In conversation with...Conor Smithers
Conor Smithers rides his first Galway Festival winner on Timurshah Photo: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
He always wanted to be a jockey and although he met with challenges along the way and even considered the possibility of giving up in 2025, young Conditional Jockey, Conor Smithers has turned his season around and is enjoying a successful 2026 as he told The Kildare Nationalist recently.
So, Conor, you’re from Monasterevin, was there an involvement with the racing industry when you were growing up, or how did that come about?
I actually grew up with my grandparents, PJ and Marie Davis, in Kilberry, outside Athy, Pat. My Dad and Mom, Bobby and Joan sadly passed away. My dad passed away when I was seven, back in 2008. He had cancer but he died of a heart attack. My mum passed away four years ago now. She suffered really bad alcoholism since my father passed and so that's why I grew up with my grandparents. She struggled bad with it. They were they were great people to be fair. My mum, had a great heart. She had her struggles.
My grandfather really got me and my brother into racehorses. He actually owned a very good horse, Portrait King, trained by Maurice Phelan. That’s how we got into race horses and we started doing a small bit of pony racing. I was always kind of heavy. I’m probably the same weight I am now as I was when I was 15. Thankfully I didn’t grow anymore!
Did you progress from the ponies to Point to Point then?
My eldest brother Robert, who doesn't ride anymore went to RACE and through RACE he was sent out to Michael Halfords. He got myself and my brother Peter to come in the odd Saturday and start riding out there. So, I learned my trade off Michael and how to ride a horse. He had great discipline in there. I rode out there for a few seasons from probably I was around 14, till I was maybe early 17s. Then I got the amateur license and I went Point to Pointing down in Wexford for four seasons down with Dennis Murphy.
I knew if I was going to be a jockey, I was going to be a jump jockey. Even in my head I always preferred the jumps. Growing up I always used to love watching the Bank Races around Punchestown, I was obsessed with them and I always said before I ever retire nearly the first thing to take off the bucket list would be to win a Bank Race.
What age were you when you went Conditional and what was it like moving from Point to Point?
I was 21. I’m 25 now so four years ago. I always wanted to ride on the track a bit more so I said I’d chance it and see how things go. Thankfully when I started off, I got plenty of support rides-wise and I had a winner here and there but never really took off but thankfully, since the turn the season, things have been going well.
Jessica Harrington, gave me loads of experience. I actually went to the Cheltenham Festival for her which is fairly cool now.
Listening to your interview on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 recently you said you were just a bit disillusioned last year and even considered giving up. Who did you go to for advice or where did the encouragement come from to continue?
My agent Garry Cribbin would give me advice but you have to make things happen yourself. You can't just sit back and ask for help and advice if you're not going to get up off your ass and get a move on. I go to a friend group and they gave me plenty of advice and my girlfriend, Joan, would always have my back. I just had to put the head down and get to work.
What has changed in 2026, it’s not just luck is it?
Well, honestly, it is luck. You have to be on the right horse. You have to be in the right place at the right time and chatting to right people nearly. When I got a bit quiet it was nearly a wakeup call. As soon as I started to get a few opportunities, I said - Right, come now.
You were obviously confident going into the Galway where you had two winners?
Well, as confident as you could be; the Galway Festival is going to be very competitive. Everyone's here for the same thing. Everyone's been planning the route to the Festival so you just had to ride your races. Aidan (Melia) was definitely going to get the horse there in the best form that he could and I just had to go ride my race from there.
What was it like realising that you had won and chatting to Katie Walsh on TV afterwards?
Yeah, it was great. First big win on the racetrack. It was a relief, but it was it was full of joy, and yeah, it was great walk back in and the text messages coming in. You'd be proud of yourself in there. You want to be chatting to Katie Walsh after those races, having those interviews. That's what every lad wants, I'm sure. That's why it's so hard because everyone wants it and no lad wants to hand it off too easily; thankfully we came out right side of it.
You went on to win on the last day of the Festival as well and then in Roscommon, Sligo and Wexford where your brother Peter also won. Is there healthy rivalry there?
Yeah, Peter won the race previous to me in Wexford so that was a good old family day out. No, I wouldn't say it's rivalry, but it's a bit of competition. There would be competition there but more so we’d be happy to see each other doing well because we know how hard it is.
Some of the main jockeys are off for two or three weeks in the summer. Does that help you and other conditional jockeys?
That’s nearly a bonus for conditional jockeys or jockeys that just had 15 winners or less the season previous because it just gets you time to prove yourself there and open a bit more opportunities for rides. Thankfully in that period I had three winners. Then we get two weeks off and I was nearly kicking myself. I was wishing we didn't have two weeks off. I just I needed to get the ball rolling before the summer ended, before the proper racing starts, just to try to get my name out there. That was my main aim and thankfully I have I had six more winners since.
So, what's next for you Conor, the big race meetings are coming up in the autumn/winter schedule?
I’d like to keep as many trainers interested as possible and just keep improving. Hopefully, when the proper National Hunt season starts and those bigger handicaps come along maybe I can just keep the name in the paper and lads might want to use me. That would be great. Just try to keep right, keep the rides coming and keep trying to improve, get strong and tactically aware. If I had a winner along the way, that would that be a bonus?
