TEN members of the Irish Pony Club experienced the thrill of racing up the home straight at the Curragh last Sunday having first come through a two-day jockey skills training course at the Racing Apprentice Centre of Education in Kildare.

Over Friday, September 30th and Saturday, October 1st, the riders were assessed on the flat and over jumps by riding coach Katie McManmon who was delighted that the course, first started in 2011 as a collaboration between the IPC, RACE and the Curragh racecourse, was back up and running after Covid.

“They were a great bunch and I was blown away by their standard of riding,” said Katie. “You would worry sometimes when you read that they have just ridden ponies in mainly show jumping and hunter trials and wonder how they will get on with our horses. However, they were all excellent and very plucky when it came to jumping.”

Katie had the task of selecting the winner of the weekend course and she and the Centre’s director, Keith Rowe, attended the meeting on Sunday to announce this as being Martin Cleere, a member of the Golden Vale Branch. Before a large crowd of their supporters, the 10 riders took part in an exhibition race which was won by Newcastle Lyons member James Dempsey while Billy Lee, who is vying with the dual champion Colin Keane to land this season’s flat jockeys’ title, selected the United Branch’s Isabel Fitzgerald as the most stylish rider.

Cleere used to ride out for Aidan ‘Scoby’ Fitzgerald but, as he is in his Leaving Cert year, he has to concentrate on his studies until exam time. “I really enjoyed the jockey skills course and think I now have a better position on a horse and my overall riding has improved,” said the 16-year-old. “It was great to ride at the Curragh on Sunday and they really pulled out all the stops to look after us; it was a great experience.

“I kind of knew the names of a couple of the lads doing the course before I went but we were all great friends by the end of the weekend. I don’t see myself becoming a jockey and, if I get the points, I would like to study Ag Science in Waterford. However, I had a chat with jockey Jack Doyle and think I might try to get an amateur licence so I can ride in point-to-points. I hunt a lot with the Golden Vales and can usually be found up front, helping out.”

Martin was on the Golden Vale squad who won the intermediate team competition at the IPC’s national hunter trials championships in Wexford last year while this season his 14-year-old brother Leo was on the Branch’s team which won the Junior title at the IPC’s national Tetrathlon championships in Abbottstown and Punchestown. Their parents, Joanne and Sean, who are dairy farmers outside Thurles, aren’t too upset that their third son, John, doesn’t ride as they have too many ponies as it is.

Unfortunately, Martin’s usual mount, Lackelly Boy, was out of action last Sunday for the exhibition race so he borrowed Blackforth Apollo from Brooke Murphy, another member of the Golden Vales, and the colours he wore from local trainer Mark Molloy. The Branch receives a lot of support from leading flat jockey Seamie Heffernan who won the two-mile Group 3 Comer Group International Loughbrown Stakes on Sunday on Emily Dickinson. That three-year-old Dubawi filly is trained by Aidan O’Brien, one of the many people who took time out of their busy schedules to talk to the IPC members during the afternoon.

On track

The 10 riders who rode in the exhibition race were Martin Cleere (Golden Vale), Emily Conlon (Offaly), Conor Cusack (Waterford), James Dempsey (Newcastle Lyons), Isabel Fitzgerald (United), Nancy Fleming (Kildare), Brian Medlycott (Wicklow), Isabelle O’Callaghan (The Kingdom), Katelyn Walsh (Galway Mid County) and Lillian Walsh (Galway Mid County).

The Curragh racecourse also paid tribute on Sunday to the teams who won gold at this summer’s European pony eventing and show jumping championships, many of whom are members of the IPC (see Picture Desk on pages 104-105).