Neck problem ends 15-year glittering career
The 34-year-old Bandon, County Cork-born pilot revealed yesterday he had no choice but to end a glittering career, spanning some 15 years.
Said Williamson: “I have had an on-going neck problem. Last week I visited a specialist in Harley Street in London and was strongly advised to stop. I was told I was playing with fire.
“It is very sad, as I was hoping to go on for at least another year, or more. I was really enjoying riding in Ireland.”
He had more than his share of injuries in the past and, from October of ’95, between breaking his leg and suffering a dislocated shoulder twice, he was over 11 months on the sidelines.
Williamson spent most of his career based in England, after two years as an amateur in Ireland, much of it spent on the point-to-point fields of Cork and Waterford.
“This is a big shock, it hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Williamson last night.
“Race-riding has been my life since I was a kid, it is all I ever wanted to do.
“I wasn’t enjoying it in the end in England, but had been having a great time since I came home.”
For every National Hunt jockey, Cheltenham has always been the highlight and Williamson is no different.
He finishes with 11 festival successes, starting with Alderbrook in the Champion Hurdle in 1995 and ending with Back In Front in March of this year.
Cheltenham 1995 was quite unbelievable. Not only did he partner Alderbook, but also landed the Gold Cup on Master Oats and the Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle on Putty Road.
“Alderbrook was an amazing horse,” recalled Williamson.
“He went for the Champion Hurdle with just two races over flights under his belt and one of them had come a year earlier.
“We had just eight weeks to get him ready and his only race over hurdles, coming up to Cheltenham, was in the Kingwell Hurdle three weeks before at Wincanton.
“Master Oats was very impressive on the day and won in a canter. But I don’t think it was the classiest of Gold Cups.”
One of the highlights of Williamson’s career was winning the Triumph Hurdle on Ted Walsh’s Commanche Court in 1997.
“That was very special, because it was my first winner at the festival for an Irish trainer,” said Williamson. “Ted did a wonderful job with the horse.”
It was also the afternoon when Williamson famously quipped in a television interview: “Ted can train as well as talk.”
Back In Front, with a memorable 10 lengths thrashing of his rivals in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in March, was to prove his final festival winner.
He makes no secret of his admiration for the training skills of Back In Front’s handler, Edward O’Grady.
“When you are younger you just arrive at the festival to ride, but as you get older you realise it is an achievement in itself to simply get a horse to Cheltenham,” said Williamson.
“Edward’s horses weren’t firing and Back In Front had muscle problems as well. That was a tremendous training performance. It was a very special day.”
Most of Williamson’s Cheltenham memories are happy ones, but the low point had to be the bad injury sustained by the potentially brilliant Nick Dundee in the Sun Alliance Novices’ Chase of 1999.
Nick Dundee was cantering all over subsequent winner, Looks Like Trouble, going to the third last, but crashed out of the contest at the obstacle.
Williamson, however, immediately caught Nick Dundee and prevented him from causing more damage to himself.
Effectively it ended the career of a chaser who was surely destined to be the best since Arkle. He came back many months later, but was never the same again.
The fact Looks Like Trouble went on to win the Gold Cup the following year only made matters worse.
“It was a desperate low point”, admitted Williamson. “But any day you can go home, even with a broken leg, is okay. At the time I was gutted. But then I got a call on my mobile from John Magnier (Nick Dundee ran in the colours of Magnier’s wife, Susan).
“He didn’t have my number, so had to go to the trouble of getting it. Another owner might have told me I should have done this or done that.
“But all John spoke about was that I had caught Nick Dundee, and saved his life. It made me feel a lot better.”
What’s the best horse he ever rode? He laughs and then quickly responds: “Alderbrook over hurdles.
“Over fences, Teeton Mill and Nick Dundee. Teeton Mill proved it (King George, Kempton, Hennessy, Newbury), only Edward (O’Grady) and I know how good Nick Dundee was.”
The best jockey against whom he rode?
“Dunwoody (Richard)”, you can sense the admiration in his voice.
“Dunwoody was hard to beat and you learned a lot form him.
“The standard of riding has trebled since I started and it began with Dunwoody.”
But now his days in the saddle are at an end and he has to look to the future.
“We have bought a farm in Meath and I want to bring along young horses”, he said.
Williamson has, however, been well received as a pundit on television in the past and that’s an avenue he is keen to explore.
