Image © Healy Racing
The record breaking Galwegian Derek O’Connor registered his 1400th point-to-point winner aboard Holshot at Ballyknock for trainer and great friend Sam Curling.
It was O’Connor’s second winner of the afternoon at the Cork track having won the four-year-geldings maiden aboard the Walter Connors owned Ceasar’s Ball trained by Sam Curling.
O’Connor who is already the winning most Irish point-to-point rider of all time continues to break records.
The 43-year-old made his first trip to the winners enclosure in 2000 when the guiding Rossy Orchestra to victory at Killaloe for brothers John and Pat Lynch.
He was crowned leading point-to-point rider on 11 occasions and has won six senior titles, O’Connor has actually won 48 point-to-point awards to date. Details are listed below.
It was a memorable day for O’Connor at Cragmore in 2015 when he became the first rider to record 1,000 point-to-point winners aboard the Pat Doyle trained Death Duty.
In 2017 he registered his 1,100th point-to-point winner, just eleven months after registering his 1000th winner. In February 2023 he registered his 1300th point-to-point winner aboard the Sam Curling trained Longhouse Legacy.
O’Connor achievements weren’t just confined to point-to-points, he won the leading Qualified Riders Award in 2003-2004 season. He also has seven Cheltenham Festival winners to his name.
Another one of his most notable track winners was aboard the Joseph O’Brien trained Edwulf in the Unibet Irish Gold Cup in 2018 carrying the familiar green and gold silks of JP McManus.
That partnership of O’Connor and McManus is still strong, with the Galwegian now training many of the McManus four-year-olds for point-to-points.
Milestones Achieved
| Date | Milestone | Horse | Track |
| 16/05/2004 | 100th Winner | Regal Son | Bartlemy |
| 15/01/2006 | 200th Winner | Royal Ranger | Killeagh |
| 06/05/2007 | 300th Winner | The Box Player | Dromahane |
| 18/05/2008 | 400th Winner | Kaitlins Fancy | Bartlemy |
| 26/04/2009 | 500th Winner | Isle Of Celts | Ballysteen |
| 25/04/2010 | 600th Winner | Carrigerry | Dromahane |
| 24/04/2011 | 700th Winner | Vintage Krug | Quakerstown |
| 02/06/2012 | 800th Winner | Takemetotheisland | Kinsale |
| 16/02/2014 | 900th Winner | Fiddlers Way | Knockanard |
| 15/02/2015 | 1000th Winner | Death Duty | Cragmore |
| 22/01/2017 | 1100th Winner | Staker Wallace | Kilfeacle |
| 30/12/2018 | 1200th Winner | Nelly’s Money | Dromahane |
| 05/02/2024 | 1300th Winner | Longhouse Legacy | Bellharbour |
| 01/04/2026 | 1400th Winner | Holshot | Ballyknock |
P2P Awards won to date;
2002 Joint Under 21 Champion
2003 Under 21 Champion
2004 Champion Rider, Southern Champion
2005 Champion Rider, Northern Champion
2006 Champion Rider, Joint Northern Champion, Southern Champion
2007 Champion Rider, Northern Champion, Southern Champion
2008 Champion Rider
2009 Champion Rider, Northern Champion, Western Champion
2010 Champion Rider, Northern Champion, Western Champion, Southern Champion
2011 Champion Rider, Western Champion, Southern Champion
2012 Champion Rider, Joint Northern Champion, Western Champion, Southern Champion
2013 Champion Rider, Western Champion
2014 Western Champion, Southern Champion
2015 Champion Rider, Western Champion, Southern Champion
2016 Western Champion
2017 Western Champion
2018 Senior Champion, Southern Champion
2019 Senior Champion, Western Champion, Southern Champion
2022 Senior Champion
2023 Senior Champion, Western Champion
2024 Senior Champion, Joint Western Champion
2025 Senior Champion, Western Champion
