OVER 350 local schoolchildren attended a recent HRI Racing Juniors open day at the Curragh.

Local trainer Dick Brabazon brought along Harmony Blues, and talked the kids through the day-to-day routine of training racehorses.

Master farrier Donal Bennett was joined by students from the Farriery School in Kildare to give the children a shoeing demonstration, and jockey coach Niall Byrne from the Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) gave the young guests an opportunity to ride the racehorse simulator.

Members of the Curragh racecourse team brought the children on a tour of the facilities.

Delighted

The Curragh’s Evan Arkwright said: “We were delighted to recently welcome children from a variety of local primary schools and hope they found their visit an informative behind the scenes experience. Our objective is to help create opportunities for young people to engage with the racecourse and learn more about the sport’s many and varied career pathways, as well as building pride amongst children living close as to the lovely facilities on offer at the Curragh Racecourse and an awareness of how important the racecourse is to the horse racing industry in Ireland.”

Children were also asked to write a short story to describe their visit and enjoyed a complimentary goody bag courtesy of the Curragh and HRI.

The objective of the HRI Racing Juniors education days is to encourage an affinity with racehorses among the younger generation and demonstrate the variety of careers available in the racing and breeding industry in Ireland.