LAST Sunday at Dowth Hall represented a little piece of history for RACE as we had our first ever runners in a point-to-point race in what is a new departure for the Academy. Point-to-points are the grassroots of the sport and offer opportunities for young riders with aspirations of being a top jockey, be it in the amateur or professional ranks.

As part of the continuous improvement process at RACE, we thought it would be a great addition to our training course for current participants and would open up race riding opportunities for some of our recent graduates at a time when it can be difficult to source rides in a very competitive environment.

Getting the experience of those first couple of rides isn’t an easy task for any young licence holder and it’s not always feasible or possible for a trainer to provide these rides for their budding young jockeys. Cue our Racing Academy and Centre of Education Syndicate, our instructor/handler Barry Walsh (an integral part of the team here in RACE), several enthusiastic Trainee Jockey Course graduates and three nearly as enthusiastic racehorses.

The three horses we lined up for the season are Robin De Edge, Bella Milano and Finest Hour. All three were previously trained by another RACE graduate in Conor O’Dwyer and were kindly entrusted to us by their owners as part of our ongoing rehoming facility for retired racehorses. With their owner’s permission the three horses will now step up their roles as educators, by helping their young riders to hone their skills on the point-to-point circuit.

Our first runners at Dowth Hall ran in the five-year-old+ maiden. Finest Hour was ridden by 2017 graduate Reece O’Connor who is working for Conor O’Dwyer and was having his first ride. Robin De Edge ran in the same race with Jack Ruddy in the saddle. Jack is a 2016 graduate, works for Gordon Elliott and was having his second ride. Both horses have been off the track for a considerable length of time so it was no surprise they got tired and pulled up. Both Jack and Reece enjoyed the experience along with current trainees Ciaran Moody and Katie Coffey who led up the horses on the day.

On Sunday each rider walked the track with RACE instructor Paddy Flood, they made a plan on how their horse was going to be ridden, they were asked for their feedback after the race and Barry gave the rider feedback on their performance.

We are hoping that one day the red and navy silks of the Racing Academy and Centre of Education syndicate will be in the winner’s enclosure but for now our main objective is that our riders enjoy the experience, continue to upskill and always come home safely while also enhancing the training we provide for our current trainees as it allows them the opportunity to lead up at the races along with teaching them how to saddle on a race day and how to correctly care for a horse at the races, before they are sent out on work placement.

It’s an initiative that has created an immense buzz around our campus and we are looking forward to future fixtures in the coming months.

OUR current trainees are making great strides in their progress since early September and we will have a large group heading out on work placement on November 25th. They have settled into the programme well and every individual has a different attribute they bring to the table in terms of their riding ability, work ethic, determination and racing knowledge.

This was brought to the fore in the recent 7km Bogathon event they completed as a step towards achieving their Gaisce Award. They showed agility and stamina to be able to finish the course, in a record time, in what can only be described as very tough conditions.

We’re looking forward to Family Day on November 22nd where we will welcome the families and friends of each trainee. It’s always a day full of excitement and it gives our students the opportunity to showcase their newly developed skills to their families.

Tenth edition of Jockey Skills course hailed another success

EARLY engagement with young horse lovers is a principal plank of our promotion and recruitment work and this year marked the tenth instalment of a Jockey Skills course for Pony Club members which took place at RACE last month.

Ten young riders selected from around the country were required to be at least 14 years of age and have completed a C Test and they participated in a two-day programme which involved riding racehorses on the gallops, video coaching, simulator training, fitness instruction and nutritional advice as they got to sample a slice of academy life and consider the attractions of a career as a jockey.

They were also competing for a valuable prize in the form of a handsome perpetual trophy to be awarded to the participant who performed best in riding, fitness, effort, manner and attitude over the course of the two days on campus.

The group included Rachel D’Arcy and Seersha Watson (Wicklow), Alexandra Egan and Holly Gleeson (Kildare), Lauren Hartley (Waterford), Jack Lucey (Cork), Rory O’Donnell (Limerick), Ted O’Leary (Westmeath), David Russell and Jessica Stokes (Tipperary).

The overall winner was Alexandra Egan from Kildare who emerged on top from an impressive and well-behaved group who represented their branches very well. The bonus for participants was the opportunity to be presented with their certificates and prizes at the Curragh on a race day and to ride their ponies in an exhibition race in front of their families and friends.

The Newbridge Community race day provided the backdrop for the Pony Club programme which included a musical ride display by Clare Pony Club Branch and a jockey skills exhibition by the young riders over four furlongs on the track.

Jockey Lisa O’Neill picked out Ted O’Leary as the most stylish rider and all the group experienced the thrill of being presented with certificates and prizes on the podium and getting behind the scenes access to the weighing room to complete an exciting day. We look forward to hopefully seeing some of these young riders in the future as their careers develop.