Female Irish jockey retires from saddle directly after riding winner trained by her soon-to-be husband

MAXINE O’Sullivan has called it a day in the saddle and the Cork jockey couldn’t have gone out in better fashion.

The Cheltenham Festival winner announced her retirement after riding her final winner at Tramore last week.

O’Sullivan partnered Dream On Baby in the  Conor Lannen Country Store Ladies Maiden, a horse trained by her fiancé Emmet Mullins.

The winning jockey is due to marry the Irish and Aintree Grand National winning trainer in two weeks time.

She has ridden 45 winners on the track in her career, but undoubtedly her biggest day as a jockey came in 2020 when she won the Fox Hunters Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

That winning came on a horse named It Came To Pass who was trained by her dad Eugene.

The Lombardstown lady is a first cousin of Alan O’Sullivan who’s been frequently in the winners since going pro. She’s also a first cousin of the late Michael O’Sullivan.

Speaking to Danny Mullins for Jump To It, Maxine said: “I’ve been in the weigh room a long time and have loads of friends and loads of memories.

“All summer I’ve been thinking about if I had a winner, and it couldn’t have been better getting it for Emmet and in Tramore as I love Tramore.

“The syndicate are a Cork crowd and I’m mad about them so to do it on the mare Dream On Baby is perfect.

“I’ve had some brilliant days in my own right so I don’t always compare myself to other jockeys. I enjoyed my time.

“I suppose winning on It Came To Pass in the Foxhunters’ for my dad was unbelievable.

“But equally so the ladies championships I won, I won seven of them. It’s probably more the process than the winning for me, like working with my dad for years, that’s just brilliant. Those were the days for me.

“Everyone was always so good to me. I never had a cross word with anyone and I just loved every minute of it.”

The Cork jockey’s first winner under rules came at Downpatrick in a bumper on a horse called Rathvinden for trainer Ian Ferguson in June 2013.

O’Sullivan has also been one of the most successful lady point-to-point riders of the last two decades.

She rode her first point-to-point winner on The Merry Mason, trained by her father Eugene, at Knockanard in February 2008.

After a brilliant career both on the track and in point-to-points, O’Sullivan bows out with a Cheltenham Festival win to her name as well as seven Ladies Point-to-Point Champion titles.