PROMISING rider Sean Davis has elected to stay in Ireland for the remainder of the 2020 season.

The 21-year-old Maynooth native joined Richard Fahey’s yard in early 2019 but came back home after racing was brought to a halt in Britain due to Covid-19.

Davis took the British apprentice scene by storm last year finishing seven winners away from Cieren Fallon in second place and recording 56 winners in total over the year. Although he is electing to stay in Ireland for the near future, he says going back to Britain is his long-term goal.

Irish racing has been given the green light from Government to return on June 8th and while the British Horseracing Authority are hopeful of coming back a week before that, the planned return on June 1st still needs government clearance.

“It’s due to so much uncertainty in the industry hence the reason I’ve decided to just hang tight in Ireland until the UK gets back on their feet,” said Davis.

“Britain is very much where I want to have my career and it’s where I want to be riding.

“I always felt from the start of the pandemic that Ireland would have the best opportunity of continuing racing as normal as possible. England is a bigger country and I thought it would be difficult to get racing back to its normal self, so I just decided to come back.

Coming home

“I initially came home because Richard (Fahey) didn’t need any jockeys in the yard and once I got home and I was riding out for a couple of trainers it seemed like racing would start back and I thought I could do well this year in Ireland so I said I’d give it a go.”

Davis has been busy riding out for the likes of Ger Lyons, Michael Halford, Kevin Prendergast, Sheila Lavery and Richard O’Brien since returning and will be hopeful of attaining rides once action recommences.

2019 brought new opportunities for the Kildare man who had 640 rides. He is relishing every moment of the British racing scene.

“In England everyone seems to have an interest in racing and when you get to the races it’s always busy and jockeys always seem to get a lot of attention from the public. You know it’s very much like the football,” he said.

With Ireland the plan for 2020, Davis hopes he can get another big winner to his name before returning to North Yorkshire.

“I’d like to ride a big winner. It’s my first year out of my claim so I’d like to win maybe a premier handicap or stakes race at some stage throughout the year. It was something I was hoping to do in Britain but obviously I decided to stay here for now,” he concluded.