Darragh O'Keeffe on his hunger for the title: 'It’s buzzing at Henry’s yard'

Jockey Darragh O'Keeffe is leading the way in the Irish Champion Jockey standings for the current campaign and is flying high with trainer Henry de Bromhead.

He recently spoke to BOYLE Sports and opened up on; the support he has received from Rachael Blackmore, the prospect of becoming champion jockey and Sunday's John Durkan.

Henry de Bromhead’s yard has a had a flying start to the season - Rachael Blackmore was massive for the sport and they are big boots for me to fill

We've had a good start to the season. Plenty of winners and a couple of nice profile winners as well, which is great. It's all been going well at the minute.

She [Rachael Blackmore, de Bromhead’s former number one jockey] was massive, absolutely massive. She was a brilliant jockey. She’d won everything that had to be won and achieved it all in the sport.

It was great to have been working alongside her for the last few years, I learned plenty from her and it's nice to be getting my opportunities. They were and they still are big boots to fill.

When Rachel retired I just kind of slotted my way in there. Obviously, it was a surprise to everyone, I suppose, when it happened.

I think she was still declared for a couple of rides even on the day she retired. It’s nice to be able to step in and to kick on.

When you're at the level that she got to, whenever you are going to call it a day, people are going to be surprised.

I was happy for her that she went out on her own terms. As I said, she was after achieving everything in the game that had to be achieved. Fair play to her.

It’s buzzing at Henry’s yard - he’s very special as a trainer

It’s buzzing. It's a good atmosphere. There's a great bunch of people working there. He's a great bunch of staff and everyone gets on and kicks on with the work and gets it done.

Everyone has had a nice summer and a nice start to autumn. Hopefully now they can kick on into the season proper, and the horses can stay fit and healthy and well. When that's happening, everyone's in good form.

In fairness, he's done it all. He's won all the major big races. He's won a couple of big Flat races as well. He seems to be able to train them all, doesn't he? Two-mile chasers, he's won Champion Hurdles, very good in the staying races as well and also on the Flat.

He's very good at placing horses and he's a great trainer to train a horse for the big day and seems to get the best out of them.

It would be special to win Champion Jockey this season

That'd be pretty special, but the two lads Paul [Townend] and Jack [Kennedy] are eating away into my lead there now over the last 10 days. But I'm very happy with the season I'm having at the minute.

Every year I go into the season, I think 50 winners is a good number in Ireland to get to and it's hard to get to. There are only a few jockeys who have the ammunition to do that.

I said this year I'd love to ride another Grade 1 and get close to 100 winners. If I can get close to 100 winners, I'd be very happy. What will happen after that, happens.

Obviously, I'm hungry, I'm ambitious and I want to ride more winners. But I'm under no illusions with Paul and Jack there, two unbelievable riders.

As I said, what'll happen will happen. I’ll keep tipping away and you know I've plenty of support and getting plenty of rides.

We’ll keep nipping away at 100 winners, I'd love to get close to it and then see what happens.

You can’t be complacent as a jockey

No, that's it. You take every day as it comes and there’ll be plenty of setbacks along the way and you just have to deal with them and keep looking ahead and enjoying it.

That’s the most important thing, enjoying it and let the winners happen.

When you're enjoying it, it will hopefully run smoothly

The Big Westerner is the horse I am most excited about this season

I suppose the big one is The Big Westerner. She was meant to start off in Cork on Sunday, but the ground wasn't soft enough for her. She's going to be hopefully a very good chaser.

She's owned by great people, and she had a good hurdling campaign last year, including second in the Albert Bartlett. Maybe the season took its toll on her then when she wasn't at her best in Fairyhouse (when pulled up).

But she's in good order at the minute and she's one that would stand out that's going chasing. Everyone will be looking forward to seeing what she can do.

I imagine maybe this weekend might be looked at [for her next run]. I'd say there's a race in Fairyhouse. I don't think there's many Mares’ Beginner's Chases this side of Christmas now.

She'll have to go and take on all the geldings, but she's done that before. I'd imagine either this weekend or the following weekend as well, she'll be getting out as long as the ground is suitable.

