Sitting back in Dungarvan, Trevor Whelan’s right foot heavily strapped and crutches leaning beside him, he takes a rare moment to pause and reflect. 

He has been home for only a day or two, back in his hometown after a serious fall at York in September left him with a triple leg break. For a jockey whose life has always been measured in rides and winners, these pauses are unusual and stark.

“I had a fall at York. It was a pretty bad fall, it did a lot of damage to my leg so I had an operation probably seven weeks ago and I’ve had a scan recently which was good. I have to go back on the 8th of December to see how it’s healing and I’ll be three months non-weightbearing then, so it will be a long road to recovery,” he explains matter-of-factly. 

The calm in his voice belies the severity of his injury, but it is the same quiet determination that has carried him through over 400 winners across jumps and the flat. It was shaping up to be one of his best seasons, and the timing of the injury has a sting. 

“It was going to be, numerically, my best year. I was riding some nice horses and won some nice races and was very busy for the right people, but it was just unfortunate it happened. I just got brought down in the race. It wasn’t any fault of my own or a manoeuvre I made, so I was lucky to walk away,” he says, the steadiness of his reflection giving weight to the accident’s gravity.

Trevor’s journey began almost two decades ago, leaving Dungarvan as a young man to pursue the uncertain world of British racing. “It only feels like yesterday I went over there. It’s been amazing, time flies. I never went back to school after the transition year. I never had any other interest in anything. It was just always the horses. I decided to go up to England to give it a chance, and it took a bit of time to get going, but in the end, it started to, and I was happy with that.”

His love for racing, he says, grew naturally, nurtured by family and the racing culture of Waterford. “It’s a tricky one because I can’t put my finger on when it actually clicked. I always went with my father, who had an interest in racing. When I was growing up, he was watching Ian Power when he was jumping, and I just liked watching. I got a pony and it clicked from there.” From that point, there was never any doubt. Horses became the rhythm of his life.

Racing, he insists, is more mentally challenging than physically. “You can be flying one minute and struggling the next. Every day is different. There are more bad days than good. You ride more losers than winners and get injured, but if it’s your sport, you get a kick out of it and enjoy it.” 

The highs and lows, the victories and setbacks, the constant calculation and split-second decisions, are all part of what makes the sport a test not just of body but of mind.

Trevor first broke through in England with Ian Williams. His first two rides for the trainer were winners. “My first ride over there was a winner around Aintree on an old horse. She had a foal previously and everything and still came back into form. My first two rides for Ian were winners, and I kicked on from there, riding jumps for Ian for a while.” 

That early confidence, he explains, is what carries a young jockey through the inevitable dips of form.

Trevor pictured receiving the ‘Ride of the Year’ Award in 2013.

“If someone is in a rich vein of form, riding loads of winners, they feel it’s coming easy, but it gets tough if the winners aren’t coming. You get anxious, thinking you need to get the job done.”

After years riding over jumps, Trevor found his niche on the flat, where the margins for error are almost microscopic and every second counts. 

“Even though it’s the same sport, it’s totally different. Going from the jumping codes to the flat was very difficult at first because the flat is so quick. Everything happens so fast. There’s not much room between horses. In jumps, everything happens slower. You can go a bit wider. It’s all about getting your horse into rhythm. The jump riders give each other more room. On the flat, everything is about fine margins. Coming out of the stalls, you need to get your position straight away.”

He has ridden for some of the sport’s most respected trainers – and has found the right combination of opportunity and talent. “The people I’m riding for are quality trainers with quality horses. Mr. Candy [Henry] has been brilliant over the years. Ollie Sangster has up to 100 horses now. I hope to keep building and keep moving forward.”

Despite the glamour and victories, the sport demands discipline, and it can be isolating at times. 

“It can be a bit lonely because you spend a lot of time traveling in England, especially around race courses, and you’re dieting a lot. But the racing itself, even though it’s individual, the community in the weighing room is great. We all look out for one another. I’ve made some great friends, even though we compete against each other all the time.”

His inspirations were the jump jockeys he admired as a boy. 

“I loved watching Paul Carberry because he was so cool on a horse and had that flat style over jumps. I also liked Jason Maguire and the jump jockeys that looked like flat jockeys with the straight back and short ride. I felt privileged to ride with them for a couple of seasons before they retired.” 

Watching them and learning from them was one thing; riding alongside them was another entirely. Yet even with mentorship and early triumphs, the sport demands resilience and self-belief. 

“You just know the winner will come. You have to keep riding and eventually one will go in,” he says, a philosophy that has guided him through highs, lows, and injuries.

Trevor’s career has been punctuated by memorable horses, none more so than Lil Rockefeller.

“My favourite horse to ride definitely has been Lil Rockefeller, and the best day was when we won the Ladbrokes Hurdle at Ascot, just because it was a good race and he wasn’t fancied at all and took us by surprise.”

The horse left an indelible mark on him. 

“He was tough in every race. When he got going, he’d grind all the way to the line. He had some good days. It was unfortunate when he passed away in France after a race, but he was a great horse throughout my career.”

Trevor aboard Lil Rockefeller having finished second in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The life of a jockey is regimented and exacting. Days start early with riding out, schooling, travel, and dietary discipline. Races are often short and tight, leaving no room for error. 

“Everything happens so fast. There’s not much room between horses. Sometimes a gap looks bigger on TV than it actually is in real life. You can’t just go into a gap unless you can get through it. That’s how you avoid getting hurt.”

Even brief visits home provide a chance to reconnect with family, friends, and the community that nurtured him. 

“I haven’t been at home in a while. Coming home being injured, the town has been great. I’ve met a lot of people and received plenty of well wishes. It’s quite a racing community in Dungarvan, so it’s good to get home and catch up.”

Injuries and setbacks have always been part of the sport, yet they do little to dampen his love for racing. 

“I enjoy the flat, and I’ll definitely be staying that route. Hopefully I can keep moving forward and I’m looking forward to getting back.”

Sitting there, foot strapped, crutches by his side, it is clear that for Trevor, the passion for racing is woven into every aspect of life.

The next ride, the next winner, is always just around the corner. And for a jockey who has built a career on resilience, determination, and a touch of daring, it never feels far away. 

In Dungarvan, even for a short homecoming, the past, present, and future converge — the hometown community cheering from afar, a career measured in winners and setbacks, and a young man who simply cannot imagine living any other way.

Trevor Whelan may be resting for now, but the flat season waits, and when he returns to England, he will be ready. 

The road to recovery may be long, but the next winner is never far away.

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