Cornelius O'Connor

Cornelius O’Connor

Article by Alan Trout

Cornelius O’Connor was an Irish-based jockey who rode regularly in England in the late 1930s and had nine wins. He had been sufficiently successful in Ireland that he had lost his right to claim an allowance when he began riding on the British side of the Irish Sea. 

His first English victory was at Sedgefield on April 14, 1937, when Malted Milk won an eventful Middleham Novices’ Chase in which only five of the twelve runners completed the course. Trained by Wilfred Lyde, the four-year-old was making his debut over fences and Cornelius was riding him for the first time, but they beat Fidelity May, the mount of Matt Hogan, by five lengths. 

Two weeks later, the pair teamed up successfully again, this time with a six-length success in the Leazes Chase at Hexham. Cornelius had two more wins before the end of the season. 

There were two wins in the 1937/38 season and three in 1938/39, the last being on Strong Measure in the Summerods Handicap Hurdle at Hexham on Whit Monday, May 29, 1939, beating Bryan Marshall on Barrage by a head. 

All nine of his English winners were trained by Wilfred Lyde.

Cornelius O’Connor’s English winners were, in chronological order:

1. Malted Milk, Sedgefield, April 14, 1937 

2. Malted Milk, Hexham, April 28, 1927

3. Ballyfox, Sedgefield, May 12, 1937

4. Heather Mixture, Hexham, May 15, 1937

5. Malted Milk, Sedgefield, February 9, 1938

6. Nymph Errant II, Cartmel, June 6, 1938

7. Nymph Errant II, Southwell, September 24, 1938

8. Nymph Errant II, Market Rasen, May 13, 1939

9. Strong Measure, Hexham, May 29, 1939