KIERAN O’CONNELL SMASHES HIS 2006 RECORD
WITH 3,331 WINNERS IN 2007 AND RAISES €30,000 FOR
THE IRISH JOCKEYS’ ACCIDENT FUND
Jockeys are one of the few professions where an ambulance follows you to work.
Conscious of this and the benefit that both newspapers and racing correspondents gain from jockeys risking life and limb each day. Kieran O’Connell, Irish Daily Star and Europe’s top racing tipster decided in January 2007 to donate €2 for each winner he selected last year to the Irish Jockeys’ Accident Fund as he set about defending his title.
The Irish Daily Star immediately agreed to match this contribution and were quickly joined by Lady Chryss O’Reilly, Jim Bolger, Paddy Power and Celtic Bookmakers.
On December 12th, the 2006 record of 3,183 was broken and by year end Kieran had tipped 3,331 winners, becoming Europe’s top tipster for the 9th consecutive year, proving that The Star is the No. 1 Irish Racing Paper for winners.
In breaking the European record for the ninth consecutive year, he raised €30,000 for the Irish Jockeys’ Accident Fund and a cheque for that amount will be presented by O’Connell on Hennessy Gold Cup day at Leopardstown this Sunday February 10th.
When asked why he embarked on the challenge of being best in Europe, O’Connell decided on revealing the secret.
“In 1999 a very good friend of mine, Monica Cunningham told me that she, along with several other nurses, was going to run the New York Marathon in an attempt to raise funds for the Kidney Unit at Beaumont Hospital.
“It was on their behalf that I set out to break 2,000 winners in a year and that provided an appetite to savour any success that one might achieve in order to help someone less fortunate.
“A few tragedies too many in Irish racing highlighted the need to support the people that put their necks on the line every time they race and are followed by two ambulances, hence the reason to row in behind the Irish Jockeys’ Accident Fund, whose members provided me with a canvas on which to paint my dreams.”
The Irish Jockeys’ Accident Fund is jointly managed by the stewards of the Irish Turf Club and the INH Committee. It grants benefits to either jockeys or apprentices who have been injured in the course of their riding duties. The Fund also contributes to research into the safety equipment used by those involved in the industry.
