Meet the Trainees - Niamh O'Gowney

My name is Niamh O’Growney, I’m from Clare and I am 17 years old. I have grown up with ponies from a very young age, but I hadn’t ever worked for a trainer or with thoroughbreds before coming to RACE.

I began pony club lessons when I was 13 but I didn’t keep up the lessons for very long. I always remember watching the big races on TV like the Grand National in Aintree. I began to idolise jockeys like AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh. I had never been to a race meeting before until I came to RACE, but I had grown up going to any point-to-points that were on near me, like Belharbour. I always looked up to the jockeys at the point to points and wanted to be just like them, but I never really did anything about it until my mom told me about RACE and I knew that’s what I wanted to do for transition year.

While at RACE I have visited many studs such as Coolmoore Stud, Kildangan Stud and the Irish National Stud. My fitness levels have increased greatly since enrolling at RACE. RACE gives you many opportunities in the racing world, because when you’re not in the barn working, you’re in the classroom preparing for your assignments. I share a dorm with 5 other girls, Patricia, Roisin, Alicia, Sophia and Sarah.  We all get on well which is good because you can talk to them about anything, if something was bugging you from work in the mornings you can all talk about it. I haven’t decided yet whether I want to stay in RACE or go back to school and get my leaving cert.

I got sent out to Michael Halford’s yard on work placement in mid-February. Mr. Halford is very good to work for and everyone there is friendly. They were very helpful, especially when I was starting out. I started out riding 2 or 3 lots a day and now I ride 5 lots.  I wake up at 6:00AM, have breakfast and then get the RACE bus at 6:45AM. My yard starts at 7:30AM but when it starts to get bright outside, we will be starting at 7:00AM. When school ends in May we will all be doing evening stables as well as morning stables.

Without going to RACE I don’t think I would have been ready for a yard. RACE helped me a lot with fitness and technique. Michael Halfords yard has 4 walkers, a pool, two gallops and over 100 stables. I am in this yard with 3 other students from RACE.  After working in the morning, I get the bus back to RACE at 12:50, get lunch and then head over to school for 2:15PM. School lasts 3 hours and we finish at 5:15PM.  After school we all head over for food and then on Monday and Wednesday nights we have fitness classes in the gym. 

I definitely would recommend RACE to anyone who wants to be a jockey.

Niamh was placed with Michael Halford on the 11^th of February 2019.

Maddenstown Gallops

Meet the Trainees - Luke Carberry

Hi, my name is Luke Carberry. I’m 18 years old and I am from Navan, Co. Meath. I have always had an interest in horses from a young age, as my cousins had a few horses at home.

I have always loved horse racing, mainly due to my father always watching it at home. I’ve been hooked from a young age and I’ve always wanted to become a jockey. My 2 idols of the racing world have always been Robbie Power and Daryl Jacob.

I first found out about RACE from my Dad. He knew how interested in horse racing I was and when discussing career options, he brought up RACE. I applied, went to an open day and was called back for a trial in July. By mid-August I had found out that I was accepted, and I was delighted. When I came here I had done very little riding, but by week 4 or 5 I was out on the gallops with everyone else and I was also jumping poles and hurdles.  Since coming to RACE I wouldn’t recognise myself as a rider, I have improved so much in such a small space of time. I have learned loads about horses and racing during my time in RACE. I am also ten times fitter and stronger, as we are in the gym two nights a week with our fitness coach, Wayne. Since starting the course, we have also visited various stud farms such as Coolmore, The National Stud and Kildangan Stud, which was very interesting.

In January, I was sent out on placement to Aidan Howard. Every morning I get up at 5.30am and I start work at about 6.40am where we pull out with our first lot nearly straight away. I am loving it so far as I’m getting loads of riding, I ride 6 lots most days and I feel it has really brought me on as a rider as there is such a wide range of horses in the yard from 5-furlong sprinters to point to pointers and 3-mile chasers. When I go home at the weekends I ride out on Saturdays in Michael Mulvanys, who was very good to take me on at a stage where I wasn’t such a good rider and between the two yards I’ve learned an awful lot about horses and my riding has improved a serious amount.

