THE curtain came down on the 2025 pony racing season in Ashbourne, Co Meath on Saturday last.

Run under the auspices of the Midlands region, this superb track produced top drawer racing and plenty of exciting finishes. Reese Holohan, Kaceylou Carberry and Kian McNally all ended their pony racing careers in the best possible fashion with a winner apiece. Kian was also crowned the champion jockey for the season just ended.

It was a day to savour for local jockey Thady Finnegan, who gained his first two career victories.

Thady gave Justasec an inspired drive when making every inch of the running to win the 14hh contest.

Hard as the previously unbeaten Little Chief tried up the straight under Jake Cromwell, he could never get on terms and went down by a length at the line. The Finnegan double followed quickly in the 15hh race when Not Another Horse came out on top in a gripping finish.

Front-running tactics again paid dividends here as Not Another Horse made all the running to just deny Firedrops and Queen Elsa in a finish of necks. Incidentally, it was Thady’s brother Paddy who was runner-up here on Firedrops, so the Finnegan household look all set for a really competitive 2026 season!

Paddy Finnegan had better luck later in the day when the debutant Not Me put up a hugely impressive performance to land the maiden contest. Sent to the front at the halfway stage, the Ollie Finnegan-owned horse powered away to win in style.

Champion jockey

Kian McNally confirmed his status as the champion jockey of the 2025 season with victory on Little Fiddlers in the 13.2hh race. Owned by the Finnerty family from Co Roscommon, this home-bred pony is a daughter of Fiddlers Bridge, who herself was a top racing pony.

Mountrath jockey Reese Holohan combined with the all-conquering Shane Crabbe yard to land the highly competitive two-mile race on Tommy Tango. This was a renewal of the pulsating Cahersiveen Derby finish with Here We Go Again, but Tommy Tango reversed the form a shade snugly this time round. Reese will now take out his license with Mark Fahey in Monasterevin, Co Kildare.

Kaceylou Carberry ended her very successful season when landing the Ashbourne version of the Golden Mile on Yours Or Mine for Shane Crabbe. This highly-touted debutant put up a stellar performance under top weight to defeat Dingle winners Silver Hill and Bubbles in ready fashion.

Not surprisingly, Shane had a wry smile in the winner’s enclosure with all roads now leading to Dingle in 2026.

Ice cool Doherty

Nina Doherty will remain with us on the pony racing circuit next year and ended her season with victory on Tommy K in the 12-furlong race. Under an ice-cool Doherty drive, Leona McLaughlin’s multiple winner cut loose inside the furlong pole to grab the spoils close home. Mine Or Yours lost little in defeat in second place for Paddy Finnegan and looks one for the notebook.

Another local jockey Camillus Byrne was on the mark when Green Whistle landed the maiden contest. Under a confident drive, Green Whistle collared the long-time leader Kiss Cam two furlongs down and ran out a convincing winner.

Cameron Cromwell has caught the eye all season and he gave Lesson Learned a stylish drive to land the 14.2hh race from the gallant Five Stone Of Lead.

Lesson Learned stayed on powerfully in the closing stages and could well be on the upgrade.

The queen of Dingle, Five Stone Of Lead was officially retired on Sunday afternoon, just hours after Dylan Browne McMonagle had landed his first classic victory on Al Riffa at the Curragh.

The local pony race was divided into three sections due to huge interest from aspiring jockeys. Roan Crabbe, Paul Charles Carberry and Daithi Byrne all tasted success for the first time.

13.2HH (6F): 1, Finnerty Family’s LITTLE FIDDLERS (Kian McNally); 2, K. Cromwell’s HERE FOR THE CRAIC (Jake Cromwell); 3, O. Finnegan’s ROSE OF CLARE (Thady Finnegan).

14HH (1M): 1, O. Finnegan’s JUSTASEC (Thady Finnegan); 2, J. Brady’s LITTLE CHIEF (Jake Cromwell); 3, Finnerty Families JOE MALONE (Kian McNally).

14.2HH (10F): 1, K. Cromwell’s LESSON LEARNED (Cameron Cromwell); 2, McNally Racing’s FIVE STONE OF LEAD (Kian McNally); 3, K. Cromwell’s ALL BETS ARE OFF (Jake Cromwell).

15HH (12F): 1, O. Finnegan’s NOT ANOTHER HORSE (Thady Finnegan); 2, S. Bergin’s FIREDROPS (Paddy Finnegan); 3, McNamara Families QUEEN ELSA (Jared Huggan).

Open Horse Race (1M): 1, S. Crabbe’s YOURS OR MINE (Kaceylou Carberry); 2, McNamara Families SILVER HILL (Nina Doherty); 3, F. Byrne’s BUBBLES (Camillus Byrne).

Open Horse Race (10F): 1, F. Byrne’s GREEN WHISTLE (Camillus Byrne); 2, Cahill Brothers KISS CAM (Calum Mangan); 3, S. Crabbe’s MR CHOW (Reese Holohan).

Open Horse Race (12F): 1, L. McLaughlin’s TOMMY K (Nina Doherty); 2, S. Crabbe’s MINE OR YOURS (Paddy Finnegan); 3, S. Crabbe’s SAM’S FRIEND (Reese Holohan).

Open Horse Race (2M): 1, S. Crabbe’s TOMMY TANGO (Reese Holohan); 2, L. McLaughlin’s HERE WE GO AGAIN (Nina Doherty); 3, Holian Syndicate’s DARE TO DREAM (Camillus Byrne).

Maiden Horse Race (1M): 1, O. Finnegan’s NOT ME (Paddy Finnegan); 2, M. Jones THE PARTING GLASS (Camillus Byrne); 3, J.J. Bailey’s JOSEPH JOHN (Kian McNally).

Local Pony Race Div 1: 1, PRINCE (Roan Crabbe); 2, TIGGER (Grace Murray).

Local Pony Race Div 2: 1, SPIRIT (Paul Charles Carberry); 2, MISSY (Billy Scanlon); 3, MONEY PENNY (Elsie Hughes).

Local Pony Race Div 3: 1, CHEEKO (Daithi Byrne); 2, SPIKE (Ellie Rose Cromwell); 3, SAMMY SPAR BOY (Kate Broderick).