Interview with hard-working UAE veteran, who enjoyed the best night of his career at Meydan – and is now set for an exciting stint riding for the Japan Racing Association
Two days after riding Laurel River to a spectacular victory in the $12million Dubai World Cup, Tadhg O’Shea was on the phone, hustling trainers for rides on Purebred Arabians at lowly Al Ain.
That is the 12-time UAE champion jockey in a nutshell. By some margin the winningmost rider in the history of racing in the Emirates, any success he has achieved has come thanks to his ceaseless determination – an iron will to win allied to an astute knowledge of the country’s five tracks.
It’s not always easy. Even the biggest success of his career on World Cup night came after he had been overlooked earlier on the card for horses on whom he had previously won.
World rankings special: Dubai World Cup winner Laurel River catapulted into Top 5
None of that matters now though. O’Shea posted a high-profile G1 double at Meydan, where he also partnered Tuz to win the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
More importantly, he kept the ride on six-year-old Laurel River, himself on a comeback mission after being vetted out of the Breeders’ Cup in 2022 when trained by Bob Baffert.
Stuff of dreams
O’Shea, 42, admits it’s still the stuff of dreams. “I’m waking up thinking ‘did it really happen?’ he says, speaking five days after the most momentous day of a long career. “I’m still going through messages,” he adds. “When I turned my phone on after racing I had almost 900 WhatsApps.”
O’Shea’s cheery, sometimes cheeky, disposition adds to his popularity. Described in The Sun newspaper as ‘little-known’ after his World Cup win, those who do know O’Shea will agree that the Racing Post’s description of him as a ‘grafter’ is an accurate one.
He has been based in Dubai since 2002, when winning the champion apprentice title in Ireland earned a scholarship to the Emirate, funded by the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum. More than two decades later, he’s within touching distance of 800 winners across the UAE, but most of them at a much lower level.
“I was here for 20 years before I even had a ride in a Dubai World Cup, which was Remorse [sixth] in 2022,” he says. “To ride a horse of Laurel River’s ability was not something I ever thought would happen. When Bhupat [Seemar, trainer] drew stall 12 I thought I would cry. I wanted five or below, but in hindsight, there were 12 runners and not 16.”
It was O’Shea’s knowledge of the track which helped him win; an aggressive move from the off to secure the lead and the inside rail. “Apart from Defunded sitting on his flanks, there were a lot of hold-up horses in the race,” he explains. “I think the other jockeys thought ‘well, he hasn’t gone the distance and he’s quite a keen going sort, so he’ll come back.’
“I was able to fill him up all the way along the back straight and I thought ‘keeping sitting on him for as long as you dare.’ I gave him a little click when he changed onto his inside lead and he jumped onto the bridle with me. I thought ‘it’s going to take a monster of a horse to come and get me.’
Ten lengths clear
“At that stage he only felt like he was in second gear, he had his ears pricked. I’ve ridden a lot of winners at Meydan but I don’t think I’ve ever turned for home going as well on any horse. When I let him down I thought ‘they won’t get him now’ as I looked at the big screen and he was at least ten lengths clear. It was very surreal.”
There was no immediate celebration for O’Shea. Having given up alcohol for Lent, he waited until the following afternoon, Easter Sunday, to celebrate his double G1 success.
“We went to one of Bhupat’s favourite restaurants and had a lovely lunch,” says the jockey who, unusually for the UAE, is also his own agent. “That’s been the only celebration so far as I was back doing entries on Monday and I’ve been just enjoying it and soaking it all in.”
O’Shea and Seemar were practically mobbed after the race, with hundreds of well-wishers joining them on the podium. One of them in particular sticks in the mind.
“The Crown Prince [Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed at Maktoum] asked my son Daragh if he would be his apprentice. I said: ‘Yes, definitely – and I’ll be his driver!’”
Daragh, 13, could well be of service to the Sheikh, having shown talent riding out at home, while his brother Aaron, 11, plans to become an agent. O’Shea snr has previously joked he will stop riding once his eldest son starts.
“I’m loving racing,” he says. “Not just because of what happened on Saturday, but Debbie [wife] will tell you I’m more determined than I’ve ever been. When you get older you realise it doesn’t last forever. I’m very fortunate with the people I ride for; Bhupat and his owners and [main retainer] Khalid Khalifa al Nabooda with the Arabians. While they still want me I’ll carry on.”
12-time champion
It was somewhat overlooked amid the World Cup night hulabaloo, but O’Shea’s Dubai World Cup night double also helped him to an unprecedented 12th UAE jockeys’ championship. That was no mean feat, given that a blistering start to the season by Connor Beasley meant he was 16 wins behind on January 1, 2024.
“When I was in fourth place, I thought a top three finish would be respectable,” says O’Shea. “But then Khalid Al Nabooda’s horses turned a corner, Bhupat’s continued to run well, I won on some outside rides, a few doubles and trebles, and gained some momentum.”
“They’re all special – I’m not getting any younger so hopefully we’ve set the bar high for the next boy or girl to come along as they’ll have to ride a fair few winners to pass me.”
O’Shea’s relentless quest for the top spot in his adopted homeland hasn’t gone unnoticed elsewhere and he is now set to take his saddle to one of the biggest racing jurisdictions in the world.
Far East sojourn
“I’m going to Japan, which is exciting,” he says, having previously kept the news quiet to concentrate on the UAE season. “I was approached at the end of January/early February and I’m going there on April 22 on an eight-week licence for the JRA, based at Haneda and Tokyo.”
After that, he plans to use some of his $800,000 World Cup winnings to pay off the mortgage on his house in Ireland, before finally taking some rare down time.
“A well-deserved holiday for all the family,” he says, having taken them to Switzerland after the horse of the same name won the 2022 G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. This year’s destination is yet to be decided so might southeast Kentucky, through which the Laurel River flows, be on the cards?
“That would be beautiful,” he laughs. “Juddmonte were amazing for keeping me on him. I’d never even ridden in their silks before Laurel River. Okay, I won the Burj Nahaar on him but they’ve had champions in every continent and they could have used anybody. Hats off to them for leaving things as they were. It shows what a classy operation they are.”
Before and after the still to be planned trip, O’Shea will be alongside Seemar at sales across Europe; his successful purchases so far including 2022 G2 UAE Derby runner-up Summer Is Tomorrow.
He also spends the summer riding out jumpers at his brother-in-law’s yard in Ireland, plus takes the occasional ride in the UK for colourful owner Jimmy Long. Then it will be back to Dubai in October, sweating through up to 20 lots in the mornings for his two stables.
A natural eight stone, O’Shea is a rare jockey who doesn’t have to watch his weight. But when it comes to riding winners, no-one is hungrier.
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