Lissa Oliver meets the two young women selected as this year’s YITBA apprentices

THE YITBA Apprenticeship Scheme provides an excellent step up into the thoroughbred industry, opening doors of opportunity that most could only dream about. Little wonder that this year’s successful apprentices, Sarah Dempsey and Amy Burke, found themselves making a lot of small talk when past apprentice and current YITBA president, Mary Kilduff, phoned to give them the good news. Afraid it might be bad news instead, they tried to postpone what they saw as the inevitable disappointment. The YITBA Apprenticeship is that important.

The scheme is now in its fifth year and Sarah and Amy will make excellent ambassadors for the ITBA over the coming year and look sure to go on to successful futures.

Sarah Dempsey

Sarah hails from the borders of Galway and Mayo. “My parents own a farm and my interest in horseracing goes right back to when I was a child, going racing at Ballinrobe,” she reveals. “I met the trainer Michael Flannery and asked if I could work for him to gain a background in thoroughbreds and that’s where I learnt to ride.”

She had started in riding schools but saw little point in paying out to learn very little, when she could be working and gaining experience instead. “It was the best thing ever at Michael Flannery’s,” she says with enthusiasm, “going racing and leading up and riding out at home. But I knew I couldn’t stay working for him for the rest of my life and the careers teacher gave out to me for not wanting to do anything else! I had no interest in going to college, all I wanted to do when I left school was work with horses and so I looked up jobs in Kildare and saw Darley. I thought “Oh, yes” that was for me.

“I’ve been working at Kildangan Stud ever since and they have taught me so much and I’m thrilled to have been given the chance and to have made good contacts for life.”

DESSIE HUGHES

During the quieter time of the season, Sarah spent the summer with Dessie Hughes, “a great trainer and a great horseman and he gave me some wonderful insight’’. It was then that she looked into the YITBA Apprenticeship Scheme and thought of applying.

The interview process is exacting and the candidates were expected to give a presentation on their second interview, quite unnerving for most. Afterwards, Sarah admits to sitting quietly in the car for a while. “I was so overwhelmed it had all gone so well.

“When I was given the news that I was successful I was on holiday with my family in Australia. I was sitting up really late and couldn’t sleep and as soon as I got the news I just started crying. I gave my mother the biggest fright of her life; she thought I’d been bitten by a snake or a spider! I was raging that everyone else was asleep, I was so excited I just wanted to wake them all up and hug everyone!”

The girls’ placements begin at the end of September and Sarah will be with Jacqueline Norris at Jockey Hall Stud on the Curragh preparing for the foal sales. “I’m really looking forward to that and working hands-on with horses. I’m looking forward to learning about the sales and prepping, and in the future I would like to do it myself. I’m hoping to get to do breeze-ups, too. Pin-hooking foals would be my ultimate aim.”

Amy Burke

Amy is from Tallow on the Cork/Waterford border. “It’s big point-to-point country,” she says, “and my dad is a NH trainer and my brother a jockey, and I just wanted to bring something different to the table and maybe end up breeding winners for them.”

Amy worked as a deputy manager at Boylesports for three years and last year was unsuccessful in her YITBA application, so decided to improve her practical background in order to apply again.

“I went to work for Michael Moore at Ballincurrig House Stud and prepared NH horses and yearlings for the sales. I also applied for the courses at the Irish and British National Studs and was accepted for the Newmarket course, where I worked from February to June of this year.

“Having graduated from the British National Stud I applied again for the YITBA Apprenticeship and I hoped that I might be in with a chance and the interviews went well. But because I had been disappointed last year, I wasn’t expecting it at all and was prepared to go back to the UK to do yearling prep. I really don’t think I would have got here but for the National Stud and I gained so much from it,” she says.

After being called back for a second interview and giving a presentation on the health the newborn foal, Amy felt a little more confident than last year. “I’d had the phone in my lap all day for two days, but after 5pm I thought that was it, I’d hear nothing now, and I ended up leaving the phone on the seat in the car.” she reveals. “When I went back I found three missed calls from Shane O’Dwyer! Meanwhile, Mary Kilduff had been ringing round anyone she thought might know me and finally got my brother, who told me to ring her at once.”

Amy’s first placement will be with Bill Dwan prepping the Castlebridge Consignment. “I’ve seen other aspects of the industry so it will be nice to see another side. My ultimate aim would be to go into the administrative side and breeding. At home with my dad I’ve done some yard work and worked in the office doing the declarations, so I’d like to do a bit of both, but not on the training side.”

Both girls say they will be keeping in regular contact and helping each other. “We’re grateful to the ITBA for the opportunity and hoping to represent the ITBA as best we possibly can.’’

TIGHT CALL

Mary Kilduff, president of YITBA, knows the value of the scheme at first hand: “We had a lot of applicants and it was a very tight call. The standard is rising all the time and we’re delighted with the apprentices and looking forward to having them on board as representatives of the ITBA. Their first placements will be a great start for them and provide a great footing.”

Already Sarah and Amy are on board and helping with the YITBA Weekend as part of the Irish Champions Weekend, when young breeders from all over Europe will be attending.

“The YITBA is growing all the time and through support and educational seminars it’s really helping people to get involved in the industry,” says Mary. “We have gone back to the unsuccessful applicants for the Apprenticeship and offered guidance, and my own door is always open for advice and help. We are the future and it’s very important for young people get the opportunities. People are so good to facilitate our apprentices and we’re very grateful they’ve opened these doors.”

Commenting on the announcement, Bill Dwan of Castlebridge Consignment said: “We are looking forward to hosting and working with Amy Burke as she joins our sales preparation team for her first work placement. Here at Castlebridge Stud we are big supporters of the YITBA Apprenticeship Scheme. Having previously hosted both Mary Kilduff and Justin Timmons we have great confidence in the calibre of the apprentices the scheme produces.”

Jacqueline Norris of Jockey Hall said: “I was very pleased to be asked to take on Sarah Dempsey for her first placement. The YITBA Apprenticeship Scheme is a great concept. I feel it’s imperative that young people entering this profession learn hands on experience as it’s a very important element of our industry.”