PADDY ‘MAD’ MERRIGAN splurged £1million on drink, drugs and women before turning his ‘insane’ life around to help fellow jockeys.
Merrigan’s binges saw him take ‘cocaine every day for six months’, go on week-long drinking sessions and ‘meet up with lots of girls’.
The massive fine he got for leaving his £90,000 Mercedes at Birmingham airport for three months was one sign he had to change.
Another was when he thought of taking his own life.
Looking back, one day in the life of Merrigan would have been enough for most people.
There was the time he spent a week drinking and taking drugs at Galway Races in the same suit and white shirt which by the final day was yellow.
There was the time he walked to a railway bridge near his home and contemplated taking his own life after ‘puking blood’ following a cocaine binge.
It is testament to his amazing strength of character that he has fought his way back from the edge and set out to help other jockeys who may be struggling with the trappings of fame and money.
Merrigan moved to the UK to start his professional racing career aged 17.
He had been earmarked for greatness and to follow in the footsteps of legendary riders AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh.
But despite his early success, there were warning signs of what was to come.
Merrigan left Heather Dalton’s yard in December 2005 – barely a year after making his way to England – after an incident with an air rifle which caused the emergency services to be called to the stable.
Recalling the early part of his career to Will Faulkner of Midlands Radio, Merrigan said: “The minute I got off the boat in England my career took off.
“I had lots of money and sponsorship deals. Social scene was insane. I was very wild.
“I was a very emotional jockey and I always craved something bigger than I have today.
‘I was drinking heavily’
“When I finished racing I began drinking very heavily.
“When I became successful lots of things came my way. I was wild.
“I would meet up with lots of girls in the racing industry and have random… nothing meaningful for those few years. I was too emotionally attached to racing to have anything meaningful throughout that period.”
It all got too much and eventually Merrigan stopped riding for renowned trainer Peter Bowen in 2007.
After a high-profile fall at Haydock, Merrigan’s confidence was knocked and he turned to his vices once more.
He said: “When I was told I was not riding I thought it was a prank. It didn’t matter why I wasn’t riding the horse, nothing mattered. I wasn’t riding. So I said to the doctor that day, I said ‘I’m standing myself down, I am not riding’. I threw my racing gear and said ‘I’m done, I am out of here’.
‘I was blowing money, living an insane life’
“I got in my car and went from Kempton race course to Birmingham. I drove that car 150 mph straight to the short stay car park, threw it in and said ‘get me the first flight out of here’.
“I left the car there for a few months or whatever.”
Merrigan sought refuge in Ireland and went back to working with horses in his native Athlone, County Westmeath.
But even that did not dampen his destructive tendencies.
He continued: “I was riding out and going hunting a lot, I was enjoying that but I would be there a few days showing horses to sales people and I would be gone three days later partying with women and blowing money, living an insane lifestyle.
“Down the line I started drinking a lot. Since I gave up racing I would say I definitely, between everything, I could have blown nearly a million pound.”
A return to racing and England followed but Merrigan said he looked like a ‘dead man’ in the winners’ enclosure.
It was then he started ‘drinking, gambling and taking drugs’.
Merrigan said: “It got so bad for so long that I just became distant. I lost family relationships… was always a s*** dad and things like that.
‘Scary, scary place’
“I remember going to the Galway Races for one week with one suit on me and drinking for the full week and taking cocaine.
“I went down with a real nice black suit and real nice white shirt and by the end of the week that shirt was yellow. That’s the kind of lifestyle I was living.
“There was one incident where a friend of mine, I was best man at his wedding. I remember that week up to the wedding. Oh, I was in bad shape.
“He was trying to get me to do stuff for the wedding but I was nowhere to be got. Was probably drinking and taking drugs and whatever.
“He came to me and said ‘what’s wrong with you?’ I just broke down and for the first time I came clean. I thought I was going to do away with myself then.”
A trip to a medical facility in Ireland – a ‘scary, scary place’ – prompted another huge change.
This time he stuck to it.
Merrigan, who welcomed new baby girl Amber with partner Shannon last November, even returned to riding in 2019 but now focuses his attention on helping fellow jockeys via his Facebook page.
He said: “Now is the right time for me to go and inspire this nation about mental health.”
- Merrigan’s Facebook page where he documents his journey can be viewed here
