The Big Interview: Kildare's champion jockey Kevin Brogan

Dreams are often ignited by a moment. In sport it can be a split second of brilliance that captures the imagination or it can be a superstar peeling back the layers of their life in and beyond the sport that built them.

Long before he was crowned Great Britain's national hunt champion conditional jockey, Kevin Brogan had his own watershed moment. His dad called him down from his room to watch a programme on RTE about horse racing. The Brogan’s had a mild interest in horse racing, being from Kill they went to Punchestown every year but other than that as Kevin says “racing, it was never really a thing.”

An 11 year-old Kevin and his father sat down to watch ‘The Irish Road to Cheltenham’ and as soon as it started his eyes widened with intrigue and from there he never missed a minute of its five-week run.

“I was into it straight away. That’s when I really got the desire, when I got to see what the likes of Davy Russell, Robbie Power and Nina Carberry did. That’s when I knew I wanted to give it a go myself,” Kevin explained.

“From that programme onwards I have always looked up to Davy , only on the very rare occasion was I able to rub boots with him. But I idolised him and to even be able to walk into the weightroom was absolutely unbelievable for me and a dream in itself.”

After the programme, Kevin only had two connections to horse racing. His uncle who rented out stables as a breeder and his dad’s cousin, Brendan Sheridan. The latter being a Grand National winning jockey and Clerk of the course at various racecourses across the country. Brendan would become a mentor to Kevin as time went on but that first jump into riding came by chance as he walked around his uncle’s place.

“My Mam and I were going around feeding carrots and a lady who was looking after the yard at the time asked me if I have any interest in riding. My Mam told me to do it on the weekends and then I got some lessons very kindly given to me,” Kevin said.

After a year of lessons, Kevin applied to the Racing Academy in the Curragh but had to bide his time until he had to safely navigate his junior cert.

“After that I had to convince my Mam that I was going to do that as my transition year and let on that I would go back and do my fifth and sixth year after riding school but needless to say that didn't happen,” he chuckled.

Having found his way into the academy, Kevin spent much of his 10 months there on the horse racing equivalent of placement in different yard’s around the Curragh. As well as a couple of mornings in Ted Walsh’s, Kevin credits his time with Robbie McNamara for his growth early on.

“I saw him less as a boss and more as a good friend. I probably learned even more watching races with him than riding out. He was an incredible credit to me and put racing into a different perspective at such a young age,” Kevin described.
Kevin spent some more time with the McNamara’s post-academy before making the move up to Cullentra House and Gordon’s Elliot racing.

His first ride with his new yard came on Ascari in a handicap hurdle, nothing much to report that day but Kevin always had an eye on what Ascari was doing even when he wasn’t in the saddle.

“Jack Kennedy and Davy Russell rode him and he kept coming second all the time and he fell back into my lap then for a Navan meeting. I remember watching back through the races thinking if those lads can't get this horse over the line first what chance have I got,” Kevin said.

“We went to Navan about 16/1 and Gordon just said follow what Davy did and he absolutely scooted around that day, winning by a good few lengths. I’d say Ascari was loving having an amateur riding him. It was a great day and I will never forget it but it makes me cringe now thinking back on what I was like riding him.”

The next turn on Kevin’s career path is an unbelievably modern one. While scrolling through Facebook he spotted an ad from Jonjo O’Neill Racing looking for a conditional jockey. This prompted a familiar dialogue when it came to Kevin’s decision making, his own self-doubt would often battle against the people who believed in him. Kevin’s girlfriend straight away told him that he should go for it.

“Are you mad?” he replied.

Considering where Kevin would end up, both in Jonjo’s O’Neills yard and Champion conditional jockey while there, if his significant other Eliece doesn't hold that over his head she can be regarded as nothing short of a saint.

But it was a phone call from his former coach Barry Walsh that would give Kevin the type of encouragement he needed to back himself: “He said this is your chance Kevin and told me I was good enough to go and to just try at least.

“When I was still humming and hawing and he eventually just said to me in a roundabout way to me that if I dont go for it I was a fool. That was the push I needed.

“I said to Gordon that evening that I was going to go for it and he was delighted for me. He was incredibly complementary and he said that he would ring Jonjo for me and give me a very good reference. He was very good to me, wasn’t bitter that I was leaving and said that the door is also open for me. That meant so much.”

Two weeks later, Kevin was on the boat across the Irish Sea. Just as he had that life-changing moment in front of the TV with his Dad, one horse in Jonjo’s yard would seem to change Kevin’s fortunes forever in racing.

“I would ride a horse called Tegerek every day and I rode him up in Perth (Scotland) and came second. He went to Cheltenham in the October meeting and I managed to get the ride on him again and he flew around. He jumped the last beside three others and I couldn't believe how well he climbed the hill to win. It was a massive monkey off my back, I had hit the crossbar so many times since going over.

“I’ll never forget it, after Tegerek every third or fourth horse I was riding was winning and I couldn’t believe it. That’s when the outside rides from other trainers started coming in and they were winning too. I had four or five winners within a week of my first and it all just started happening for me then.”

Kevin would close out that National Hunt season in fine form but still perhaps too close to the trees to see the forest in terms of his own potential. He seemed to be the only one unaware of the meteoric rise he was on.

“I remember my dad saying to me at the end of last season that next year you’ll be champion conditional and I just started laughing at him thinking he should cop on a bit,” Kevin recalled.

“My agent Dave Roberts rang me and told me I had a great chance at this title next year and we should give it our best go if we can. He was incredible in getting me brilliant rides with great trainers, like Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls.

“It felt like none of it was real, everything happened so quickly. I have enjoyed every second of it and to have that association with Jonjo, if it wasn't for him I would probably be mucking out stables at the back end of Kildare somewhere.”

The season began and 47 winners later Kevin was the Champion national hunt conditional jockey in Great Britain for 2022.
In late April of this year he received his trophy from Grand National hero Sam Waley-Cohen, lifting the same trophy held by racing icons such as AP McCoy and Richard Johnson.

The mention of those names alongside his own still alarms Kevin but there can be no doubting he has earned it.
“These names you’ve just said, if I could manage to harrow half of what they’ve ploughed I would be doing seriously well. It’s a privilege to be mentioned in the same sentence as them.”

Speaking to Kevin a week after his receiving of the award he still seemed in shock and awe of the whole thing.
“I still really can't believe that this has happened to me,” concluded Kevin Brogan.