Meet the trainees - Kevin Brogan

Kevin heading out to Maddenstown Gallops in October 2016

Hello! My name is Kevin Brogan.  I am 16 years old.  I’m originally from Kill Co. Kildare.  I just completed my Junior Cert this year. 
I started riding horses at a later stage at 11 years of age.  I have attended weekly riding lessons with a lovely girl called April, she taught me loads and wasn’t afraid to throw me into the deep end!  When I was around 12 I saw a program on the TV called “The Irish Road to Cheltenham”. I watched the weekly episodes and week by week as I watched jockeys, Davy Russell and Andrew Lynch riding in races, I knew then I wanted to be a jockey.  April told me that her brother was in RACE and she said that you could train to be a jockey, ever since then I have wanted to attend the Trainee Jockey course. 
Fortunately I got picked for the trial week here in RACE and thankfully I got in.  Before the course started I spent a few weeks with local trainer Ted Walsh and gained a huge amount of experience in such a short space of time.  I still ride out in Ted’s on the Saturday mornings and I can feel a huge difference in my riding.
It’s half way through the course now and I’m now riding out with Robbie McNamara on the Curragh.  I’ve been there since the end of November and I’m really enjoying getting loads of experience.  Unfortunately just before Christmas I broke my collar bone and had to take a break from riding for just over five weeks.  I’m back in action now and I’m looking forward to going back to Robbie’s and continue riding out.
After the course I will spend the summer riding out and come September, I will take back up my place in Fifth year in Naas C.B.S.
I’m not a huge fan of school and I would love not to go back but I know now that I have to,  if I don’t go back and get my leaving cert, I will regret it down the line. 

While I’m in School I will probably take out an amateur license and try and pick up a few rides at the point to points and try and get as much experience as I can and hopefully, if things go well, maybe I’ll look toward getting a few rides on the track.

Kevin was placed with Robbie McNamara on the 21st of November 2016

Meet the trainees - Jack Dinneen

Jack on RACE Gallops, February 2017

Craic lads!! My name is Jack and I’m a trainee jockey in R.A.C.E.  I’m 16 years old and from West Cork, Kealkill.   My first love of horses was when I was 9 years old when my dad bought a pony for showing.  When the pony was being sent to be broken the women breaking the pony said send a young lad up with the pony and I’ll teach him how to ride and he can then ride the pony.   I always had the love of horses since I was young and when I got the opportunity to learn how to ride I was only delighted.   When I went up to the yard first it was a bit daunting but once I got to know the lads working there it became good crack.  Even though we had the crack I always took it serious. If I had to start naming all the friends I made up there the list would never end but the 2 lads I definitely had the best crack with was Johnny Callaghan and John Goggin the things we used to do was just incredible and they were my idols since a young age; sadly John passed away, he died in a car crash but a day doesn’t pass by that I don’t think of him. 
When I got older I wanted to go on to do better things like John and Johnny did so I left the place.  I was very thankful for all the experience they gave me but I wanted to go to a race yard.  I got into Robert Tyner’s yard down in Kinsale.  I was buzzing going there the first day, loved race horses and always wanted to ride them.  Robert and Mary were great to me and really thought me how to ride a race horse. Okay I  probably wasn’t the best now, but they still thought me the majority of what  I know about racehorses,  and of course we can’t forget about the lads in the yard,  they were a huge help  giving me tips on how to tidy up. 
Then one summer I got to ride out in Thomand O’ Maher, this was the first time I had to stay away from home. It was hard for the first night but as I got to know the lads in the yard it became easier. I had a great 2 weeks up there, but it was tough and the horses were strong.  I think I nearly got ran away with most of the horses I rode out, but I was young and I was getting better as the weeks went on and Thomand was great too,  he helped me and understood that I was young. 
This year I rode out in Jim Bolger’s. It was a whole new experience for me, Jim being one of the best flat trainers in Ireland, everything had to be perfect up there and yes,  a lot to take in the first week, but after a while I got the hang of things and got the hang of doing everything so perfect. I got loads of riding experience and made a lot of new friends up there too. 
Now I’m here in RACE and so far it’s great!!!  Since I’ve been in RACE, I have been in the rewards group twice. The rewards group is when they pick the people who are working the most hard out of the course and give them extra time on the simulators and in the gym and we get to go to exciting race meetings. It’s great! It makes you feel better about yourself when you get in it.
 I have been placed out in a yard with Christy Roche. He’s a great trainer and I’m very happy with him and he is a great help and all the lads out the yard are good craic too and help me where to improve. I really like it out there!

R.A.C.E is great because you can pursue your dream and still be able to do your education and of course there is only one dream and that’s to be a Jockey hopefully one day I will get there. I will keep my head down and learn as much as possible and hopefully one day I will make it.
Out of all the people I thanked for helping me to get here, probably two people I can’t thank enough and that is my Mom and Dad.  They always helped me along the way and never doubted me and gave me spins (in the car) everywhere, so I really appreciate them and probably don’t thank them enough.

Jack was place with Christy Roche on the 21st of November 2017

Meet The Trainees - Rebecca Taynor

My name is Rebecca Traynor and I am 16 years old. I am from Barndarrig County Wicklow close to Brittis Bay Beach. I first got an interest in horses from a very young age about 5 years old then I began to learn to ride. When I was about 10 years old I began competing in the likes of hunter trialing and showjumping. Around the same time, I got a Connemara pony who thought me more than I could ever have imagined but let me tell you he was no walk in the park!! I started hunting three seasons ago on my 14.2 and we quickly found that hunting was both his and my favourite pastime. A close friend of my Dads and family friend, Loran Donnelly,  took me under his wing like a daughter of his own about 4 years ago when he saw me galloping around hunter trail courses flat to the boards with little steering and no brakes to be found!

 From there I developed as a person and a little rider, my confidence grew as I was riding out up the gallops and down Brittis Bay Beach every weekend and early mornings through hail, rain and snow. It was what I looked forward to every weekend. I enjoyed going racing from time to time as well.  Last year I got my own thoroughbred ex-polo pony which I evented as a four and five year old. Caberenet gave me many thrills and spills and he’s now enjoying his year off, as I’m typing this, with his head buried in the grass. I hope to bring him back into work next summer.
I enjoyed being part of showjumping and hunter trialing but riding out up the gallop had my heart.  For a stage I had the nickname of being “little Rebecca” and I thought I’d never grow or be able to hold a horse but I did. From then on I knew I wanted to be a National Hunt Jockey. I’m naturally a thrill seeker and I enjoy nothing more than jumping a fence.

At the moment in R.A.C.E it’s still early days in the course but my knowledge has grown leaps and bounds. I’ve made new friends as we all share the same interests. I really enjoy working strong at fitness as I play a lot of football when I’m at home. I used to dread school everyday, waking up to walk in the school doors and stare at books full of information that will never be of any use to me. I now jump up out of bed every morning as I know everyday I’m one step closer to being where I want to be!!  At the moment I have been placed with Tracey Collins on the Curragh and I am really enjoying it.

In the future I want to take out a Conditional Licence and hopefully go from there and be race riding at a high level in the National Hunt circuit. I know that National Hunt racing in Ireland is still very male dominated but that doesn’t put me off or phase me even in the slightest. I look up to National Hunt jockeys, the likes off Nina Carberry and David Mullins. I haven’t fully made up my mind yet what I want to do after R.A.C.E but I hope to get placed with a good trainer, work hard and hopefully for my career to go in the right direction after that.
 
Rebecca was placed with Tracey Collins as part of the first group to be placed on the 21st of November 2016

Rebecca (in front) heading out to Maddenstown Gallops in October 2016