MANY congratulations to Co Louth native James Keane, whose move from the world of show jumping to that of racing saw him saddle his first winner on the track recently, when the Jack Mitchell-ridden Time To Sparkle recorded a short-head victory over an extended mile at Wolverhampton.

James worked twice for Cian O’Connor, firstly during the latter stages of Blue Loyd’s career and then when Good Luck was in his prime and other notable horses in the yard were Cooper and Sam du Challois. “I wouldn’t claim any major involvement with them, but I learnt what a good one looked like!” said Keane, who also worked with Shane Carey.

We’re not exposing any secrets, as James’s profile on his website explains his move into racing: ‘In 2017, a lost bet in a game of pool led to his first experience on the back of a racehorse, the stone that started the avalanche’. A few months later, he moved to Newmarket (where he is now based) to be pupil assistant for a season to Ed Dunlop, after which he spent three years as assistant trainer to Lucy Wadham.

James was then accepted onto the prestigious Godolphin Flying Start scholarship programme, which took him around the world for two years, visiting five different racing jurisdictions and learning from some of the best in the thoroughbred industry. Upon graduating, he took on a job as assistant trainer to Roger Varian and then worked for Charlie Hills, before deciding to strike out on his own.