Hi, My name is Marc Deveney. I am 17 and from the one and only Dublin! I am currently attending the Racing Academy here in Kildare and I'm loving it. I first became interested in horses when I was only young and like most people, started in a riding school down the road from me. Of course, me being the curious fella that I am, I starting looking into showjumping. I took a go at that for a few years and quickly got nowhere, so I decided to go back to the drawing board!
I bought my unbroken Connemara Stallion not long after, trained him up and brought him to a few shows. My idea was to bring him to as many shows as possible to raise his value, so that I could eventually sell him. At this stage I had come to a block on what I actually wanted out of horse riding as a career. I felt like I was clutching at straws a bit. Thankfully, I became interested in horse racing and began to look at this as an alternative to mainstream school. So I stumbled upon RACE and low and behold....I'm here and delighted!
My first impressions of RACE was honestly a bit overwhelming. For a lad who didn't know much about horse racing and had come from a background of a small livery yard, that focused on showjumping, it's a big shock to the system. The trial alone tested me both physically and mentally, especially on the fitness front. We had PE every night and every time I found myself revisiting the reasons why I was here in my head, over and over again. I kept telling myself that this was a challenge and I wasn't going to let it break me. I gave it my all. That trial was never what anyone expected but everyone took something worthwhile out of it and that is why we are here today. Although, I wouldn't be a guy that would go for a job in a yard, I still wouldn't be seen standing around with my hands in my pockets and RACE has taught me the importance of hard work and dedication.
The History of RACE is nothing but excellent. Each jockey that has come from here has been nothing but impressive. Most of the jockeys that graduated under the guidance of instructor Barry Walsh have become trainers themselves and have taken on RACE trainee's. Johnny Murtagh and Conor O' Dwyer to name but a few.
Our timetable is pretty hectic. We have to be up and full of life at 6am to get a good breakfast. The biggest mistake you can make is to skip breakfast for those extra 15 minutes in bed. Your stomach does be falling out by noon if you do! If you're chosen for morning feed you're up at 5.30, ahead of everyone else. We are expected to be in the barn at 7am on the dot to muck out, tack up and ride out your first lot of the day. You have to be on the ball to make sure and not make any silly mistakes. Afterwards, we get a small break, where we receive a cup of tea before tacking up and riding out the second lot. Jobs are then allotted to different groups before finishing up. Down in the barn everyone has a responsibility. You must have the ability to work on your own initiative and as a team. You learn that as you go along as well. A well deserved lunch comes next. The afternoon comprises of classes in the education centre, where we put all the practical work into theory.
After RACE I am hoping that I will get to stay on in a yard in the Curragh and hopefully stay on campus. I do, however, have a life long plan to travel to Japan for a holiday or possibly some work as an exercise rider or an assistant trainer. Having experience from RACE is something great to have under your belt and I suspect that it will go down very well in Japan. I'm sure I will have plenty of support from Barry, Paul and Niall, seeing as they all worked in Japan at some stage in their career. Who knows what may happen in the future though!
So, I decided to lighten things up and share a little secret with you.... One day I was on the simulator watching Warren O' Connor give the lads some advice on effective use of the whip. He asked me to hop up on one of the simulators. That was grand, or so I thought. My legs turned to jelly out of nowhere, when I stood up they went straight from in under me. We all got a laugh out of it and I still haven't lived it down to this day!
The best advice I have received can't be summed up in just one quote. It's not just what the instructors have told me, it's what they have shown me that I will hold dearly forever. So, my advice to you - hard work, dedication and passion never hurt anyone at the end of the day!
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| Family Day 2015 |
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| Training on the Curragh December 2015 |
