Back to work for Derby-winning jockey
It is no surprise to trainer Noel Mayfield-Smith that English Derby winning jockey Padraig Beggy was straight back to work a day after his surprise victory.
Beggy spent time in Australia attached to Mayfield-Smith’s Hawkesbury stable before returning to Ireland after being outed by Racing NSW stewards in late 2014 for a positive swab to a banned substance.
Beggy now works for champion trainer Aidan O’Brien at Ballydoyle and scored the ride on 40-1 chance Wings Of Eagles who caused an upset as one of six stablemates in the blue riband at Epsom on Saturday (Sunday AEST).
“He is a very talented rider with a good work ethic,” Mayfield-Smith said.
“He rode well when he was here and always tried.
“And now it’s great to see he’s achieved something he never thought he would.
“I saw he had a ride in the Derby and then next thing I get up on Sunday morning and he’s won it.”
The jockey did not rest on his laurels and rode work the morning after his big win.
“There was a bit of a buzz between all the lads riding out this morning. I rode a few bits of work and had five lots,” Beggy told the Press Association.
“All us jockeys flew over with Aidan and we’d been talking about the race. Seamie Heffernan had rode most of the horses in their last bits of work and there wasn’t much between all of them.
“We were all there with a chance. Aidan had trained these horses for this race. They had good prep runs and he was happy with all of them. He had them in peak form on the day.”
After his win, Beggy said it meant the world to him to pick himself up and resurrect his career after the mistake he made in Australia.