Meet the trainees - Conor Heavey

I was always interested in watching and betting on horse racing but I never rode a horse in my life until 4 weeks before the week trial. I had no family or even friends that were doing any type of work with horses at all.

My hobby was boxing which I did for 4 years and was only 7 stone 4lbs so I thought to myself I’d try the trial and see how it goes, after doing the 4 weeks of lessons.

I came to the trial and got on the course. I was delighted I had a chance to start something I was interested in.  With not much experience I was quite afraid at the start because everyone on the trial was really good and experienced.  The first day was even worse, I was so nervous but after the first week I loved it so much.

The start was easy but then we got into the course and things stared to get hard, we had to get up earlier, muck out more box’s, ride more lots and start schooling horses more.  But now after learning so much from the 4 instructor’s I am finding it easier and easier everyday and I love the course.
I’m still here in the yard and probably wont be sent out until the last lot but I like it that way so that the instructors can teach me more and more everyday and help build my confidence for me to improve my chances in the sport and help me get a full time job and hopefully one day become a Jockey.

Conor was sent on out to Paul Deegan on 30th March 2015

Training on the Curragh

Meet the trainees - Jamie Colgan

I was about 8 or 9 when I first got interested in racehorses. I used to go to all the flapping meetings with my 1st cousin Ronan and then when Ronan got a bit older he moved on down to Jim Bolgers yard and became and apprentice for him. So when Ronan gave up the flapping I then stopped going and lost interest in  the horses altogether until I was about 13 / 14 when I became friends with a lad that was just after finishing RACE called Shane Quinlan and being out and about with Shane and the horses inspired me to get back into them. So myself and Shane used to be out messing around on the ponies and going to the hunting and things and we were talking all about when he was in RACE and it sounded great coming from someone who had already been through the academy. So then myself and my teachers in school thought it would be a great opportunity for me as I am light but a little tall, but racing is about your weight not height.

When I went over to RACE on the open day I knew from that day when I got the tour of the place that I loved it!  I got my application form and came for the tria and busted a gut and gave it 100% and thank god things went well and I was called back for the 2014/15 year.

Even though I rode a few ponies, I still had very little riding experience with racehorses so I got into Mark Faheys for 1 month before I came to RACE and I got to ride out 2 / 3 lots a day until RACE started and I am in RACE now and still with Mark on the weekends and he is great to me and fills me with confidence. He shows that he has an interest in me because he has let me ride 2 peaces of work for him and says I have come on a hell of a way since the first day he saw me.

When I am finished RACE, I hope to get an Amateur License and ride a couple of bumper and point to points and get a few winners under my belt and head over to England to my favourite trainer Jonjo O’Neill.
Jamie was placed with Christy Roche on 20th January 2015

After Schooling Training 

Out on the Curragh October 2014