THE weeks are speeding by and the first race in the Corinthian Challenge series beckons at the end of the month.

This week, we caught up with Michael O’Neill to give him the opportunity of a profile and to assist with his fundraising efforts ahead of the charity race series, run by Irish Injured Jockeys Fund to raise awareness and much needed funds for the national charity.

Hailing from Kilkenny, Michael O’Neill is excited to contribute to the cause while enjoying the challenge ahead of him.

Michael is a proud husband to Aoife and father to their two children, Saoirse and Kieran. Michael is a competent show jumper and was a national amateur champion in 2018, and also qualified and competed at the Dublin Horse Show in 2017, 2018 and 2022. His experience in show jumping has stood to him somewhat as a base, in terms of balance and fitness, and he is enjoying the challenge of learning a different style of riding. Michael is the managing director of Tranziberia, which has been facilitating trade between Ireland, Spain and Portugal since 2003. When he’s not in the saddle, he travels throughout Europe, meeting valued customers as part of his role at Tranziberia.

The company is a family run business and is a 100% Irish-owned road haulage company based in Co Carlow.

Training

The Kilkenny man is currently riding out with Emmet Mullins and is also undergoing training from jockey coach Paddy Flood in RACE.

Growing up as a local to the Closutton Stables, he always had a keen interest in horse racing. He enjoys the fast-paced environment in the yard in the mornings, noting: “There is a great team there that work hard but have a good laugh too, it is good for the head.”

Michael is enjoying the training and the physical fitness that is involved and knows he must keep on top of it to be ready for the first race held at Nass Racecourse on August 27th.

Speaking at the launch of the series Michael O’Neill said: “I think everyone in racing knows the excellent work done by the Irish Injured Jockeys and to be able to contribute to this whilst also getting to enjoy the challenge of taking part in the series is fantastic.

“I’m very grateful to Emmet Mullins and his friendly staff for being so supportive and patiently guiding in preparation for the Corinthian challenge. I’m very lucky to be in a good yard riding a lot of nice horses every morning, I am surrounded by a lot of talented riders who have been very helpful with their tips and tricks on different horses.

“The fundraising efforts are going good so far, I have been lucky enough to be supported greatly by many family, friends, colleagues and DKV Europe, who has come on board as my main sponsor so I’m very grateful for that.”

To stay up to date on all things Corinthian Challenge Charity Race Series related visit corinthianchallenge.com, or follow IIJ and the Corinthian Challenge on social media.

To help Michael O’Neill specifically on his fundraising quest, simply visit www.corinthianchallenge.com and follow the links to his official Enthuse page.