victories and I’ve had some great battles with my great friend and arch-rival Richard Mullen."
Q: Which countries have you raced in thus far and what are your aspirations for this decade?
A: I’ve raced in Ireland, UK, France, Poland, China, Singapore, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Tunisia, Holland, Italy, Germany and of course Dubai (UAE).
Q: What did you think of Yulong Warrior and Majestic Thunder?
A: Any horse that wins for me becomes a friend for life,
Q: How did you get involved with horses? Can you please tell us a bit more about your parents and your family?
A: My family have no racing background, so I went to the apprentice school at the age of 15 and then I joined Michael Halford stable where I was lucky enough to be champion apprentice twice and in doing so won an all-expense trip to Dubaikindly sponsored by H.H. Shiekh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2001 and I’ve come back ever since, Dubai has played a huge role in the lives of myself and wife Debbie & our two sons Daragh & Aaron.