DONAL McINERNEY

THE 7lb conditional, consistenly called on by J.P. McManus, only rode his first winner, Auvergnat, in a cross-country chase at Punchestown in February during his first week as a professional jockey.

From Co Limerick, McInerney credits his father with encouraging him to take an interest in racing.

Working stints with Pat O’Donnell, John Gleeson, Enda Bolger, Charles Byrnes and Robert Tyner, along with advice from the late John Thomas McNamara and from Philip Enright and Derek O’Connor, helped him hone his skills.

In 2015, he took up an opportunity to work for Enda Bolger full-time and one of his biggest wins to date was on Ballyoisin at Cork in October.

BEN COEN

From Fethard, Co Tipperary, Ben is a nephew of and apprenticed to trainer Andy Slattery. He started off riding ponies when he was nine years old.

Coen rode 40 winners on the pony racing circuit including a treble on the first day of this year’s Dingle meeting. He has years of experience backing and preparing the young stock for his uncles Brian and Willie Slattery. He also rides the horses in their breezes and feels fortunate that he has probably packed in more experience than most of his contemporaries.

Coen rode his first winner on the racecourse at Dundalk last month. Still at school (fifth year), he is determined to gain as much experience as possible this winter in preparation for the turf season.

hamish macauley

From Blessington, Co Wicklow, Macauley is a bloodstock agent who is making a name for himself in the sales rings of Ireland, Britain, Europe, the US and Australia.

After leaving school, he spent some time working in Australia including at leading studs Arrowfield and Yarraman Park. Home again, he gained experience at the sales, shadowing agents.

One of the first horses he was involved in with was Big Les, a pinhook which he didn’t make any money on, being bought for €15,000 and selling for €22,000, but who has turned into quite a good two-year-old.

Hamish facilitates sales to Australia and the USA. Invocation, who was bought privately from Alan King, has won three of his five starts in the USA, most recently at Saratoga.

He bought both Clondaw Warrior and Ivan Grozny to go jump racing in Australia and it will be interesting to see how they get on.

fergal Birrane

With three winners saddled at Dundalk this month, Birrane is well on his way to realising his dream of training top-class racehorses in the west of Ireland.

He has leased Killala House in Co Mayo, which had been a stud farm and training facility over a century ago.

Two years ago Daniel MacAuliffe and Anoj Don bought the entire estate and house as an investment. They have provided the rookie trainer with state-of-the-art stabling and gallops. There are currently 12 horses in training though the recent winners have yielded many enquiries.

Birrane’s own career with horses includes show jumping, eventing and riding instruction. He hunted with the North Mayo Harriers for many years and in 2003, he obtained an amateur jockey’s licence and also a restricted trainer’s National Hunt licence. Fergal aims for him and his team to be “recognised as big players in Irish and international racing.”

RICHARD O’BRIEN

Now training in Ballingarry, Co Limerick, O’Brien is originally from Kilmaley, Co Clare, and actually studied dentistry at UCC, where he qualified with a degree. He became obsessed with racing at the age of nine, got his amateur riders’ licence at 17 and rode a single point-to-point winner.

Moving to Britain for work, he kept in touch with racing and spent time at David O’Meara’s yard in Yorkshire when he could.

In September 2016, he and wife Norma came back to Ireland and bought a farm in Ballingarry.

He got his trainer’s licence last December and saddled his first winner in January. Since then he has continued to impress observers with his ability to improve horses from other yards and keep them in top form.

Four-time winner Tom Dooley has been the stable star to-date.