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He’s currently based with the excellent Gavin Cromwell but has built up an impressive list of contacts, which gets him loads of opportunities.
It could be another big season for the young rider and he’ll be aiming to take his career to the next level as the jumps season kicks into gear.
The County Wexford man is a nephew of established point-to-point jockey and trainer Benny Walsh and Conor cites him as the one who probably got him into racing. He began his career with a very successful stint in pony racing, before joining Joseph O’Brien.
Riding a total of 29 winners on the Flat in Ireland, the first of those came aboard Malaysian for Charlie Moore at Dundalk in December 2022. He finished third in the Flat Champion Apprentice standings in 2023, with 24 winners from just 201 rides.
Weight was always going to be an obstacle to a sustained Flat career as a jockey, much like his old boss and mentor Joseph O’Brien, and Stone-Walsh has made an excellent start to live over jumps since making the switch.
His uncle Benny Walsh completed the full set of Punchestown Festival banks race wins when Vital Island won the La Touche Cup back in 2023. Stone-Walsh said he wouldn’t mind having a go at that race, back when he was still riding on the Flat.
Conor Stone-Walsh rode close to 90 winners on the pony racing circuit in Ireland, so it’s no surprise that he’s such a natural horseman over both codes.
Multiple Grade 1-winning chaser Solness won the Listed The EasyFix Equine Handicap Chase back in December 2023. Stone-Walsh was on board and that’s not a bad race to win in your first few months as jump jockey.
He has a total of 35 winners from just under 500 rides over jumps, which gives him a strike- rate of seven per cent. Wexford is his most successful track thus far and he has ridden six winners there, which will no doubt please the Wexford native.
Not far behind on his Flat stats, he rode a total of 29 winners from 269 rides. This gives him a very healthy strike-rate of 10 per cent and his most successful track is Dundalk, where he also rode six winners.
Yet to ride a winner in Britain over jumps, he has had 20 rides over here and there’s plenty of time for that to change. He came fourth at Newcastle on his sole Flat ride in Britain.
Solness’ victory in the Listed The EasyFix Equine Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse back in 2023 was a significant one, as it showed how seamlessly Stone-Walsh had managed to make the switch from riding on the Flat.
Cromwell is always dangerous in big handicaps and Stone-Walsh was on board Backtonormal in the valuable O`Driscolls Irish Whiskey Leopardstown Handicap Steeplechase at the Dublin Racing Festival earlier this year.
Apparently 2m1f handicap chases at Fairyhouse are his thing, as he rode King Of Prs to victory in the Grade C Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase back in January.
