THIS weekend, 10 members of the Irish Pony Club are participating in a Jockey Skills Training Course at the Racing Academy & Centre of Education (RACE) in Kildare and those who pass an assessment will have the opportunity to display those skills in an exhibition race at the Curragh Racecourse on Sunday, October 23rd.

This initiative between the IPC, RACE and The Curragh Racecourse, which showcases racing to Pony Club members, is confined to riders between the ages of 14 and 16, are under nine stone and have passed the IPC ‘C’ Test. Should they qualify to ride in the style and skills exhibition race at the Curragh, members will partner the pony/horse they usually compete in Pony Club activities. Horses currently racing or ponies that are involved in pony racing are not allowed.

In alphabetical order, those who are on this weekend’s course are Martin Cleere (Golden Vale), Emily Conlon (Offaly), Conor Cusack (Waterford), James Dempsey (Newcastle Lyons), Isabel Fitzgerald (United), Nancy Fleming (Kildare), Brian Medlycott (Wicklow), Ali O’Brien (Nenagh), Isabelle O’Callaghan (The Kingdom) and Katelyn Walsh (Galway Mid County).

The exhibition race will be staged at the Curragh at the end of an eight-race card which will feature the Tote Amateur Riders Derby, the Group 3 Comer Group International Loughbrown Stakes and the Listed Hatstone Solicitors Waterford Testimonial Stakes. Midway through racing, the Island Branch will perform their winning Musical Ride, ‘Guardians of the Island Galaxy’.

During the afternoon, presentations will be made to members of the pony eventing and show jumping teams who won European gold for Ireland during the summer and many of these young riders are current or past members of the IPC. All under 18s will gain complimentary admission to the Curragh on raceday.