ALTHOUGH he wasn’t back at College this past week, Co Tipperary event rider Luke Coen did return to his temporary home on the Meath/Kildare border as he has two horses in work for next season.

The younger of the pair is Polly Holohan and Patricia Kneeshaw’s Stroke Of Genius, on whom he competed at the European junior eventing championships at Millstreet last July, while the other is Mona Croome Carroll’s French thoroughbred gelding Solidaire Dirlande.

“I’m in first year studying Equine Business in Maynooth and ride out for as many others as I can during my free time,” said 18-year-old Luke. “This year I hope to see Stroke Of Genius, who is just an eight-year-old, become established at two-star level and then the plan would be to aim him at the Young Riders’ team in 2019. I had three outings on Mona’s horse towards the end of last season and we got on well together so we’ll just see what the new season brings. I would hope to go two-star with him as well.”

Luke wasn’t the only member of his family to do well on the riding front in 2017 as his brother Ben, who partnered over 40 winners on the pony racing circuit, got off the mark on the racecourse proper in late November and ended the year with five wins to his credit. Ben is apprenticed to their uncle Andy Slattery (their mother Ann’s brother) and is the best of friends with Andy’s son Andrew who too rode his first winner on the track last month.

“Not only are they both 16 and apprenticed to Andy, but they are both in the same class at school in Killenaule!” said Luke who was delighted that the two young jockeys rode their first winners at Dundalk within days of one another. “I used to ride out a bit for Andy myself but I prefer the breeding and sales end of the thoroughbred business and have attended a lot of sales with Andy’s brother Brian. My youngest brother Jake, who’s 12, rides out for Andy and loves the racing game as does our father Shay who has very little interest in eventing!”