Liam Keniry insists 1,000th winner was worth the wait

Popular Flat jockey reaches milestone with dead-heat at Wolverhampton.

Good things come to those who wait. Senior Flat jockey Liam Keniry had been stuck on 998 British winners since shattering his right leg at Ascot last July and after months of rehabilitation, he finally claimed his 1,000th victory at Wolverhampton on Tuesday evening.

Riding the Stan Moore-trained Havana Goldrush in the Play Coral Racing-Super-Series For Free Handicap over an extended mile, the popular 39-year-old achieved a major milestone.

And even then he had to be patient.

For Keniry had to survive a lengthy stewards’ enquiry following the two-runner affair, which ended with the 4-1 shot dead-heating with the Joe Fanning-ridden 1-6 favourite Golden Sands, after the pair came perilously close several times in a protracted battle up the straight.

“I’m delighted,” said Keniry. “It got a bit messy at the end, but it was well worth the wait.”

The Irishman, who lives in Hungerford, spent months visiting Oaksey House – a rehabilitation centre for jockeys at nearby Lambourn – before returning to race-riding in December.

“It was gutting at the time,” said the Irish rider. “I knew I was only two winners away when it happened and I was after having a few winners that week, so things were going well. Then the injury happened.

“It was a long road back, but I was very lucky to have Oaksey House, which I went to every day.

“They were very good and they looked after me. It was just one of those things where you have to grit your teeth and you have to get on with it, really.

“I had ridden 998 winners and actually rode my 1,000th on Tregony at Bath a couple of weeks prior to the injury, but that was counting a few winners back in Ireland, but it great to finally get that 1,000th British winner over the line.

“I’ve been back a few weeks and I had winner on my second day back on my third ride, but it has just been a bit frustrating the last few weeks.”

Keniry, who enjoyed his most prolific campaign when riding 90 winners in 2010, has ridden a handful of Group and Listed-race winners and has no thoughts of retiring just yet.

“I’ve had some good times in racing and have really enjoyed it,” he added. “As a 7lb claimer when I was really young, I rode a Royal Ascot winner, and that was very good, but it is a long time ago now.

“Winning the Cambridgeshire when I was quite young was also very good and I’ve had some nice winners along the way.

“I’m still enjoying it and I’ve just come back, so hopefully it will be just a case of riding winners and getting rides. As long as I get the rides and the winners, I will keep going – I doubt I will get to 2,000, though!”

Keniry has mainly ridden for Lambourn trainers Cox, Sylvester Kirk and Stan Moore in recent seasons and felt it fitting that he reached the milestone partnering Havana Goldrush.

“It was nice to do it on one of Stan’s,” added Keniry. “I’ve ridden for Stan since I first started riding. I’ve ridden a lot of winners for him and have always ridden out for him.

“He has always been a gentleman. So I was delighted to get the 1,000 and being aboard Stan’s horse made it that bit more special.”

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