Another Irishman joins Queensland riding ranks

By Jordan Gerrans

Irishman Ross O'Sullivan campaigned Group-level galloper Fortunate Kiss through the Sunshine State during her 2025 winter stint and he admits he fell in love with the place in the process.

So much so, the formerly Victorian-based jockey has relocated north to set up shop in Queensland. 

The 33-year-old had his first ride in the state on Saturday at Warwick after a month or so riding trackwork at premier conditioner Tony Gollan’s barn. 

O'Sullivan has ridden in jumps and in flat races in Europe, where he won feature hurdle events, and in Victoria before lobbing in Brisbane. 

He got his first taste of the northern conditions when he was tasked with looking after Fortunate Kiss for the former training partnership of Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeomans through June and July of this year. 

“I moved to Victoria for the jumps side of things but once I got my weight down, I could ride on the flat,” he said.

“I always rated the climate up here in Brisbane, the lifestyle is very different here to Victoria and I think it is a better fit for me personally.

“I half fell in love with the place during the carnival.

“Being up here with her, I was able to get a good feel for the place and meet a few people while I was here, it made the transition moving up a lot easier.”

Fortunate Kiss – who has since been moved on to the Hayes camp – had three Queensland black-type runs through the winter which was bookended by a triumph in the Listed Glasshouse Handicap at Caloundra in early July. 

O'Sullivan headed back to Victoria alongside the mare before returning to Queensland about a month later for his own permanent move. 

The Irishman rode at 58kg on Saturday and is hopeful of getting down to as low as 56kg through the warmer summer months.

“I am trying my best to get there slowly and chip away,” he said.

“I had my first ride the other day and I am trying just to move forward from that and get more rides.

“Hopefully I can be a bit more successful.”

O'Sullivan relocated to Victoria in early 2018 and spent around five years competing in jumps events while also riding plenty of trackwork.

In more recent years, he has also ridden in flat races across Victoria with Racing And Sports’ statistics declaring he has collected 15 winners since he arrived in Australia. 

He mainly worked for the Kennewell stable as well as the partnership of Anthony and Sam Freedman.

O'Sullivan has linked up with recent Hall of Fame inductee Gollan in Brisbane as well as picking up trial rides for stables such as Brent Gray and Darren Bell at Deagon recently.

The jockey says he is loving every second of working for the Gollan camp as they ride a wave of recent successes, headlined by another elite-level triumph in Melbourne on Saturday with Transatlantic.

The newcomer to Queensland piloted Quartzopolis into third place for Gray at Warwick on Saturday in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Maiden Plate over 1350 metres.

It was the gelding’s debut performance after three trials, with O'Sullivan in the saddle for the last of his three trials at Deagon in late September. 

“I thought the horse went super for a first start,” O'Sullivan said of Quartzopolis’ performance on Saturday when he was beaten by just over four lengths.

“He is still a big raw baby but he will learn a lot from Saturday.

“I reckon they will have plenty of fun with him in time.

“I ride a bit of work for Brent when I finish with Tony in the morning, so I have sat on all of his horses at the moment.”

As fellow Irishmen Robbie Dolan, Luke Dempsey and Martin Harley, among others, have made their mark in Queensland in recent times, O'Sullivan jokes that the Irish lads are taking over and believes there will be more to come in the future. 

O'Sullivan knows Dempsey from his riding days at home and in Victoria while Dolan previously worked for his uncle.