Eoin Staples© Photo Healy Racing
I'm from a little village in Wexford called Duncormick. My dad didn't ride horses, but he had a keen interest in pedigrees and watches a lot of racing. I probably started riding horses through my brother Sean who started before me. I saw Sean riding horses and enjoying it, and then he went on riding racehorses. I started riding and I broke into racehorses then with a local trainer down the road called John Walsh. Sean went away down to another trainer Michael Murphy. I was at my local riding lesson school and John Walsh came over to me and asked me if I wanted to come down on a Saturday. I went down and I loved it, so I went back and I went racing most Sundays when I was 11 or 12. The first day I went in there I was probably about 10 and I rode a horse that day. Her name was Mandy Carroll and she actually won a couple of point-to-points and a hunters chase on the track at Cork as well.
I probably didn't know anything else at the time. I kept going and I started riding work when I was down in Michael Murphy's, probably around about 12. I also did a small bit of schooling there. When I was 13, I went pony racing. I went over to Ballinasloe in the summer and had a handful of rides pony racing. I actually was lucky enough to ride a winner on a beach in Louisburgh, Co Mayo on a pony called Just For James. She actually won in Dingle afterwards. I only had four or five rides pony racing, but it gives you a better insight on how to ride races. You have to give them the go ahead to go and win the race. At the end of the summer, I went to Joseph O'Brien's and spent three summers in Joseph's at Piltown. I was riding out there. I rode Band Of Outlaws out for the whole summer and he went on to win in Cheltenham (Grade 3 Boodles in 2019). I was riding him before he won a juvenile hurdle (at Limerick in December 2018) and I was still riding him when he won again a month or two after (in Naas February 2019). Riding out in Joseph's really brought me on. You pull up your stirrups every day and you are riding short - it strengthens you up a bit. Joseph would give you a helping hand along with other jockeys there as well. Shane Crosse was there along with Hugh Horgan, and Sean Corby was still riding. You learned a good bit off them.
In the winter of 2018, I went to Cormac Doyle's in Monbeg (Stables) and that is where I learned to school. In fairness to him, he put me up on three-year-olds and four-year-olds schooling around point-to-point tracks. When you go over fences, it is a fair feeling! About two weeks before my first point-to-point ride, I got my licence. There were only a few courses going on through Covid-19, so I had to wait a while to get my licence. I schooled Swallows Court about two weeks before for Richie O'Keeffe and he said I could ride him in my first point-to-point at Cork in April 2021 He was a savage spin - he jumped very well. Unfortunately, he pulled up but he gave me a good first spin. I had my first winner two years later on Getaway Theatre in Rathcannon (April 2023) for Paul and Andy Pierce. I rode her in Belclare a couple of weeks before and she just slipped after the third last and couldn't get going again. I was delighted to ride a winner on her in Rathcannon. It was a dream come true, it was nearly a relief more than anything. Things have progressed and I have ridden 13 point-to-point winners including seven this season. I have been in Colin Bowe's two or three years now and I have been going to Rob James the past year. I'm still with Andy Pierce throughout the week to school. In fairness, whoever I school or ride out for, they all give me opportunities. With a lot more rides, comes winners I suppose.
Royal Time and Eoin (red and blue) winning at Naas last month© Photo Healy Racing
I did a Fegentri Series race this year and in the first leg of that I rode for Karl Thornton. Things didn't work out on Karl's horse that day (Danny The Fence, fifth at Cork in March), but he obviously saw something in me for him to recommend me to Shane Crawley for the ride on Royal Time in a qualified riders' handicap hurdle at Naas in December. I was delighted and very thankful to Karl. It was a big buzz getting that first racecourse winner and there was a big crowd. It wasn't as much of a relief as my first point-to-point winner, but it was a deadly buzz! I wasn't really expecting it. Going out, Shane told me to be in the first five or six and, in fairness, he had the horse well tuned. He jumped savage and gave me a dream ride the whole way through until he missed the last. He was tough on the run-in, he wanted to win which makes it a lot easier. For us 7lb claimers riding in point-to-points every day, the John Thomas McNamara Series for qualified riders is ideal. It is brilliant really as we can showcase our talents to track trainers.
I'm going well point-to-pointing at the minute, but the long-term plan is to turn conditional hopefully in 2025 at the end of the season. I'll be all guns blazing for the rest of the point-to-point season. I'd love to get another couple of rides on the track before I do to showcase what I can do. I ride out a bit for Edward O'Grady and I would be open to going in to ride out for track trainers to get more rides on the track before I turn conditional. It is brilliant working in the Irish racing industry. You meet a lot of new friends, a couple of my best friends are in the industry. You have so much craic riding out and going racing - I would recommend it to anyone.
Eoin was in conversation with Michael Graham.
If you would like your racing story covered in this blog please email [email protected]
