Robbie Dolan

It was nice to get home for two weeks after such a successful season in Australia where I won the two New South Wales apprentice titles— the one for the provincial tracks but most importantly, the Metropolitan championship in Sydney, where all the top racing is. The likes of Hugh Bowman and Tommy Berry have won that and jockeys generally go on to have a good career afterwards.

Certainly that’s what I’m hoping for and after the break and catching up on everyone at home, I will be ready to go again.

I was reared in racing. My grandfather Peadar Matthews won two classics as a jockey and my mum, Paula is his daughter. She would have ridden a lot of horses too before we came around. My dad Bobby was a jockey and worked with Dermot Weld, where he looked after Grey Swallow, who won the Irish Derby. My brother Barry is training in America. I did consider going to America but it’s so hard to get a visa.

I just couldn’t get going in Ireland, though Paul Deegan and Adrian Keatley were good to me. In two years, I rode just three winners from 78 rides. I was a long way off being a jockey and wasn’t riding enough to improve.

Warren O’Connor was my coach and he suggested Australia. I had nothing to lose so at the end of 2016 I went out and it couldn’t have worked any better.

I started off with John Sadler in Melbourne but was unable to get a licence because there’s such a long waiting list so he suggested trying Sydney. I worked away, riding out wherever I could, when a friend, Robert Quinn suggested giving Mark Newnham a call. He was an ex-jockey just starting off and before long, he suggested I get my licence. It has gotten better every year since.

This year I had 93 winner and loads of city winners, and ended up winning the two apprentice titles. It was a dream to come true.

The aim at the start of the season was to have a crack at the provincial title. I went in, started riding in town (Sydney) a little bit at the start of the year and then it took off. Probably nobody remembers the winners of the provincial titles but it is in the record books for the metropolitan city one. All the big lads have won it over the years. It is good to be on that list now.

I rode a Group 3 winner at Rosehill in March for Joseph Pride and that was a big thing. I had a winner for Chris Waller the same day. I was also placed in a Group 1 in front of a big crowd. I had four winners at one of the night meetings. I had a couple of trebles. These were all big things. It was a great season but now I have to build on it.

A lot of people thought I came out of nowhere and won the title. But I have been slowly chipping away and making contacts and putting the hard work in. This season we started to get a bit of luck as well. It is a combination of a lot of work and a bit of luck. A lot of the right people started to put me up on their horses. I was making the most of the opportunities I was getting and that leads to more opportunities.

I have a good agent in Wayne Harris. He is a multiple Group 1-winning jockey and Mark Newnham is a retired jockey now training. It is people like that helping you along the way that can tell you what you are doing right and wrong.

People ask how I was willing to take such a gamble at 20, going on 21 but I had nothing to lose. I always said to myself, ‘If it doesn’t work out I can always come home. Home is not going anywhere.’ That is one thing that kind of drove me on.”

I probably wasn’t ready in Ireland. I was a late bloomer. When I was riding in Ireland I was only getting a ride here and there, I wasn’t learning much. Some of the other lads had come from the pony racing and they were straight in. I was a late developer it took me a while to get done. I needed a bit more time. In Ireland if you are not up and flying you are not going to get going. You need to make an impact straight away.

With so much country racing in Australia, there were far more chances. I went out and my first season I rode 23 winners and they were all country racing, out in the middle of nowhere, no-one is watching you on the telly. You go out and make your mistakes and learn from there. You learn a heap and the prizemoney is low enough but it is not about the money when you are just starting out. You just want to keep improving and have a crack. I am 23 now and I am only starting to really have a crack.

I don’t think I will be back home riding anytime soon. Australia is a good place to be based because there is plenty of contacts and opportunites for other places like Japan and Hong Kong. That could be an option in the coming years as well.

Meanwhile, my girlfriend Christine and I are looking at buying a house. She rides work in the mornings too. Australia has been good to me and I just want to keep it going now.