By Dan Walsh
UK- based Wexford-born jockey Daryl Jacob announced his retirement following a Grade 1 success on Impaire Et Passe (8/13 fav.), trained by Willie Mullins) at Limerick today and the 41-year-old will take his final ride on Mr Percy in the Listed Neville Hotels Premier Handicap Hurdle at 3.05pm on RTE2 at Leopardstown racecourse on Sunday.
A native of Davidstown, near Enniscorthy, Jacob, who partnered his 1,000th winner last month, has endured a challenging final season in the saddle, having spent significant spells on the sidelines due to two collarbone injuries.
“I worked incredibly hard to get my 1,000 winners but then I broke my collarbone and had a complicated operation,” said the jockey. “It’s thanks to everyone at Oaksey House and my specialist that I was able to get back before Christmas, when I knew I had good rides to look forward to,” he said.
After moving from Ireland to Britain to ride out flat horses for Richard Hannon, Jacob joined Robert and Sally Alner’s Dorset stable and rode his first winner under rules on Orbicularis for Alison Thorpe in an amateur riders’ hurdle at Exeter in 2003.
He landed the first of 31 Grade 1 wins on The Listener in 2006 for the Alners before the pair added victories in the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown and Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown.
Jacob joined Paul Nicholls, initially as a number two to Ruby Walsh, and the trainer gave him his first Cheltenham Festival winner on Zarkandar in the 2011 Triumph Hurdle and the biggest success of his career when Neptunes Collonges landed the 2012 Aintree Grand National by a nose – the shortest winning distance in the history of the world’s greatest steeplechase. I had the pleasure of being present at Aintree that day; one of my 34 visits to the great race.
“Winning the Grand National on Neptunes Collonges was very special, as was Bristol De Mai’s second Betfair Chase success and L’Ami Serge’s French Champion Hurdle win.
“I’ve had a wonderful association with so many brilliant horses, including The Listener, who gave me my first Grade 1 at Leopardstown, which has always been a special place to me,” he added.
From a local viewpoint Daryl Jacob won on his one and only ride at Wexford Racecourse on October 30th, 2022, winning the beginners chase for Antrim trainer Stuart Crawford on Gold Cup Bailey (7/1).
Speaking to WexfordLocal.com afterwards, Jacob said; “It’s nice to come home. I only live half-an-hour down the road. It’s my first ride here and my first winner so we will take that!”
WexfordLocal.com 