PONY Club members in Area 17 who are interested in racing are no doubt somewhat envious of the opportunities availed of by their counterparts in the Irish Pony Club (IPC) who enjoyed the organisation’s annual raceday at Naas on Sunday.

Ten members of the IPC went on a two-day jockeys’ skills course at the Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) in Kildare earlier this month and then, riding a variety of horses and ponies, took part in a four-furlong exhibition race up the straight at Naas. The raceday is usually held at the Curragh but transferred up the road with this Juddmonte Beresford meeting.

The race resulted in a dead-heat between Robbie Jackson (16) of the Shillelagh Branch riding the six-year-old Fleetwood gelding Moonchaser and East Donegal’s Brandon Wilkie (14) who was mounted on the 15-year-old Comical Errors.

That US-bred gelding is owned by Donegal painter and sculptor Marina Hamilton and her husband, BBC News Northern Ireland’s political correspondent Enda McClafferty. The bay won the IPC race last year under the owners’ daughter Jade whose twin, Kellie, was second on him in 2015.

FUTURE IN RACING

Although Wilkie comes from a very ‘horsey’ Letterkenny family, he didn’t start riding until two years ago. He hopes to become a jockey but he is now keen on all aspects of equestrianism and, having joined the East Donegal Pony Club at the start of the year, has represented the branch in show jumping and eventing on a pony he broke himself. He is going to concentrate on show jumping over the winter while also hunting with the Donegal and Tyrone Farmers Hunt.

In addition to his equestrian pursuits, Wilkie rides out for Letterkenny-based Sean Sweeney whose Little Spirit he rode to victory at Ardee in late July, beating none other than Sam Ewing. Wilkie’s mother Tracey is more involved in sport horses and Irish Draughts but did a small bit of flapping herself as a youngster when, among her opponents on the north west circuit, was Martin Harley.

He too was in action at Naas on Sunday when, having ridden the Karl Burke-trained Quiet Reflection to victory in the Renaissance Stakes Group 3, he kindly posed for a photograph with Wilkie.

Before he even had a ride on a racehorse, Brandon picked out his own colours and Tracey ordered them for him from Kathleen Kennedy as a Christmas present last year. In addition to his mother, Brandon was supported at Naas by Lee Cullen, James Diver (who led up Comical Errors) and his good friend Chloe McClafferty who is the youngest of the owners’ daughters.