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Racing Post Monday, July 12, 2010 11CARD, PAGE 68KILLARNEY FESTIVAL

BRYAN COOPER is zipping uphis boots and going back tohis roots this week. Holidaydestination, punting haven,Killarney – which starts its

four-day festival today – representsdifferent things to different people, but is as good as home to the17-year-old jockey.

The track and its postcard-perfectbackdrop are barely a 20-minute drivefrom Lisardboula, Tralee, where

Cooper grew up and where his father,Tom, still trains. Whenever racing wason at Killarney, Cooper was there.

“Evening meeting, day meeting,whatever, if there was any racing atall over there I’d be straight out ofschool and into the lorry,” recalls the7lb claimer. “I’d lead up Dad’s horsesand meet up with a couple of thelads.

“It’s always like a festival, there’s abrilliant local feel to it; everybodywould know you there. Danny Mullinsand myself would be great friendsfrom pony racing and showjumpingand he would stay up the whole time,so we’d do a bit of gallivanting, causea bit of trouble.”

Fast forward to May 2010 andCooper finally made it to the otherside of the rails at the track – and itcould not have gone moreswimmingly. The Bill Harney-trainedBruach Na Mara hit the frontthree out in a 2m4f maiden hurdleand galloped on to a cosy three-

quarter-length victory.“My first winner, Rossdara [last

October], was the best day of mycareer so far, because he’s trained byme dad,” says Cooper, “but comingback to Killarney reminds me that thatwas one of the special ones, maybeeven better.

“Coming back into the parade ring,everyone was roaring, ‘Go on youngCooper’ because they all knew me as Iwas growing up. There was an unrealcrowd.

“It’s a shame Tralee was closeddown. That was our real local and I’dhave loved to have ridden there too. Idon’t know what they’ll do with itnow. First of all they were building abig football pitch, then they weregoing to build houses, but all that’s onit now is sheep.”

Young Cooper may havegallivanted, but grown-up Cooperplans to make the 344-mile round tripfrom his home in Rathbride, Kildareto Killarney almost every day of the

Jessica Lamb talks topromising conditional BryanCooper, who’s returning to hisracing home this week

‘It’s always like a festival – there’sa brilliant local feel to the place’

four-day fixture to ensure he’s presentfor work at boss Dessie Hughes’sOsborne Lodge on the Curragh.

Having started his career on theFlat with Kevin Prendergast, Hughesis his second master, but not hissecond-best. The influence both menhave had on his rapid rise has beeninfinite.

“When I was with Kevin I was tiny,only about seven and a half stone,then I shot up about seven or eightinches and it went pear-shaped,”remembers the conditional. “It wasKevin who sent me to Dessie’s.

STRAIGHT away I broke mywrist at Gowran Park and hadto sit out eight weeks. I wasn’tback a month, though, when Irode my first winner for him

and it all kicked off after that.”Completing his tripod of support is

agent Alan Donoghue. “He’s verygood,” says Cooper of the rookiebooker. “He never stops. He’d ring Aidan O’Brien for a ride if

you asked him to.”However, Cooper may not need

Donoghue to claim the ride of hisdreams. In five outings last term, hisfather’s star chaserForpadydeplasterer had three differentjockeys – Barry Geraghty, Davy Russelland Tony McCoy – due to theircommitments and retainers to otherconnections. Owners the Goat RacingSyndicate would prefer consistencyfor their Irish Independent ArkleChase hero.

“My name’s in the hat,” saysCooper, in the manner of a man withall his fingers and toes crossed. “Onething’s for sure, if by some miracle Iget the ride on him, there’s nothing Iwouldn’t get off to ride him. In thatrespect, aren’t I the best candidate?”

He’s half-joking, but a big daysuddenly seems closer than he daresbelieve. For now, he’s content goingwhere everybody knows his name, but will they be glad he came? Youbet.

Bryan Cooper: has his sights set on riding more winners at

picturesque Killarney this weekand plans to attend all four days

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