Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey who had world at feet admits 'I lost my bottle'

Bryan Cooper, who gained his biggest triumph connected Don Cossack astatine the 2016 Cheltenham Festival, has opened up connected his determination to discontinue the saddle erstwhile helium was conscionable 30

A Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey who had the satellite astatine his feet has made a uncommon nationalist admittance implicit his determination to discontinue the saddle.

Bryan Cooper rode his archetypal victor aged 16 and was lone 20 erstwhile helium was handed 1 of the biggest jobs successful leap racing arsenic archetypal jockey to Ryanair brag Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud.

He announced himself connected the large signifier erstwhile helium steered Our Conor to triumph successful the 2013 Triumph Hurdle, the archetypal of 9 Cheltenham Festival wins.

At the pursuing year’s gathering helium suffered a horrendous wounded erstwhile helium broke his limb successful a autumn that kept him retired of enactment for 7 months.

He recovered and was hired to regenerate Davy Russell by O’Leary, going connected to bask his finest hr connected Don Cossack successful the 2016 Gold Cup.

However contempt gaining different successes for Gigginstown connected the Road To Respect successful the Ryanair Chase and Apple’s Jade successful the Mares’ Hurdle, helium did not past successful the role.

Without the aforesaid enactment helium struggled to deed the aforesaid heights again though added to his Festival haul connected Mrs Milner successful the 2021 Pertemps Final.

He retired successful March 2023, having missed the Festival contempt having rides for the likes of Willie Mullins and Joseph O’Brien astatine the fixture.

Cooper opened up connected his determination to the Unbridled podcast with Paddy Brennan and Matt Chapman connected Attheraces.

“I was blatantly honest, I mislaid my bottle,” helium said. “The injuries took their toll. I wasn’t enjoying riding horses, I was disquieted astir getting a fall, getting wounded and I couldn’t get up retired of bed, spell racing and deliberation astir that.

“I was doing it for truthful long. It’s similar anyone with a gambling addiction oregon portion addiction. You tin lone enactment it astatine bay for truthful agelong and past it each comes crashing down and unluckily it came crashing down connected maine the greeting of Cheltenham. I hadn’t planned it.

“I americium precise content. It’s going to beryllium 2 years successful March. I’ve ne'er been arsenic blessed successful my life. I’m inactive struggling to find that spot of a thrill similar you get walking into Cheltenham arsenic a winner. That’s irreplaceable but I’m enjoying trying to find thing that gives maine that adrenaline again.”

Expanding connected his nonaccomplishment of assurance Cooper added: “I was capable to enactment it astatine bay erstwhile I got to the races for a definite period.

“From the precise infinitesimal the declarations came retired till I got successful the car going home, I dreaded going racing. I dreaded riding horses. I liked being successful the weighing room, having a craic with the lads, but I didn’t privation to beryllium going retired with them.

“I could person travel up with this BS communicative that I’m not getting opportunities and I fell retired of emotion with the game. There was nary constituent lying. The champion happening to bash was to beryllium honest.”