Meet the trainees - Robert Smithers

My na

My name is Robert Smithers I am 16 years old I am from Athy co kildare. 
My interest in horses began when I was about 9 or 10 when Paddy Crane came to ride out for my granddad he was stuck one day and needed someone to ride out a horse for him.  It was a small 132 pony racer. I had to ride him down the road to the gallops. I did not ride him around the gallops but when I got back to my yard Paddy said to me I would make a good jockey. He said to me I should go to RACE. I asked him about it and he said to me he would show me how to ride proper. 
It took about 2 weeks before I got the hang of it and when I did he showed me how to ride on a gallop and stand up and look like a jockey.

     After a while I got my own horse a 14 2 cob. I went hunting with him for a year. After the hunting season was over I sold him and got a pony racer. I went pony racing / flapping for about 12 races on her.  I had about three 2^nd places and was placed a good few times  in 2013.

I had 4 flappers up in my yard, I didn’t get to race them because I didn’t have time but I rode them out on Maurice Phelan’s gallops. 
That is how I found out about races and learned how to ride horse. 

Robert riding upsides -  Maddenstown

 

Meet the trainees - Nicola Nolan

My name is Nicola Nolan.  I am 17.  I never had any knowledge of the horse racing industry or in anything else to do with horses until about 8 months before I came to race.  I had never sat up on a horse until I was 16.

I got into the horses because of work experience when I was in 5^th year. I went to a sports shop and I knew it just wasn’t for me, being indoors all the time, so for the second week of the work experience I decided that I would not be continuing in the shop. I had to pick somewhere else to go on work experience and I didn’t know what I wanted to do so after thinking for a long time my sister came up with an idea for somewhere for me to go on work experience. With her love for horses she said ‘why don’t I go to a racing yard?’.

After thinking of the racing yard idea, I thought I would have no hope with horses because I would never even look at a horse because I was afraid of them, but after a long time thinking of a place I said I would give the horses a go.

I first started in Ciaran cotters small racing yard and Trescon stud, even then when I was in there I was just mucking out, I wasn’t put up on a horse but I was very happy working with the horses and knew after working in the yard and after getting the experience. I knew I wanted a career in the racing industry.

I knew about RACE and thought about applying for it but I had another year to do in school. I talked to my mum about applying for the course and after a lot of convincing I got her to let me apply for it. After applying I got the trial, I gave it a go and hoped for the best, that I would get in. After a long wait after the trials I got my letter to say I got in. I had to do a lot of convincing with my mum to let me leave school but she finally let me go do the course with all of her support behind me.

 Just a few months ago I never thought that I would be where I am now.

Training on the Curragh Plains

Meet the trainees - Mark Mooney

My name is Mark Mooney and I’m from Tralee, Co Kerry. I have always had a big interest in horses since I was the age of 8. I learned to ride in a riding school which was great fun and used to compete in local show jumping events and hunting on the weekends which I used to love.   

After a couple of years of show jumping and hunting I formed a massive interest in racing. When I heard about the Racing Academy from a past student I knew I wanted to come here.    

Leading up to the trial of RACE, I asked a local trainer from some experience in the racing industry.  From there I gained a bit of experience in the industry and ended up getting my place in RACE.   

In the weeks I’ve been here so far I’ve learned loads and I can’t wait for the next 30 weeks to come.  

Mark training on Maddenstown Gallops