While Sean Flanagan is best known for being a top-class jockey, sitting in the top ten in the Irish Jockeys’ Championship, a future as a pilot is not out of the question.
In an exclusive interview with BoyleSports, where you can bet on Leopardstown Christmas Festival odds , he talked to us about a range of topics.
Could Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, a prominent figure in the horse racing world, be Flanagan’s next boss?
Flanagan also revealed the worst passenger he has ever flown, the tracks he has managed to fly to for races and where he wants to land next.
Flying for Ryanair and Michael O’Leary Would Be The Dream Job!
It would be good. At least he’d [O’Leary] be giving me some sort of a job!
It’s definitely an option. I always said the only way I could find the time at the moment is if I have an injury that keeps me out for a while. That is very possible in our game.
If it did happen, I’d be straight on studying the commercial exams. There are 14 written exams I’d have to take and 250 hours and a lot of SIM instrument training. I already have about 400 hours of solo flying.
It really appeals to me - it would be the dream job. Flying for Ryanair would be the ultimate. Imagine Captain Flanagan! If anyone I knew heard me welcome them aboard, they’d turn round and jump off quick enough.
*You can find Leopardstown racing tips here at BoyleSports plus coverage of all the big races over the festive period.
I Flew Six Jockeys Over to the Grand National in 2023
Years back, I got a present of a voucher for an introductory flying lesson. I loved it. At the time I wasn’t able to pursue it. Later I was able to pick it up and decided to have a crack and built a bit of momentum.
I was chatting with a fella who sponsored me at the time and told him about it. He told me to come and see him the next day. I did and it turned out his son had just qualified as a pilot and was joining Ryanair. The chap had bought his son a plane, a Cessna 150, for him to train in. He said I could use it. That made my training affordable and it took me two years to get my licence.
Things skyrocketed from there. I really enjoy it and it is very handy. For instance, it is a three-and-a-half-hour drive for me from where I am based in Kells down to Mallow Racecourse in Cork. Flying only takes me 45 minutes and I land beside the track!
I qualified five years ago. I’ve flown all over. When I came second (onboard Vanillier) in the 2023 Grand National, I flew six other jockeys over! It is so convenient.
At Cheltenham, I land at Gloucester Airport which is only 15 minutes from the track. Cost wise it is not much dearer when you share the plane.
*The next fixture at Leopardstown is the Christmas Festival from the 26-29th of December and you can find the Leopardstown racecard plus those for the other meetings over the Christmas racing period at BoyleSports.
This Fellow Jockey Was One of the Worst Passengers I’ve Ever Had
Myself and Danny Mullins did a thing for Red Mills. We flew around various places and came in low to look at various yards and facilities.
We did a lot of turning and twisting and he needed 10 minutes to catch his breath. He was a bit green around the gills! He didn’t feel too good.
There’s a Few More Tracks I Need to Fly to but I Need a Flight Straight Line With No Hurdles to Land
I’ve been to Gowran and Cork, Killarney and Sligo. There’s a few more to tick off but I’ll get there. I need a flat line where there are no hurdles so I can land on that!
In the UK I’ve flown to Cheltenham, Aintree, Uttoxeter, Cartmel. Haydock, Ayr. I’m getting through them.
The flying is great, but nothing can beat riding a good sharp two mile chaser that jumps well. There’s no comparison and there never will be.
Going freelance means I can concentrate on quality and not quantity
This year I decided to concentrate a bit more on quality rather than quantity. During my entire career I’d basically ridden anything I could get my leg across.
I got injured at the back end of the summer and missed Galway because of it. It made me think and with my agent we had a chat and agreed that I’d rather be riding a nicer type of horse than not. I am in a very good position.
I can ride a good few for Gavin Cromwell as I can do a light weight. And the Nolans have been very good supporters of mine for the last couple of years. They have a nice team of horses and then Barry [O’Connell, trainer] has come along with some fantastic horses.
JP McManus is a mighty man within racing - and long may it continue
He’s a great man. There’s no-one like him. For us not just in racing but in GAA too. He is a leading supporter of the GAA. He has horses all over the world and there is no end to the sponsorship he provides.
He is a mighty man and long may he continue.
Willie Mullins sets the bar to aim at - all the other trainers will reach that level one day
Competition is always healthy. Willie is the bar that everyone has to aim at. If you can get to it, fair play to you. The horses Willie buys are all bought at public auction so if you have the purse you can buy them too.
I’ve been lucky enough to have three rides for Willie and won on two of them. One of them was on a horse called Bachasson who won a good race at Cork last year. I thought great but he wasn’t there, he was in Dublin.
I waited until the evening to call him. Before I did, I looked up the results and he had eight at the one meeting in Dublin. I doubt he even knew who I was when I rang him!!
Yes, the other trainers are all building. They will reach Willie’s level someday - Willie made it. Records are made to be broken and one of them will do that along the way. It’s the natural cycle of sport. Things are more open now in terms of how people do things and you can pick up things along the way.
I absolutely do not want to be a trainer one day. I don’t think I could enjoy everything that comes with the job and the pressures.
I sat down with Michael O’Sullivan last week - I didn’t go looking for his job at Barry O’Connell’s yard and the ride on Marine Nationale
I actually sat down with Michael last week and explained to him that I didn’t go looking for his job. That’s just the way it happened. He completely understood that. We had a good old chat.
I said to him the ball is in his court now. I said to him that I was in his position not so long ago and he should just pull up his socks and get stuck in. That’s exactly what he is doing. He’s getting plenty of rides and he’s riding well.
It’s the mark of a man that it’s not what they do when you have a good job. It’s how you do when you lose it.
Fellow jockey Jack Kennedy’s injury might have a knock on effect for me as a freelance jockey
There might be a knock on effect for me. I am privileged enough still to get a lot of rides for Noel Meade and Sam Ewing would be riding a lot for Noel. So, by default, Sam would be wrapped up with Gordon [Elliott, trainer] and that might open up more with Noel for me. That’s the nature of this sport. Someone gets knocked out and someone else benefits from it.
For anyone to break their leg six times in their life is tough going. To suffer that before you’re 25 is very tough. He is in a phenomenal position though. He has such a team of horses with Gordon.
People ask how he keeps managing to come back. Gordon is very good to him. He’s told Jack all the horses will still be there for him when he gets back.
When someone builds an association with a horse it’s hard to take him down from that. That’s the only upside Jack can have as he looks to get himself back fit and well, that he can look to walk back into a job with 200 horses.
The shoe was on the other foot for me a few years ago. I can only imagine what Jack is going through at the moment. The older you get the more mature you get. I remember when I broke my leg I was on the couch and watched Snow Falcon, a horse I rode for Noel, win the Kerry National under Johnny Moore.
I took my boot off, jumped up and thought I’m not going to be soft here and tried to walk thinking I’d get back in a few days. That was pretty stupid! I had to quickly sit back down.
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