O’Connor reaches 1,000 landmark
O’Connor achieved the landmark with a 15-length victory in the Brightwells Bloodstock 4YO Geldings Maiden on the Gigginstown House Stud-owned Death Duty for one of his principal supporters, Pat Doyle.
The County Galway rider had taken his tally to 999 on Muirhead at Kirkistown on Saturday.
The former 10-time champion, went on to partner two further winners at Cragmore. He took the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden with Robert Tyner’s Kilty Caul whilst he was on the mark aboard Jim Culloty’s newcomer Air Command in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
O’Connor was presented with a bottle of champagne by land owner and long-term ally John Costello after reaching the landmark 1,000.
Gigginstown’s racing manager Eddie O’Leary said: “Derek is a legend in his own game, and I’m thrilled we were able to give him his 1,000th winner. He’s only got 3,300 odd more to go to catch Tony McCoy!”
O’Connor had two victories at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2011 on Chicago Grey in the National Hunt Chase and Zemsky in the Foxhunter Chase.
