IMAGINE riding in your first race at the age of 53. That’s what Colm Hayden achieved when he rode in a Sligo bumper two weeks ago. The locally-based accountant finished seventh of 15 on his own horse, Wild Mandate, trained by Mark McNiff.

Colm told the Sligo Champion: “When I was growing up we had “Sports Stadium” on a Saturday afternoon and I watched Noel Reid and all the races from England and my dad used to watch it as well, so it is in my DNA.

“And from when I started in primary school until I finished in secondary school I was always doing projects about horses.”

He joined a racing syndicate in his 20s.

“Mickey McElhone used to train horses in Culleenamore and he had a racing school for training lads how to operate in the racing industry, like track riders and stable hands. Himself and another guy from Sligo called Eddie McDermottroe did that and I was involved in horses and training with Mickey. He invited me out and he got me on that whole journey of riding horses and Mickey taught me how to ride properly and that was in my early 20s.”

As he got older Colm installed his own gallop and trained a mare named Cool Annie to win a point-to-point at Dromahane.

Having bred, trained and owned racehorses, all that remained for Colm to achieve was to ride in a race.

“It was a case that I was getting older and every year it gets more difficult to do it,” he told the local paper. “So Mark McNiff told me to go for it. I made the decision at the end of last year.”

Starting in January, Colm began a strict fitness regime and diet.

“I had to lose weight and I did that and I bought a little spin bike. I used to be wobbling getting off it two or three times a week and it was savage cardio work.

“I did my tests with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and you have so many tests to go through.”

He lost two stone and in fact was underweight when he weighed out for his first race.

Patrick Mullins, who won the Sligo bumper, gave him some advice, reminding him to keep breathing during the race.

Even though he finished a very respectable seventh Colm had been hoping for a better result and has not ruled out having another go.