Derek O'Connor lauds Ok Corral for getting whip-less jockey 'out of trouble'

Jockey Derek O’Connor on Sunday said natural instinct and a desire to help Ok Corral as much as he could despite dropping his whip were the motivating factors behind his decision to use his hand as a makeshift tool to encourage the ten-year-old to victory in the Sky Bet Chase.

The leading amateur jockey was widely praised for his ride in which he propelled Ok Corral past Fingerontheswitch inside the final half a furlong, but O'Connor admitted he would have been "embarrassed" to not win having lost his whip shortly after clearing the final fence.

O'Connor used the palm of his hand to slap the ten-year-old's saddle pad in the closing stages in the absence of a whip, with the JP McManus-owned chaser responding to take the Listed contest by half a length.