Image © Healy Racing
(Pictured: Derek O'Connor, with his wife Carol and children Annabell, Jessica and Abbie.)
All time leading point-to-point rider Derek O’Connor enjoyed a memorable day when completing a six-timer at Quakerstown which is also his local track.
O’Connor also trained three of the winners, his brother Paurick trained two of them and his longtime friend and supporter Robert Tyner supplied him with his other winner.
The special day started when he won both divisions of the four-year-geldings maiden.
Harry Lowes started proceedings when he delivered on the promise he had shown at Oldtown earlier this season by going on the score by a length and a half over the Donnchadh Doyle trained Mighty Park.
Sound As A Bell another in the familiar JP McManus colours who had finished in front of Harry Lowes on his debut, put his experience to good use when running out a six length winner over the Peter Flood trained Boycetown.
The Galway natives next two winners on the card were supplied by his brother Paurick with TimeForTom winning the opening five-year-old geldings maiden and Master McGarry winning the second division of the five-year-old geldings maiden.
The familiar pairing of Tyner and O’Connor were back in the winners enclosure when Stanners Glen won the six-year-old geldings maiden in the colours of David Cotter. O’Connor was seen at his best when getting up in the dying to strides to deny Diamond Hunter and Conor Costello by a head.
After such a special day it was appropriate that O’Connor’s sixth winner of the day was aboard Jim Thorpe carrying the colours of his wife Carol. This son of Wings Of Eagles justified favouritism as he duly obliged by a length and a half over Kastellion.
Derek O’Connor registered his first winner in Killaloe in 2000 and is Irelands most successful point-to-point rider with 1,369 winners to his name.
He has had five, six-timers throughout his career, his first was in Templemore in 2005, Dromahane in 2008, Loughrea and Loughanmore in 2011 and most recently at Quakerstown.
