Daryl Jacob: My top three winners
The jockey recently celebrated reaching 1,000 triumphs across his career
Daryl Jacob celebrated his 1000th career winner at Ayr in November
It was a race I always wanted to be involved in, more so than the Gold Cup. To win it was a beautiful moment - Daryl Jacobs on his Grand National victory aboard Neptune Collonges
Daryl Jacob is setting his sights on a pre-Christmas return from injury as he looks to pick up where he left off during his last season in the saddle, writes Paul Martin.
The 41-year-old from Wexford rode his 1,000th career winner on November 2 but a freak accident while riding out left him with a broken collar bone less than 48 hours later.
Seasoned campaigner Jacob is well aware that such a sequence of events simply sums up the highs and lows of the game he is in and he is focused on what is to come as he prepares to draw the curtain on a glittering career.
“The rehab and recovery is going well,” he said. “We are making the deadlines we are meant to be making, which is good.
“We are happy with where we are at the moment. I’m hoping to be back before Christmas, I don’t know when exactly, if all goes to plan.
“With it being my last season, I wanted a clean run at it but unfortunately that hasn’t happened.
“I’m very motivated to get back and look forward to riding some really nice horses this winter.”
Jacob brought up four figures at Ayr at the start of the month, steering home the Simon Crawford-trained Ottizzini to reach a landmark he initially hoped to hit last season before another injury blow.
“That was a real sickener,” he said. “I was looking forward to doing it last year as it was within my grasp. That knocked the wind out my sails.
“It was a great motivator through rehab, which gets harder the older you get, so to get there meant a lot.
“It was lovely on the Saturday evening, I got some beautiful messages from an awful lot of people.
“For a jump jockey to ride that many winners is a huge achievement, it’s incredibly difficult with the injuries we can get, it takes an awful lot of longevity to get those numbers and that’s something I’m very proud of.
“I’ve ridden some incredible horses along the line. It’s not going to make my career any better for riding 1,000 winners but it’s a nice thing to be able to say when I hang up my boots.”
To mark the occasion, we asked Daryl to pick out his top three winners from those 1,000.
Here’s what he said…
Neptune Collonges – Grand National (2012)
The victory, secured via photo finish, remains the closest Grand National in history.
“For everyone who wants to be a jockey, the Gold Cup and the Grand National are the ones you want to win.
“It is a race that is very close to me. When I was working in Dessie Hughes’, he and Ted Walsh were very close friends, so he used to bring Papillon to the Curragh to train him for the Grand National.
“I was 15 at the time, so the fact he was bringing him there to train him and he ended up winning it was very special.
“It has always been a race that I’ve wanted to win as I knew the significance of it in Ireland. To have an Irish winner of the race was very important back then.
“It was a race I wanted to be involved in, more so than the Gold Cup. To win it was a beautiful moment.
“The horse had a massive heart and gave it everything. He was a massive stayer and needed all of that.
“The time between the finish and it being announced seemed to take forever but thankfully it came on my side.
“There was a tinge of sadness as Richie McLernon (runner-up on Sunnyhillboy) is a very good friend of mine. I’m delighted I came out on the winning side but I don’t think either horse deserved to lose that day.
“To win it was fantastic. Both horses gave absolutely everything they had, they were two wonderful horses and it made for a wonderful race.”
L’Ami Serge – French Champion Hurdle (2017)
“That was one of the best rides I’ve ever given a horse. To have the confidence in the horse and to ride the horse the way I rode him took an awful lot of bottle.
“To drop a horse out 30 lengths in a French Champion Hurdle, especially for an English horse, to go over and win that race is a very difficult thing to do.
“That was a hugely popular winner as Simon (Munir) had a lot of horses in France at the time, and Nicky Henderson has been a wonderful servant to me over the years.
“I gave him a beautiful ride and the horse gave me everything. Five yards after the line, the horse was tired. It was a plan that was very well executed from a brilliant horse.
“I’ve had 248 winners for Simon and Isaac (Souede) throughout my career, they are very important people to me and it’s nice to know I have repaid some of the faith they have placed in me.”
Bristol De Mai – Betfair Chase (2018)
“This was the his second consecutive win in the race and to beat the Gold Cup winner into second was very special.
“People thought he couldn’t do it again but to go and beat Native River and Might Bite that year after people had written him off was brilliant. He was a wonderful horse who has given me so many big days in the saddle.
“He won three Betfair Chases, he won Grade 1s aged four, five, seven, eight and nine - he’s been a wonderful horse to me.
“He is the king of Haydock and might have had four Betfair Chase wins but for a slight injury before one of the races.
“I’m immensely proud of the horse. I saw him at Haydock the other day and every time I see him, he brings a tear to my eye.
“I love the horse, absolutely love him, and he’s been a huge horse in my career.”