She has options. I’d imagine the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase over the three miles. There’s no middle distance now at Cheltenham; it's a Novice Handicap Chase. So, you’d imagine that, or the Mares’ Chase are the most likely races where she’ll end up.

Kopek Des Bordes and Final Demand are two horses I’m looking out for this season

It’s only the last couple of weekends it's kind of kicked off. Kopek des Bordes and Final Demand look really good.

Kopek looked very good and obviously Lulamba looked very good in Exeter as well.

I suppose it's only the last couple of weeks now that the real good horses are starting to come out again. It'll be exciting times ahead.

July Flower, she's a progressive mare. She ran to a good level over hurdles, and she seems to really like jumping fences. She was good in Cheltenham the other day, and she toughed it out well.

It was an Arkle trial she won the other day in Cheltenham. So, there's that race in Leopardstown at Christmas. So maybe they might look there. After that she might make the cut for an Arkle or something like that.

Monty’s Star is set for Newbury this weekend with a path to the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the plan

He's in the race in Newbury on Saturday, the Coral Gold Cup.

He was fourth in the Gold Cup last year and he ran well. He might have been a bit closer, but he missed a couple of fences. He's a lovely horse and hopefully wherever he starts off, I suppose he'll tell everyone where he'll end up.

Cheltenham is fine as a four-day Festival - it works well

It doesn't seem right to me. I definitely don't think you'd be adding on another day to it anyway. Four days seem right but some are still saying three days was better.

I suppose it's whether people think maybe three days was better for the public and better for racing itself. I definitely wouldn't be given it another day anyway.

I suppose asking a jockey, the four days seems great for us because obviously the more rides you have, the more chances you have riding winners there. Know.

I think it works well there at the minute, Tuesday to Friday, doesn't it? There's plenty of good racing on.

Cheltenham is the ultimate Festival - but there are plenty of excellent festivals in Ireland that live up to the hype

I suppose Cheltenham is the ultimate, it is where everyone wants to go to and get to. It's the pinnacle of our sport, isn't it?

When you start off the season, it's what horses you can ride. You say, ‘This horse could be good enough for Cheltenham.’ So that is the ultimate place where everyone wants to compete.

There's plenty of festivals over here like Leopardstown, Punchestown and things like Fairyhouse this weekend and you have your Navan’s.

But they are all gearing up to get to the one place, and that is Cheltenham.

Willie Mullins oversees a phenomenal operation - his success makes everyone else hungry to match him

It's a phenomenal operation. With the horses they have and the team they've built, you'd have to take your hats off to them, really.

He's champion trainer in England in the last couple of years as well, which says a lot for him. He's phenomenal and he has wonderful horses.

But when you see what they can do, when they can go to the Breeders' Cup and take out a Breeders' Cup Turf, it's unreal.

Everyone has to get to their level, and it makes everyone else hungry, I'm sure.

It's not frustrating. As I said, everyone has to get to their level. It's not by luck they’re at the top.

They've worked for it. When you’re taking them on, you have to be on your game, and you know you need the right horses to do that as well.

It challenges everyone. Everyone has to look for more quality. It makes everyone want to work harder and try to get near them.

The John Durkan at Punchestown was one of the best races I have been in involved in

It was a phenomenal race. I rode Heart Wood and he finished fourth and went well. But I just thought the gallop Gaelic Warrior went was incredible.

I saw him galloping into the middle fence down the back, and I thought, ‘He’ll have to crack now.’

But I couldn't even get anywhere near him. He's one hell of a racehorse and it was one hell of a performance to beat a horse like Fact to File.

I couldn't have seen it beforehand to be honest [Gaelic Warrior’s win]. I just didn't think that he'd be able to go out and do what he did and still outstay Fact to File.

It was one hell of a race. To see Fastorslow finish third and me fourth and the horses that finished behind us, it was an incredible race.

Gaelic Warrior was after running so gassy for the first mile of the race and jumping exuberant and all that. Paul Townend knew when the horse needed a breather having made a couple of mistakes, so he had to fill him up to get the chance to finish the race, let alone win it.

