Darragh Allen, is a familiar name that has been emerging in points over the last couple of seasons, having now had over 380 rides, and with that wealth of experience behind him, the 25-year-old has now firmly established himself as a go-to rider on the Cork/Waterford circuit.
The Araglen native has been enjoying a successful season since it kicked off back in October and has already ridden five winners bringing his total career successes to 33.
The Boulta card earlier this month provided the Cork-based rider with two of those five winners, whilst also supplying him with his first career double.
“It’s great that I’ve ridden five winners so far this season, the plan now is to just take each day as it comes and to keep going as good as I have been and hopefully ride more winners,” explains Allen.
The Raymond Beresford-trained South Terrace provided Allen with the opening leg of his double in the second division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden when coming home five lengths clear of Champagne Wilde.
Allen didn’t have long to wait before he was back in the winners’ enclosure as he quickly doubled up in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, when his mount Brandy Harbour rallied well in the closing stages having been given a supremely confident ride by Allen to get up by a neck on the line.
“It was mighty, it was my first double, so I was delighted. I’ve ridden for Ray once before and I’ve been riding for the Neilan’s for about a year now, I schooled both horses before riding them on the day, so it was great to get a win for them both.”
In an industry where it can be often quite difficult to get a full book of rides at a point-to-point unless you are one of the riders at the very top, Allen explains how he feels the importance of going schooling and building up contacts has brought him a healthy number of rides each week.
“I build up my contacts by going schooling, going to the likes of Glencarin, Boulta and Dromahane, that’s where I would have first met most of the handlers that I ride for.
“It’s important to do the groundwork with them at places like that, that’s how you start to get your name out there and then when the bigger names can’t ride for them on the day, that’s when you pick up rides.”
The Cork native has been based with handler Terence O’Brien for the last six years and has been a great support to Allen’s development, but Allen started off with Limerick-based trainer Michael Hourigan and that’s where he learnt his basic’s.
“From a young age I always wanted to ride in point-to-points, I didn’t really have much interest in pursuing anything else.
“My interest grew from when I used to go and watch my brother Sean riding in point-to-points, he used to hold an amateur license and he also keeps a few at home, but I really didn’t get started until I went to Michael Hourigan’s, that’s where I would of learnt most of my riding.”
Allen has a busy schedule each week between riding out for a number of different handlers and going schooling a couple of times week, meaning he doesn’t have much spare time on his hands.
“I go into Terence’s, who is based in Carrigtwohill on Monday’s and Tuesday’s, and afterwards I head to Glencarin schooling.
“Every Tuesday and Wednesday I am in Donncha Duggan’s in Kildorrery and maybe I’ll go to Dromahane for schooling after his one of those days.
“Thursday’s I am back in at Terence’s again and depending on the week I might go to Boulta for schooling in the afternoon. I go to Robert Tyner’s down in Bandon on a Friday and Saturday’s I am back in at Donncha’s and then onto Dromahane or Boulta for more schooling.”
The 25-year-old understandably gained a great deal of pleasure from the success of Concrete King, as he partnered the son of Morozov to victory in a driving finish for his brother Sean in the winner-of-one contest at Kinsale back in November.
“We were delighted the day Concrete King won, it was great; the plan was to go to Boulta with him, but he had a bit of a rash, so we had to hold off running him.
“We will probably run him again in the spring, there’s not many winners’ races for him in the spring, so when a suitable one comes up, we will run him.”
Allen rode a career-best, nine winners during the 2018/19 campaign and he is looking forward to watching some of the graduates he rode from that campaign progress on the track.
One of Allen’s most notable successes during that season was Ask For Glory. Allen guided the son of Fame and Glory to a ten-length victory for Donal Coffey in a four-year-old maiden at Bartlemy and was subsequently sold for £280,000.
“I was very grateful to Donal Coffey for giving me the opportunity to ride him, he would have been the first four-year-old that I rode that made big money.
“Ask For Glory has run on the track since being sold and he won first time out in a bumper in Chepstow. He ran over hurdles in Newbury at the end of November, but he was a bit disappointing he finished fourth, he was very free when he ran, and he will be a good horse in time.”
Allen has enjoyed one career success under rules and is very much focused on his career between the flags however if the opportunities came along to ride in bumpers, he would be open to exploring this option.
“Riding more on the track is something I would like to do, but unfortunately it can be quite difficult to get rides in the bumpers as there are always the same ten that get the rides, so it’s hard to break into, but if I was given the opportunity it’s something that I would love to do.”