We are in school every Monday to Thursday from 2.15pm to 5.15pm. We study business, I.T, communications, work practice, stable and yard routine and racehorse care and exercise. These subjects are helpful to us as they help us with problems which may arise in our everyday lives after school. I have loved my time in RACE and I’m sure there’s even more exciting things to come.

Luke was placed with Aidan Howard on the 14^th of January 2019.

The long straight on Maddenstown Gallops

Meet the Trainees - Kieran McGrath

Hi, my name is Kieran McGrath, I am 16 years old and I am from West Waterford, Ireland. My brother first got me into horses when he got broodmares, that he kept on the family farm at home. He would take me with him to different stud farms, like Castlehyde and Grange, when he was getting the mares covered. It was from then I started to show a keen interest in horses.

I started riding ponies at a local riding school when I was 11, after 2 years I got my own pony that I hunted with the West Waterford Hunt, which I loved. I also went show jumping in Ballyrafter every Friday with my pony and I really enjoyed that as well. When I turned 14, my brother got me into Ashtown Stud in Kilmacthomas working for Paul Shanahan. My brother is the manager there. I worked at the weekends and whenever I was off school. While I was there, I learned a lot about the breeding side of the racing industry and my brother showed me the ropes of a breeding yard. I got lots of opportunities to go to Coolmore Stud with the mares that had to be covered.

My brother often brought me racing to racecourses like the Curragh. I also got to go Tattersalls as my brother often had foals selling there. After 2 years at Ashtown Stud, my boss Paul Shanahan got me into Joseph o Brien’s during the summer, for 8 weeks. I was nervous enough going there as I had no experience riding racehorses but the lads in the yard helped me a lot and I got on really well there.

I decided to apply for RACE as it was always a dream of mine to become a successful jockey and I had also seen how successful many of the graduates of RACE were. I first attended an open day and then went up for the trial week which was tough, both mentally and physically, but I enjoyed it a lot. When I got the news that I got accepted for the course I was over the moon and couldn’t wait for August to come around.

We are now on week 24 and I have learned so much about racing and my riding has improved greatly. I got sent out to Johnny Murtaghs in November which I was delighted with as I always looked up to him growing up and to get the chance to work for him is great. I have become a much better rider since I started at Johnny’s and hopefully I keep on improving. I am delighted with how the course has gone so far and cannot wait to see what the future has in store.

Kieran was placed with Johnny Murtagh on the 19^th of November 2018.

On Maddenstown Gallops - Assessment Week

Meet the Trainees - Jessica O'Gorman

Hi, my name is Jessica O’Gorman. I am 15 years old and I live in Clare. My father was always into the racing so that’s where I got my interest. Coming to RACE I had no horse racing experience. I had some experience of show jumping, pony club and some hunting but that’s about it. My father works for Aengus King and I used to go over with him to the yard sometimes, which was a big help as Aengus taught me loads. I applied for the course and got invited to attend the weeks trial. After the trial I didn’t think I got in but when I got my letter to say I was accepted I was delighted! The trial certainly wasn’t easy but it all paid off in the end. The fitness was the hardest thing for me.

The first few weeks of the course were tough.  I was placed in group 1 with everyone who rode out with trainers already, so my confidence wasn’t great. I really thought I was hopeless but with all the training in the barn, I feel I have really come on and my confidence has improved a lot.

I was placed in Kevin Prendergast’s yard in early January.  I have settled in well and I really like my yard.  I am riding 2 and 3-year olds and getting on great.  Everyone out there is so nice and helpful, they really look after me well.

A typical day for me would be get up at 5:40am, get changed, try have something to eat and get the RACE bus at 6:15am. We start at 6:30am everyday but its handy because we are done between 12 and 12:30pm. I have learned and improved so much already by being in the yard.

