MARINA Hamilton is no stranger to the world of horse racing.

This Donegal-based lady is one of Ireland’s most renowned painters and sculptors. She is also the proud mum to three girls, twins Kellie and Jade (18) and Chloe (15), and married to BBC Northern Ireland political correspondent Enda McClafferty.

It’s been an emotional week in the household as the twins departed for Galway and Aberdeen to start their first year at university.

This is Marina’s second run at the Corinthian Challenge as she took part last year and was hooked. She promptly signed up again as she decided, while she was fit and able, that she would give it another go.

Her commitment to the series is one which ought to be admired as, on top of the feat that is the racing series, there are not too many stables to ride out in where she lives.

Marina makes the trek down to the Curragh as often as she can to keep up her riding fitness and she combines these regular yard visits with a strict regime of uphill cycling and playing Gaelic football.

There are plenty of opportunities to do both in Donegal!

Pony racing success

For those of you who followed pony racing over the years some of you might remember a younger Marina being quite successful on the circuit, clocking up no less than 150 winners in her pony days. She was also crowned champion jockey in Dingle on several occasions and notably was the first female jockey to win the Dingle Derby in 1991.

From a very young age this farmer’s daughter wanted to ride and the more her parents tried to encourage her to pay more attention to her studies, the more she defied them and wanted to ride. In fourth year she left school at a young age.

Thankfully Marina saw the woods from the trees and, when she was 18, she returned to complete her education. This is when her passion for art became clear and she began to develop her skills and pursue a career in art.

Initially, she spent two years studying art in Derry before she completed a degree in Fine Craft Design at the University of Ulster in Belfast, specialising in ceramics.

Fairyhouse third

Marina had taken a break from racing in 1995 only to return to riding inside the rails at Fairyhouse in 2015 where she took part in a charity race and finished third for Willie McCreery aboard Monte Wildhorn. The racing bug had grabbed hold of her again!

Last year she finished third in the overall series having finished second twice and fifth in the final race of the series.

Last Sunday in Cork, Marina rode Measured for Joseph O’Brien in the colours of Annemarie O’Brien.

To support Marina in her quest to raise funds for Irish Injured Jockeys, go to everydayhero.com and search for ‘Marina Hamilton’.

Twitter: @CorinthianChall

Facebook: The Corinthian Challenge