Image © Healy Racing
Name: Billy Coonan
Age: 20
From: Maynooth
Epsom Amateur Derby winner Billy Coonan registered his first point-to-point success aboard the Ellmarie Holden trained Shantou Princess at Knockanohill.
How did you get involved with horses?
Dad was always involved with horses, he did a lot of hunting, I got into horses through him.
When I was in school, I started riding out, I also did a lot of pony club and hunting growing up. I did Minimus competitions when I was younger and tetrathlons in my latter years with the Pony Club so it went on from there really.
Where are you working full-time?
I'm in college studying business at present. I ride out for Tony Martin a few mornings a week and I also go into Derek O’Connor for a couple of mornings.
How did the ride on Shantou Princess come about?
It happened through Derek, he rides a lot for Ellmarie, so it was through him that it came about.
Did you ride Shantou Princess before Sunday?
Yeah, I rode her on The Curragh the week before she ran.
Derek O’Connor had ridden her in her previous starts, did you ask him for advice?
Yeah, I spoke to Derek beforehand. He was very good, he talked me through what to do and gave me a few pointers. I never rode that track before, so it was a massive help to get his advice.
Did you get some kick out of riding your first point-to-point winner?
Yeah, I really did. It was fantastic to ride a point-to-point winner.
How did it compare to winning the Amateur Rider’s Derby in Epsom?
They were very different occasions! There was a great crowd in Knockanohill, so the atmosphere was brilliant.
Were your family there on the day?
Yeah, my dad was there on the day, he goes to all the point-point-points with me.
Is there someone that you regularly seek advice from?
Yeah, I would regularly get advice from Derek O’Connor but it would depend on who I’m riding for in races.
If I’m riding for Tony, he would be very good to talk to, he knows everything about racing, between the two of them, I have very good support.
Do you know what the plan for Shantou Princess is now?
We bought her from Ellmarie just the week before she ran. We just had a plan to run her, hopefully win one, and see where we go from there.
We will talk to Ellmaire and Derek and make a plan for her from there.
What are your ambitions for the remainder of the season?
I’m going to finish college and continue to keep up riding. I really want to keep improving and try to ride as many horses as possible for the rest of the season. Try to get my name out there if I can!
Was it always your plan to take out your license?
Yeah, it was always the plan to get my license to be a jockey, it's something I had always hoped to do. Racing has always been a big interest to me.
What’s the best advice you have been given?
The best advice I got was from an article I read on jockey Michael O’Sullivan after he won in Cheltenham last year. He basically just said to keep trying to improve yourself everyday. That’s something I have taken on board.
Who has been your biggest influence in racing?
Tony Martin was definitely the biggest help to me early on in my career, he took me in and taught me a lot. I’ve been going there for a good few years now.
Going into Derek's, has also been a massive help to me with my riding and schooling. He’s a great jockey over a fence so I try to learn as much as I can from him.
Have you any interests/hobbies outside of racing?
I love to do a lot of hunting at home, we are a big hunting family. It’s horses in general that are my biggest interest.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would like to thank Ellmarie for her help and for having Shantou Princess in such great shape for Sundays race.
I would also like to mention, Vincent Ward has been very good to me. He gave me a lot of support when I first started ridng.
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— p2p.ie (@irishp2p) March 21, 2024
Billy Coonan registered his first point-to-point success aboard the Ellmarie Holden handled Shantou Princess at Knockanohill.
%uD83D%uDC49To find out more about Billy click here https://t.co/dstQTKRcFt pic.twitter.com/tsEhDS49sD
