IRISH Injured Jockeys (IIJ) have confirmed that The Corinthian Challenge Charity Race Series is back this year.

This year’s races will be held at Naas Racecourse on August 27th, the Curragh Racecourse on September 24th and Leopardstown Racecourse on October 21st, offering racing fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience what it is really like to be a jockey while also raising awareness and much-needed funds for Irish Injured Jockeys.

Riders will not only have the chance of winning each of the three races but they will also accumulate points for placings throughout the series with the overall winner of the series to be announced following the final race at Leopardstown on October 21st.

To participate in this charity race series, each rider is asked to raise €10,000 through sponsorship and/or fundraising, all funds raised will go to Irish Injured Jockeys. With this year’s participants now chosen, family and friends are invited along to show their support on race days.

The camaraderie between riders and feel-good factor that participants enjoy when taking part and raising funds are also very noteworthy bonuses.

Michael Higgins, General Manager of Irish Injured Jockeys said: “Following on from the previous success of the series, we wanted to build on it to make it very attractive for the participants, racecourses, racegoers and for the media to really engage with again this year. I would like to thank this year’s challengers as it is a big commitment to take part and raise much-needed funds for IIJ. To date, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Previous Corinthian Challengers’ described the series as, ‘unbelievable’, ‘the best experience of my life’, ‘adrenaline pumping’, ‘the ultimate personal challenge’, ‘a thousand dreams come true and epic!’ For more information on The Corinthian Challenge visit corinthianchallenge.com.

About Irish Injured Jockeys

The Irish Injured Jockeys Fund provide support through financial means, assistance in recovery and, if necessary, retraining in a prompt and sympathetic manner to those jockeys past or present who are injured, unable to ride or generally in need. Raising public awareness with activities such as The Corinthian Challenge Series is a top priority so that the urgent need for extra funds is highlighted.

The series offers participants a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like no other, the chance to experience what it is like to be a jockey riding at some of Ireland’s best tracks. The series is limited to amateur riders and those who have an A1 licence can apply once they have no more than five winners, others will be assessed at RACE and will undergo an interview process prior to acceptance. They will also be asked to raise €10,000 for Irish Injured Jockeys and maintain their weight and fitness throughout the series.

Fundraising Link: https://irishinjuredjockeys.enthuse.com/cf/2023-corinthian-challenge

2023 Corinthian Challengers

Name: Eimear O’Gorman

Eimear O’Gorman is from a farming family in Carlow and there were always horses at home. She grew up riding ponies and has been working in the racing industry for over 17 years as a yard manager, work rider, veterinary and stud secretary and she also had a livery yard.

Name: Jansseen Hill

Jansseen hails from Co Antrim and is both a keen rider and boxer. A familiar face in the racing industry and he also has huge experience working with young horses at sales around Ireland. She rode her first winner for Wilson Dennison in a point-to-point race in March 2023. To add to this she also holds two Irish Amateur Boxing titles.

Name: Michael O’Neill

Michael hails from Kilkenny and is a competent showjumper and was a national amateur champion in 2018. He is the managing director of Tranziberia, a road haulage company. Michael is currently riding out with Emmet Mullins and is also getting training from jockey coach Paddy Flood in RACE.

Name: Martina Dempsey

Martina grew up in the thoroughbred county near the Curragh and was involved with horses from a young age. Her first job working in racing was with trainer Frank Ennis and she has gained experience with many other trainers on the Curragh and in Australia.

She is an education professional with a Master of Science (MSc) focused in Applied Equine Science from UCD.

Name: Niamh Ashe

Niamh is an equine therapist originally from Dublin and now living in the Curragh. Niamh works with owners and trainers to assess and treat horses with complex injuries and behavioural issues. She also rides out five mornings a week.

Name: Damien Moore

Damien is a Kildare man, living in Monasterevin, and his dream is to ride a winner up the Curragh with his family watching. He is an ex-trainee jockey with over eight years experience in the racing industry.

He worked as a work rider in many 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.

Name: Vivienne Connolly

Born and bred in Kildare, Vivienne’s family have a long association with racing. Five generations have been directly involved in racing since 1812 with her great great, great grandad holding the first public trainers’ licence and he built Curragh View at the top of Walshe’s hill in 1836. Her personal racing experience is limited to the last few years when she started getting lessons and rode out during the Covid lockdown.

Name: Darren Dunne

Darren, a Meath native hails from Dunboyne and works as an EMC Technician with Compliance Engineering, who is his main sponsor for this series.

The support from the company and friends is the reason why he is pushing himself to take on this challenge of a lifetime. He started riding horses in 2015 and rode in the Punchestown Charity race in 2019 for Kidney Research.

Name: Aimee Murphy

Aimee Murphy is from Newry in Co Down and is currently residing in Newbridge. She has competed in show jumping up to Grand Prix level and has also hunted for many seasons. Amy rides out full time for the past two years and has her own yard. She rides out for Michael Halford, Tracey Collins and Sarah Tobin.

Name: Abigail Reilly

Abigail Reilly is from Ballymoney in Northern Ireland and has been riding from a very young age. She started out showjumping and then moved into a racing yard at 14 years of age which then progressed to breaking and training youngsters. Trained as a plumber she now rides at the weekends and keeps her fitness up with running and strength training throughout the week.

Name: Hazel Smith

Hazel Smith lives in Athboy, Co. Meath. Her feet are firmly on the ground even though her profession with Aer Lingus has her clocking up the air miles! She led up one of our previous Corinthian Challengers in Leopardstown, Emer Lawlor last year and has already ridden in amateur races. Encouraged by friends and family, she decided to take up the challenge. Riding out for Tom Gibney and Tony Martin she has plenty of experience.

Name: Anna Cropper

Anna has lived in Kildare for many years. As a child, she competed in pony club events and had her own horses. Her love of horses brought her to work full-time in racing as a stable hand and exercise rider in both flat and National Hunt yards in the UK and Ireland. Anna attended the Northern Racing College in Doncaster, gaining NVQ Levels 1-3 & Modern Apprenticeship in Race Horse Care & Management.

Name: Katy Brown

Katy is originally from the UK but is living in Ireland for many years. She has held a trainers’ licence for the last few years and successfully trained winners both on the flat and National Hunt in Ireland and the UK. Through the years in the industry, Katy has seen first-hand the commitment and dedication that jockeys show on a daily basis.

Name: Aisling Fitzell

Aisling Fitzell comes from Cashel in Co Tipperary, a stone’s throw away from Ballydoyle Racing and Coolmore. She works in the banking industry but horses have always been a huge part of her life and most of her earliest and dearest memories are that of hunting with her father and the Tipperary Foxhounds.