TODAY, 10 amateur riders will set out for the final leg of the Corinthian Challenge Charity Race Series in aid of Irish Injured Jockeys at Leopardstown Racecourse.

This will be the third race of the series as riders have ridden at Naas Racecourse and the Curragh previously as part of the challenge.

With a colourful mix of participants hailing from Antrim to Kilkenny with interesting day jobs from a primary school teacher to a company managing director all taking part, every rider brings with them a unique story.

At Leopardstown we will see Eimear O’Gorman, Martina Dempsey, Niamh Ashe, Damien Moore, Vivienne Connolly, Katy Brown, Anna Cropper, Michael O’Neill, Darren Dunne and Aimee Murphy line up for the final leg of the 2023 series.

As part of our ongoing support of Irish Injured Jockeys and their Corinthian Challenge Series this week we caught up with Damien Moore who currently sits at the top of the leaderboard as we head into the final race.

Damien Moore is a Kildare man, living in Monasterevin whose dream has always been to ride a winner on the track with his family watching.

Damien saw the opportunity pop up online offering him the chance to ride on some of the biggest race tracks in Ireland, and he jumped at the opportunity, immediately signing up.

Experience

Damien is a former trainee jockey with over eight years’ experience in the horse racing industry. He worked as a work rider in multiple yards across Ireland and stopped riding to start his own business as a professional horse racing tipster and also has eight racehorses in training in Ireland and the UK.

Damien continues his story: “I signed up to the Corinthian Challenge as I wanted to make one of my lifelong dreams come true. Since I was a child, I have always dreamt of riding a winner in front of my family and friends, I still can’t quite believe it came true.

“Training is going very well. I started out a while back by riding out in a local yard to me owned by Kieran Cotter. Kieran has been very helpful with the process of getting me race fit, or as close to it as I can be.

“My biggest sacrifice is definitely the mentality of getting back into the routine of the early mornings. My routine now is 6am wake up calls followed by riding out in Kieran’s yard. I’ve also been jogging every evening to keep my mental side of things in the right direction.’’

Damien won the opening leg of the series at Naas and finished second in race two at the Curragh.

As we approach the final furlong, the competition remains too close to call.

It is still all to play for!

The current leaderboard stands:

Damien Moore: 17 points

Michael O’Neill and Martina Dempsey: 10 points,

Katy Brown and Niamh Ashe: 5 points

Aimee Murphy: 3 points

For the 10 Corinthian challengers, we are in the final strides of the challenge and fundraising is still underway, it is not too late to show your support, visit https://irishinjuredjockeys.enthuse.com/profile.

For further information about The Corinthian Challenge Charity Race Series in aid of Irish Injured Jockeys and how to sign up for the 2024 challenge, visit www.corinthianchallenge.com.