HE doesn’t need his breeches for race-riding any more but you can bid for them and wear them yourself if you want and all for a good cause!

Sporting Index ambassador Barry Geraghty is putting the breeches he wore when riding his final Cheltenham winner, Saint Roi, in this year’s County Hurdle up for auction to raise funds for the charity Irish Injured Jockeys. No better time than now as Cheltenham begins its new season.

Barry has donated the signed and framed Cheltenham Festival-winning breeches worn for all four days of the festival in March, where he equalled his personal best of five winners at the meeting.

Barry said: “Having had my fair share of injuries I got to know about the superb work that the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund does. They play an integral part for jockeys and racing, and any support we can give them will be greatly appreciated I’m sure.

Huge buzz

“Winning the County Hurdle on Saint Roi gave me a huge buzz, but it was obviously a strange feeling as I was getting off the horse in the winners’ enclosure at Cheltenham knowing it would be my last.

“I’m enjoying the new pace of life since retiring earlier this summer and I’m not missing the race-riding too much yet. The real test will be when the big days come around, though, and I have to watch the likes of Epatante, Defi Du Seuil and Champ on the TV screen!”

Bids can be made up until midnight this Sunday, October 25th at www.jumblebee.co.uk/signedbarrygeraghtybreeches.

And more ...

Irish Injured Jockeys’ Christmas cards and 2021 calendars will be on sale again this year, and maybe in this strange year we will all want to write cards to missing family and friends.

The card features a terrific image of an oil on canvas, Stable Stars, by Peter Curling and the calendar comprises 13 racing related photographs contributed by leading equine photographers.

Irish Injured Jockeys really appreciates the assistance of TRI Equestrian as exclusive sales and distribution partner ing sell the items from their Curragh Superstore and Meadows Equestrian Centre in Lurgan as well as fulfilling online orders through their online sales team.

All proceeds from sales go directly to the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund.