Niall Houlihan interview: 'Pressure? I embrace it. I love riding good horses'
ENJOYING THE GALLOP: Editeur Du Gite with Niall Houlihan wins the Albert Bartlett Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham two years ago.
The enthusiasm with which Niall Houlihan speaks about Editeur Du Gite ahead of Wednesday's Champion Chase (3.30) is understandable, given how the bold-jumping, free-wheeling nine-year-old has provided his now regular race-day rider with the best days of his still nascent career.
A conditional jockey based in West Sussex with Gary Moore, father of elite flat jockey Ryan, it is the misfortune of another of Moore’s sons, Josh that gave Houlihan the opportunity once the Saddex gelding began stepping up in class.
The younger Moore was forced into retirement in January at the age of 31 when not long after returning from spinal surgery, he developed a life-threatening infection after a fall that left him with a broken leg, broken ribs a punctured lung and damaged lower back.
Josh is now assistant to his father and Houlihan values the support he has received from all the Moores, including Josh’s older brother Jamie, himself a very successful jockey for the yard.
Editeur Du Gite’s regular work rider Phoebe Cruse is actually Josh’s partner and mother of their two-year-old son Freddie. Crucially, she reports the Champion Chase contender to be in excellent form and so does Houlihan.
“He’s a horse you go by feel with”, says Houlihan. “He’s not a horse you can gallop a lot because he’s a big horse. He’s one you have to get there bouncing. He seems in great form at home and he’s moving very well and schooling very well.”
The Dungarvan native followed his own brother over. Sean is closing in on a 100 winners across the water and bagged two major listed handicap chases in 2018, the Midlands National included. Last year, he emulated his kid brother by scoring at Cheltenham’s October meeting with Straw Fan Jack, who he rode in the Arkle on Tuesday for Sheila Lewis.
Meanwhile, Conor was a point-to-point rider who jumped at the opportunity to work as pupil-assistant to Paul Nicholls, who goes to the festival with the likes of Bravemansgame and Hermes Allen as major players in the Gold Cup and Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.
“The thing with me is I was never actually that light,” says Niall of his journey.
“From whenever I first found a weighing scales, I was thinking, ‘That’s a bit strong, I won’t be a flat jockey anyway.’ I saw how long it takes to get going over here as an amateur and you need a lot of luck to make it in Ireland.
“I’m always a bit of a realist and didn’t want to be struggling the rest of my life doing it. So I said I’d give it a year. I did that and gave it the full beans and thankfully Gary was looking for a conditional so I fit the profile to go for my licence.
“As it happened, between not having Mum’s home cooking and working a 12-hour shift for Gary Moore, that got the weight off me and I actually dropped too much weight. It took a year to level out and in that last two years, since Covid, my weight has levelled out at around 10 stone 4 or 5 and that’s where you want it.”
He won on his first spin to create a good impression with the new gaffer.
“One of the good things I think was that I didn’t ride to instructions. I did until about half-way around and they were going too slow so I let him bowl down along the hill at Sandown and nicked about ten lengths off them. When you show initiative, he doesn’t mind that.”
Houlihan propelled Editeur Du Gite to claim two handicaps at Cheltenham in 2021, with parents Martin and Ann Marie in attendance, the latter having as many live TV interviews as the winning pilot.
“Lydia Hislop and Sally Ann Grassick got her in to do interviews. I’ll nearly have to ban her!
“It was a great day. Your first win in Cheltenham, you’ll always remember it. Even though it’s not the festival, it’s one of the dreams you have. Walking into the parade ring and meeting my father, we have a nice photo of it.
“He got to bring home the Magnum of champagne. I thought we’d save it for a big occasion but then I heard they drank it last summer. ‘We were celebrating Niall, you just weren’t here.’”
His claim proved invaluable in getting established, as regular partner of Editeur Du Gite, even though he doesn’t get to use it in elite competition.
“Gary doesn’t like horses carrying too much weight so he likes to claim off them (in handicaps) and if it wins claiming five off it, he prefers to still claim the five or three off going forward.
“I always knew my place in the yard was behind Jamie and Josh and that never bothered me. I knew in the long run, if the boss trusts you, it’ll work out.
“I won two handicaps on Editeur Du Gite last year at Cheltenham when Josh was injured. He won the Red Rum at Aintree with Josh off 132 so it helped to use my five pounds. And he’s the type of horse you could put a conditional jockey on because he’s such a dynamite ride and it worked to perfection.
“When he stepped up to graded company at Cheltenham and Aintree Josh stepped back in because he was Josh’s ride. Then Josh got that awful fall in Haydock last April and that changed everything. It was a very tough time for the family in the yard but they pushed on through it. As I had done well on the horse I got the leg up in Cheltenham.”
They finished third on that seasonal bow but then came the 13-length triumph in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton, bettered by the slaying of Champion Chase favourites Energumene and Edwardstone in the Clarence House, giving the 22-year-old his first Grade 1 success.
“It felt really smooth. I was first down there, got the box seat on the rails, jumped out and winged the first two. And I just sat up on him then. I’d done the exact same thing on him in handicaps but the difference here was that something came to me earlier. He could get idle in front in handicaps so being taken on a bit more was maybe a help.
“He came alive at the top of the hill which let me sit on him longer. Rather than forcing him, I Iet him take me and that’s a great feeling in a race. He was tanking and I knew he’d stay galloping up the hill, and we always thought he would stay two mile four, so I went on.”
His heart sank as he spotted the navy and blue colours of Edwardstone moving upsides and then past after the last but his partner rallied in courageous fashion.
He didn’t know if he had gotten back up. And then the judges gave their verdict.
“Disbelief. It’s a great feeling.”
Excuses made for the other two but Editeur Du Gite claimed their scalps and a repeat will place him and his young navigator in exalted company with some of the greats of the sport. Any pressure?
“I embrace it. I love riding good horses. I love riding for a good pot in a handicap or a horse there’s a good punt on. If you’re riding a good horse, you’ve got a better chance. That makes your job easier. It’s the no-hopers that put you under pressure.
“Cheltenham is a great amphitheatre of horse racing. It gives you goosebumps. But I know what it is. I’m looking forward to it.”
