Bub (Lyall) O'Neill and his wife Judy moved to Narooma from Boorowa back in 2000 after Mr O'Neill was told by his doctors it was time to retire from horse racing.

Now 78, Mr O'Neill, a champion amateur jockey and horse trainer, followed in his father Jack O'Neill's footsteps. He began his career in racing in 1956 and during his time rode more than 2000 winners at picnic races around the country.

Being an amateur jockey as opposed to a professional means you don't get paid and amateur riders could be heavier he said.

"You might get paid something under the table," Bub said, "but that depended on the trainer - you really had to pick your customers.

"In fact, you could pick the people that paid well because they always had a good jockey, the others that didn't pay got the dregs.

"I did have one owner that used to pay for all my accommodation and give me $1000 as well," he said.

Lyall, or Bub as he's been known his whole life, was one of six children, he had three sisters and two brothers.

Both of Bub's brothers became apprenticed professional jockeys, "that's until they became too big," he said.

"Amateur jockey's could ride heavier and a lot of riders were graziers' sons, bigger boys, so there was a minimum weight of nine stone seven pounds," he said.

Although Bub has never sat down and counted how many wins he has ridden over the years, he estimates it to be well over 2000.

"I rode six winners in one day and winning four in one day was not uncommon," he said.

In 1982 Bub O'Neill was named top jockey, King of the Picnic Race Circuit in his home town of Boorowa riding three winners followed by two the following week in Goulburn and then one at Gooloogong.

Mr O'Neill has also been invited to ride in the Invitational Corinthian at Randwick in Sydney and Eagle Farm in Brisbane, winning twice at Randwick and once at Eagle Farm.

Over the years Bub has had a number of falls including one where he suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung in one accident.

"I had my whole left side crushed in the accident and it wasn't from the horse rolling on me, he stood on me," he said.

And to prove a point, Bub's wife Judy went and got the jockey silks and jodhpurs he was wearing at the time - the jodhpurs were muddied and there was a hole the shape of a horseshoe in his silks.

Judy said she remembered that day well.

"It was St Patricks Day in the Bicentennial Year at the Campbelltown races and four riders were hurt in the accident.

"All four riders were taken to hospital however Bub was the only one that was sent home again

"But he was back the next day with fluid on his lungs and diagnosed with a punctured lung," Judy said.

"Our life went up and down from that time, but after Bub's last fall in 1984 he went into training."

Although the walls of the O'Neill's home are adorned with racing photos from Bub's days as a jockey and trainer, there are surprisingly not many trophies.

There is however one large silver trophy sitting proudly on the mantlepiece.

"I won the Cairns Cup five times," Bub explains, "That trophy is from one of the wins.

"Usually the trainers and owners keep the race trophy and even though I had ridden winners five times in the Cairns Cup for trainer Harry Fitzgerald, I still didn't get one.

"Then one day Harry rang me up and said he was running out of time and the vultures were swooping in.

"He said if I wanted the Cairns Cup Trophy from 1964, I had better come and get it, so Judy and I flew to Cairns to collect it," he said.

The O'Neill's decided to move from their hometown of Boorowa to Narooma after Bub's doctor told him he shouldn't be around horses anymore, it was too risky for his health.

"Bub grew up in a racing family, it's in his blood," Judy said. "He was sitting on a horse before he could walk

"We hadn't been in Narooma for very long when Bub found a paddock, with a pony, he was happy," she said.