Meet the trainees - Jason Dixon

My name is Jason Dixon. I’m 16 years old. I am from Finglas in Dublin. I have always had an interest in horses and soccer. I have been playing soccer since I was 4. I was player of the year for the under 9’s team and I have won plenty of trophy’s and medals. I was made captain for the past 2 years of Stella Maris which is a well known top club in Dublin.
I have been riding horses bareback since I was young. I had to make the decision to try make a career in soccer or to try and make a career in the horse racing industry. I have only started riding in saddles since I came to RACE. The instructors here at RACE have taught me so much lately, such as how to tack up properly, how to oil the tack, how to ride in a saddle, how to use the whip in an appropriate manner and how to care for a horse up to a high standard.

My favourite rider is AP McCoy. I admire the way he has a lot of stamina which, gives him great ability to drive a horse from such a long way out. I am really enjoying my time at RACE, it is a great experience and I look forward to the great opportunities that awaits in the near future.

Getting ready to learn how to jump out of stalls

Meet the trainees - Damien Moore

My name is Damien Moore. I am 16 years old. I’m from Monasterevin, Co. Kildare. My first time working around horses was about 5 years ago. My brother Patrick brought me out to the stables where he was working, which was Christie Donohue’s. I only mucked out and groomed, along with other practical things. I also gained experience in Church View Stables too.
I was about 9 years of age when I first realised I wanted to be a jockey. I always wanted to follow my brother Patrick, who was a jockey, so I decided to try and get into RACE. When I turned 16 I attended an open day in RACE, and attended a trial week later that year. I was very nervous during the trial because I didn’t have that much experience and I didn’t have a clue how to ride. I got through it in the end and here I am now in RACE.

I am hoping to sign on as an apprentice jockey in the future. I have always followed the racing and I look up to many jockeys such as Fran Berry , Ryan Moore and many others. I try to go to the stimulators every day and practice my technique by following the riding skills I have learned by looking at the jockeys on television and at the racing. I always give it my best shot around the yard etc. Becoming a jockey is my dream. I can always improve on my riding skills in the hope that one day I will make that dream come true.

Maddenstown Gallops

Johnny Murtagh and Nina Carberry visit RACE

On Wednesday October the 24th 2012 Johnny Murtagh and Nina Carberry came into RACE to talk to the trainee jockeys. They gave us some great advice on how to make it in the racing world and also shared some memorable experiences of their racing career with us. They answered numerous questions from the trainees. The topics ranged from their experiences of their first rides and wins, their bad falls and so on. Nina also shared with us how it felt to be the first Irish female jockey to win the Grand National! They also gave us some very useful advice on their diets and methods of training to keep fit and healthy.

It was very inspirational for many when Johnny Murtagh told of how he was placed in the beginners group when he first came to RACE; everyone gasped because we realised that if you just kept your head down and worked hard there was the possibility of turning into one of the greatest jockeys ever! When he added that in the beginning he didn’t even know the difference between hay and straw everybody laughed. It goes to show that everybody has to start somewhere! Nina and Johnny drove home an important point to us that day. We have to enjoy our work to be successful at it. As an old man used to say, “You must give a little to take a little”. We got a lot out of meeting Nina and Johnny and hopefully we can apply their words of wisdom to make a better future for ourselves in the racing industry too.

By Conor Mc Govern & Niall Prendergast.