I WAS delighted to get the opportunity to represent Ireland in the Fegentri Series and I took part in my first race in Dusseldorf last weekend.

Much of the work in organising the trip was done by Susan Leahy, who has worked with the series for many years and who competed in the competition in the past. Susan deserves a lot of credit for all the work she puts in and made my passage to Germany very seamless. On arriving at the racecourse, eventually having broken down a language barrier with an unfortunate taxi driver, I found the course to be nestled in a large park surrounded by trees, the track a right-handed tight circuit not unlike Ballinrobe.

The ground conditions were pretty quick with the expected rain having failed to arrive. On walking the circuit I was fortunate to come across Kevin Woodward, a former champion jockey of Germany who rode over 1,500 winners in a distinguished career. That Englishman was one of a few that spoke a language that I could understand (!), and gave me invaluable advice on how to ride the track as well as translating all of the information available about my mount.

On entering the weigh-room, I found it a far cry from Irish standards and akin to one that might be found in Castletown-Geoghegan in October time with scant facilities.

Some of the country’s leading riders were in action there including Alexander Pietsch who is second in the jockeys’ championship at the time of writing. There were a few faces from closer to home riding that day too with Kildare native Kieran O’Neill who was riding for Richard Hannon in the feature race on the card. I know Kieran’s brothers Trevor and Brian, who also work at Ballydoyle. Liam Jones was also in Dusseldorf for four rides and is a regular visitor to the German tracks.

My mount in the 2,200 metre flat race was Maupiti Express, a four-year-old son of Chineur who had begun his career in England when trained by David O’Meara. I knew plenty about my mount before I set foot on the plane, having watched his replays online and talked to his former rider David Bergin who had come closest to getting his head in front when third at Wolverhampton. David now rides work at Ballydoyle and partners some top class performers in their work. Frank Fuhrmann now has care of the bay gelding and leading amateur rider Vinzenz Schiergen acted as a translator as the trainer gave me his instructions.

LANGUAGE BARRIER

With a price of 40/1 we were the outsider of the seven-strong field and had little chance. With the absence of Schiergen, there was once again a language barrier between myself and the trainer. With my intention to make the running on his charge, I asked Herr Fuhrmann what kind of pace I was to set. He replied that he bought three yearlings at Goffs last season!

The bell then rang and it was time to meet Maupiti Express. A small horse but powerfully built, it was clear from riding him to the start that it was unfortunate that the expected rain had failed to materalise. As a horse who has given trouble in the starting gate in the past, he had been given permission to load last, however despite my protests he loaded in to stall seven as another runner hesitated to load.

Maupiti Express obviously doesn’t like enclosed spaces and tried every opportunity to get the gate in front of him to open. I was relieved when they eventually sprang open and the race was on. We missed the break slightly, partly caused from my attempts to stop my mount breaking prematurely. In my eagerness to get to the front I flattened an unsuspecting Spanish rider who obviously has never seen an Irish point-to-point! Once getting to the lead, I was always able to dictate the pace, gradually I wound up the pace and turned to home with a slight advantage but Maupiti Express lacked the necessary finishing kick on the quick ground and we were run out of a place close home, eventually finishing fifth.

The experience was most certainly a memorable one and I am very grateful to Susan Leahy for organising the trip. I am eagerly awaiting the next call to action and it is possible that I go to Auteuil on May 17th.