AHEAD of Dundalk Stadium’s family fun day next Friday, July 12th, some members of the Louth Branch of the Irish Pony Club had a fun day of their own at their local track on Wednesday and other Pony Club members, north and south, could well feel a little jealous.

The Louths were at camp last week at Kernan Equestrian in Crossmaglen, where they were well looked after by James Kernan and Linda Fahey, and this trip down to Dundalk was the brainchild of their District Commissioner, Sandra Cumiskey, a former amateur rider and now breeder based with her family at their Candlefort Stud outside Dundalk.

Not having ridden since the end of the hunting season, Sandra brought in her hunting mare for the schooling day where she was joined on track by the 2018 champion flat jockey, Colin Keane, who rode a winner later on Wednesday at Bellewstown, and former Louth Pony Club member Sean Bird who is an apprentice with Ger Lyons.

Twenty-four current Branch members took to the track on a variety of horses and ponies (typical Pony Club mounts) under the watchful eyes of their trainers Jane Graham and Kevin McGuinness and Dundalk Stadium’s chief executive officer, Jim Martin.

While a handful of the members had ridden in the Pony Club race at Fairyhouse earlier in the year, this was the first time that most of the group had anything to do with racing and they really enjoyed the experience. Importantly, DC Cumiskey, who was under the scrutiny of her uncle-in-law, Gerry Cumiskey (breeder of Bayswell Lad, Reckless Endeavour and Laughifuwant) came back smiling as well!