It was a proper, proper race.

To be honest, the John Durkan on Sunday was as good a race I've ridden in for depth of quality. The gallop we went was remarkable. I thought we were flying. And as I said, I was riding Heart Wood who is a good solid horse and I was just about comfortable where I was and I was a long way behind Mark[Walsh] and Paul [Townend]

I was jumping well but if I'd happened to miss any fence down the back I would have been gone. I thought that was as good a race I'd ridden in to be honest.

The pace we went I thought Paul and Mark would have to start slowing down climbing up to the fourth last.

But I couldn't get near them and if anything, they picked up again.

I think he will be the favourite now for the King George at Kempton. It was always going to be that the John Durkan was going to be a stepping stone to the King George, wasn't it?

I think after a performance like that he'd have to be favourite. He’s going to take plenty of beating wherever he goes next.

Having a Gold Cup winner is the pinnacle

If I had a good Champion Hurdle horse to ride, I wouldn't mind that either.

I suppose when everyone sets out to buy a horse everyone sets out to buy a Gold Cup horse! It is the dream.

The Gold Cup is probably the pinnacle. It's the best horses that take each other on.

The Leopardstown Christmas Festival is massive and an important stepping stone to Cheltenham

It's massive. Massive, for novices and open horses.

You’ve got plenty of Grade 1s, plenty of good handicaps. It's a great festival, it's a great track to ride around, the chase track especially. It's a great course. The best horse normally wins up there. It's a fantastic place and there's always a great crowd, great atmosphere.

As I said, it's one of those stepping stones again to Cheltenham.

Riding a good horse round Leopardstown over fences, when you swing down into the back straight, it's brilliant.

Navan is great too and I really love riding around Aintree. All those tracks are great when you're riding good horses!

At Christmas you'll find out with the novices where most of them will be out to win their maiden hurdles and beginners’ chases and then they'll be stepping into Graded company after Leopardstown.

People will be finding out what trips and where they'll go heading towards Cheltenham and whether they're going two, two and a half or three miles with them.

It doesn’t make for a big Irish advantage at Cheltenham - I am sure Leopardstown would welcome more English runners at the Festival

I'm not sure it's an advantage because it's not like nobody else can come there, you know what I mean? Everyone is welcome to come there.

I don't think there's an advantage come March. They've had two good trials wherever they are.

In England they've the Trials in January.

Everyone's welcome to go to Leopardstown. I’m sure they’d be delighted if more of the English horses came over for our Festivals.

Irish jockeys definitely ride a bit tighter than the British counterparts - it’s a competitive sport at the end of the day

I'd say Irish jockeys would ride that bit tighter.

The racing every day over here is very competitive. We’ve got Tramore tomorrow and even in the low grade races, the nought to 100s or nought to 110s or whatever, there could be 15 or 16 runners in them.

The Irish tend to ride good and tight. That's a competitive sport at the end of the day. And when you're going over to Cheltenham, you're going to give everyone enough room, but you're not going to give room for two if there's room for only one, you know what I mean?

I think jockeys ride accordingly and if they ride carelessly, they'll be penalised for it.

There will be more English winners at Cheltenham this year

I don’t know if there is any secret.

The Irish trainers seem to buy all the quality of horses, I suppose. That’s probably what it comes down to. But in fairness, the English, over the last couple of years, have made a good stab of it with trainers like Dan Skelton and they're making a fair go of things over there now, making it good and competitive as well.

I think the English will be having more winners at Cheltenham and it's good to see. Even though I'm from Ireland, you'd love to see everyone having a winner and small trainers, and jockeys and owners. It’s what makes a good festival, I think.

My favourite winning ride?

I suppose Maskada winning the Grand Annual in Cheltenham, two years ago, my first winner at the Festival, was brilliant.

I've had plenty of winners where I thought, ‘That was great.’

Hiddenvalley Lake winning at Aintree was brilliant. My mum and dad and everyone was over for it, and winning my first Grade 1 on A Plus Tard in the Savills at Christmas was unreal as well.