The biggest thing I’ve improved I think is fitness.  I never realised how important fitness is, but since training with our fitness coach Wayne every Monday and Wednesday, I have come on loads.  I notice this improvement riding because I’m physically stronger and able to hold stronger horses without getting tired. 

After the course I hope to graduate from RACE and if I can I would love to stay on in my yard for the summer.

Jessica was placed with Kevin Prendergast on the 14^th of January 2019.

On RACE Gallops at the start of the year

Meet The Trainees - Jack Enright

My name is Jack Enright, I’m 17 years old and I’m from Ardagh in Co. Limerick. I completed the leaving certificate and decided instead of going to college, I would try and go to RACE. I always had a love for horse racing, I watched it all the time and I wanted to get involved in the sport. I had to do a week’s work experience and I thought this was my chance to get an insight into the job.

I contacted a local trainer, Eric McNamara, he said I could call down and he would show me the works.  I loved it and the week went so fast. I got to see the horses being trained, how they prepared the horses for racing and I got to meet lots of new people.  After that I continued to work at Eric’s and gained a lot of experience. During the summer I was riding out three lots a day for him. I learned a huge amount about the horses and how they like to be ridden.

Since I started in RACE I have learned so much, I have become very strong and gained so much confidence around the racehorses.  My fitness has improved as we must attend the Gym each day.  At RACE our attention is also focused on our diet and wellbeing.  Each day we have nutritional food and the emphasis is on healthy wholesome foods which benefits us in a huge way. I continue to improve using the simulators which helps me with my riding style, proper use of whip and stamina.

All the instructors at RACE are hugely informative, especially Paddy Flood, as he has a great knowledge of style and is honest about your ability. One of my highlights of the year was a visit to Coolmore, we got to see some amazing horses, such as Galileo. We also got to see how they carry out the process for covering mares during the breeding season.

I feel like a gained a lot from my time in RACE and with a little luck I hope I will be riding winners in the not so distant future.

Jack was placed with Michael Halford

Out on x-country course for assessment week

Meet The Trainees - Mirta Orsulic

My name is Mirta Orsulic and I am 20 years old. I was born in Croatia. When I was 15 I sat on a horse for the first time. Without any background working with horses, it was hard to get help to do what I love.  While I was in high school, I was riding for local trainers in Zagreb.I’ve always wanted to get the best education in the racing industry, so I decided to follow my dreams. First, I went to Hungary for a couple of months but that wasn’t fulfilling enough, so I applied for the trainee jockey course.

After I finished the trial week successfully and I got accepted in RACE, I became the happiest person in the world! I left university where I was studying Chemistry, I left my old life behind and started a new journey in this beautiful country. At the beginning of the course I was in group 2 but every day improved and after some time the instructors moved me into group 1. At the end of October, I took the initiative to get a job riding out at weekends and bank holidays for Aidan O’Brien, then Mid-November I got placed in Mr. Oxx’s yard. I was the first girl to go out on yard placement in this year’s group and that was an achievement I am proud of.

Although working in a different country and being away from home is very hard I think that if you’re doing what you love, it doesn’t feel like work. Now, I can say that I feel good, despite the up’s and down’s I’ve experienced since I started the Trainee Jockey Course. I’ve made great friends that I will have for life and I get to have fun every day hanging with people with whom I share the same goals. 

At the start of the year I thought I would only get the best education about working in the racing industry, but this school did far more than that. They taught us how to take care of ourselves, they’ve done everything in their power to prepare us for real life. We had different classes throughout the year; business calculations, IT, health related fitness, sport’s psychology, lessons on the simulator, nutrition sessions and many more. We also have access to the gym and simulator in our free time to improve even more.  However, the time is flying by and there are still plenty of things to learn in the remaining weeks. With all the knowledge that I have acquired I hope to upgrade my Croatian jockey license.

I have no idea where I will end up, but I am a competitive person who is not afraid of a challenge.

I am still young, and I believe that I have a bright future. I am a very optimistic person and I know that I will continue to succeed in whatever I put my mind to.

Mirta was placed with John Oxx on the 19^th of November 2018.

RACE Gallops