Bryan Cooper
Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey Bryan Cooper was born in Tralee, the son of dual Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Tom Cooper. He rode his first winner for his father aboard Rossdara in the Cahir Mares Maiden Hurdle at Clonmel on 29 October 2009.
He burst onto the scene in the 2010/11 season when he was crowned champion conditional in Ireland with what was then a record tally of 37 winners. He claimed his first Grade 1 in February the following season on Benefficient in the Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.
It was at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival that he showcased his precocious talent with three winners, including on Our Conor in the Triumph Hurdle for the late Dessie Hughes, who had given him his start in racing. He rode a combined total of 67 winners in Britain and Ireland that season.
The following January he was hired as Gigginstown House Stud’s retained rider, replacing Davy Russell, and the combination’s finest hour came when winning the 2016 Cheltenham Gold Cup on the Gordon Elliott-trained Don Cossack.
However, Bryan endured more than his share of injuries. He had a major setback at the 2014 Cheltenham Festival when fracturing his right tibia and fibula in a fall from Clarcam in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle that ruled him out for seven months.
He finished second to Ruby Walsh in the 2015/16 Irish jockeys' championship with 94 winners in the same year as his Gold Cup triumph. He rode 45 winners in Ireland the following season, plus two at the 2017 Festival, Apple’s Jade in the Mares’ Hurdle and Road To Respect in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Handicap Chase. However, he lost his position as Gigginstown’s retained rider in July of that year.
Without Gigginstown's patronage, Bryan struggled to maintain a similar level of success. However, he developed a good partnership with trainer Paul Nolan that led to Grade 1 glory on Latest Exhibition at the 2020 Dublin Racing Festival, and at the end of that year, back at Leopardstown, he landed the Racing Post Novice Chase on Franco De Port for Willie Mullins He also forged close links with Noel Meade’s stable.
On Friday 24 March 2023 he announced his retirement with immediate effect, aged 30, with a statement on Twitter, later revealing that a fear of falling following a host of bad injuries was the driving factor behind his departure.
He retired having ridden 39 Grade 1s and nine Cheltenham Festival winners. He partnered 532 winners over jumps and one on the Flat. What proved to be his last win came aboard the Dermot McLoughlin-trained Wa Wa in the Rockbrook Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown on 6 March 2023.
His final ride was for Noel Meade in the familiar Gigginstown colours on Farceur Du Large, who unseated him at the first fence at Nass on 12 March 2023. He had been booked to ride at Cheltenham for Willie Mullins, Joseph O’Brien and his father but was replaced on those mounts.
Bryan said that he planned to stay in racing and hoped the next chapter of his career would include media work as well as buying and selling in the bloodstock arena.
