MAKE it to No 2 on the list and you must be doing something right. Stay there for 20 years and it is a testimony to longevity – but might leave a nagging doubt in the minds of some as to why that further step-up never came.
Seamie Heffernan shared the Irish apprentices title in 1994, was runner-up the following year, and in 1996 he joined Aidan O’Brien when he moved into the Ballydoyle stables from where the trainer has sent out a torrent of champions.
Heffernan was second jockey to Christy Roche and he has occupied the same status during the tenures of Michael Kinane, Jamie Spencer, Kieren Fallon, Johnny Murtagh, Joseph O’Brien and now Ryan Moore in the No 1 job.
His response to being overlooked has been to keep his head down and to continue ride in his no-frills way that eliminates errors to the point that they have joined the white rhino and straight-
talking politician on the endangered species list – while all the while retaining a sense of self-
deprecating humour and realism.
Heffernan said: “I took up the job as second jockey and I didn’t really expect anything else. I’ve never really thought like that.
I always thought I was very lucky to have the job there. If I get the good rides I just ride it like another race. They’ll either do one of two things – win or get beaten. When I ride the good horses at home there’s probably more pressure because Aidan asks us for our opinion and I have to get it right because that might decide which race a horse runs in. I’d be more inclined to think that Aidan feels sorry for me and gives me the odd chance now and again.”
Perhaps, but O’Brien gave an insight into the pressures on jockeys after Fame And Glory won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 2011. He may be unfailingly polite to all but when explaining the difference in his relationship with Spencer during 2004 when he was stable jockey for one, tumultuous season before adding his name to those who had quit the hotseat, O’Brien admitted: “I can be a little intense sometimes.”
But Heffernan has seen it all, done a fair bit and has – rather than T-shirts – more than 70 Group-race winners to prove he is more than capable of the understudy role he is currently reprising while Moore is on the injured list.
Heffernan and O’Brien go back a long way. “I knew him from when we both worked on the Curragh for a small trainer, PJ Finn,” the jockey said. “We discuss the horse, the tactics. Races can change but as long as you come in and tell him what you think, that race is over and it’s on to the next race.”
Heffernan was due to race at
Arlington Park in Chicago last night where he won the Grade One Secretariat 12 months before on Highland Reel, a horse that has slowly worked his way up the pecking order at Ballydoyle to the point that he is first-choice for the Juddmonte International Stakes at York on Wednesday. Postponed is the favourite despite having never won when running over 10 furlongs but Highland Reel showed he might be ready for him after winning the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot last month.
Heffernan said: “He’s a four-year-old now so there’s a chance he’s at his strongest. You can knock the King George form but, on that Saturday, the best horses that trainers had were in the race.
“He’s a tough, hardened type of horse and he’s extremely straightforward. We couldn’t believe when the second and third horses pulled back and gave him a six-length lead and, the way the race worked out, he was going to be unbeatable from halfway.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here