A GROUP of 10 final-year students from Ecole AFASEC, the French apprentice jockey school near Marseilles, are in Ireland for a week’s experience.

The students have been riding out for Curragh trainers and no doubt enjoying the Irish weather!

They went racing to Punchestown where racing manager Richie Galway invited them to present a trophy to the winning connections of Graphic Legacy. They also visited the Irish National Stud and Kildangan Stud, plus they received coaching from RACE instructors and had fitness sessions with Wayne Middleton.

Noting that eight of the 10 trainees are female, Paul Keane of RACE said: “One of their instructors told me that the reason the female weight allowance has been introduced in France is because there are so many girls coming through the five apprentice schools compared to the number of boys.”

RACE also have some Czech students on campus this week.