25/09/2011
The Irish Pony Club will join forces with The Curragh Racecourse on Sunday September 25th when the second Irish Pony Club Family Race Day takes place at the famous County Kildare venue. The top class program of racing features the Juddmonte Beresford Stakes (Group 2)and CL Weld Park Stakes (Group 3)
The objective of this exciting initiative will be not only for the Curragh to showcase horse racing to Pony Club members from all over Ireland, but most importantly for the Pony Club to celebrate the end of their busy summer season with a fun and exciting day for all the family to enjoy.
The Pony Club has enjoyed a long and successful association with Horse Racing with a number of high profile jockeys being Pony Club Members, These include Joseph O’Brien, the youngest jockey to ride an Irish Classic winner when landing the Abu Dhabi Irish 2000 Guineas this year, Katie Walsh, Nina Carberry, Charlie Swan, Barry Geraghty, Paul Carberry, Kate Harrington and John A. Berry, while leading trainer Aidan O’Brien was a member of the Wexford Hunt Branch. Leading former jockey and current Curragh based trainer Conor O’Dwyer is also another former Pony Club member
A packed program of entertainment during the afternoon will provide the Pony Club with the opportunity to highlight their various activities with presentations courtesy to some of their winning teams, including Horse Trials, Hunter Trials, Mounted Games, Minimus, Tetrathlon, Show Jumping and
Dressage taking place during the afternoon, while the winning National Musical Ride team will perform on the track between races. . There will be a national competition to have one of the races named after one of the Pony Club branches, while members will be selected to present Turn-out prizes for certain races on the day.
One of the most exciting aspects of the initiative is a Jockey Skills Training Course, which will take place at the world renowned Racing Academy and Centre of Education in Kildare Town for 10 Pony Club members aged between 13 and 15 years, will be selected following a stringent interview process. Members are asked to write a piece (300 words or less) stating why they should be chosen and send it to the Pony Club office by Fri. 29th July. 25 will be selected from applicants to take part in an interview, from which 10 will go to RACE on 23rd to 25th Sept.
The overall winner will receive one week of work experience with a leading trainer, together with private jockey coaching session with a RACE Instructor and €250 voucher from TRI Equestrian.
All Pony Club Members will gain free admission to the races, while there will be special ticket offers to parent and family of pony club members which are available by contacting the racecourse
Irish Pony Club Race Day Schedule at the Curragh Racecourse Sunday 25th September
NB All individual and team members will be presented with mementos by TRI Equestrian. Each individual and team member should apply to their Branch for 2 complimentary adult admission tickets. Please note ALL Pony Club Members (show your membership card at designated area in main entrance building to the racecourse on the race day) and Under 16s are FREE
2.10pm 1st race – Irish Stallion Farms Maiden
2.20 pm Irish Pony Club Presentation – Hunter Trials
Hunter Trials Team of 3 (Senior)
Duhallow: Timothy Barnby, Katie O’Donovan, Edmund Healy
Senior Pairs Championships
Galway Mid: Laura Kaar & Cillian Ryan
Junior Pairs Championships
South Galway Red: Keely Farrell & Michelle Staunton
Horse Trials
Members Championships
Meath: Katie Weldon, Jamie Nolan, Hugh Weldon, Emmet Reilly
Intermediate Championships:
Limerick: Niamh O’Brien, Domnic Furnell, Clara Hartigan, Esther Cahill
Junior Championships:
West Waterford: Kirsty Connell, Sarah Connell, Jill O’Gorman, Gavin Smiddy
Hunting Horn Competition
Winner: Tristan Fogarty – Tipperary Hunt Branch
2.40pm 2nd race – Joe McGrath Premier Handicap
2.50 pm Irish Pony Club Presentation – Minimus
Girls Team
Tipperary Hunt Express: Avril hogan, Lucy O’Donnell, Anna Dowley, Georgina Murray
Indv Girl: Bray Hunt: Ellie Scott
Boys Team
Limerick Hunt White: Maurice Noonan, Conor Bermingham, Chrarlie Murphy, William Cahill
Indv Boy: South Union: Johnnie Keane
Mixed Team
Roscommon Purple: Robin Wynne, Abbie Moloney, Luke Weaver, Robin Weaver
Tetrathlon Championships
Senior Boys
Wicklow/Kingdom/Roscommon/Waterford
Darrah Callan, Brian O’Sullivan, Edward Weaver, Column McCarthy
Indv Boy: The Kingdom: Brian O’Sullivan
Senior Girls
East Galway: Sive Brassil, Maeve Brassil, Naomi Mullins, Sionnan O’Reilly Collins
Indv Girl: Waterford: Louise Kent
Junior Boys
Warrington Branch: Cian Drennan, Mark Collins, Leon Butler, Mike Healy
Indv Boy: Warrington: Mike Healy
Junior Girls
Louth Hunt: Aideen Fay, Rebecca Matthews, Rebecca Angel, Aoife Fay
Indv Girl: Carlow Hunt: Sarah Dermody
International Tetrathlon Senior Girls Championships
Ireland Green Team: Sive Brassil, Sionnan O’Reilly Collins, Niamh Curran, Louise Kent
International Tetrathlon Senior Boys Championships
Ireland Green Team: Brian O’Sullivan, Patrick Duggan, Iain Brady, Ben Mangan
3.10pm 3rd race – CL Weld Park Stakes (Group 3)
3.20pm Musical Ride performance on racetrack (LAOIS BRANCH)
Laois Hunt Branch “Mini Mounted Gardaí” (14 riders + 3 unmounted)
Cait Murphy, Leanne Ryan, Clodagh Kenny, Alison Ryan, Katie Hurley, Cliodhna Kenny, Caoimhe Sweeney, Correntine de Toulgeot, Jeanne de Toulgeto, Alanna Starnes, Grace Tyrell, Amy Hurley, Caragh Sweeney, Eabha Murphy.
On foot – Norah Jane Prendergast, Niamh Horgan, Jim Tyrell, Abby Starnes, Padraic Ryan, Laura Horgan.
3.45pm 4th race- Irish Pony Club Race Day Trophy Race
3.50pm Presentation to Jockey Skills Course winner and participants.
Eimear O’Brien West Waterford
Sean Mooney Bray
Mikaela Weld Kildare Hunt PC
Rory Fox-Scott Kildare Hunt PC
Chelsey Heaney Galway Mid County
Hannah Rose West Waterford
Nina Lee-Simpson Meath
Aidan Byrne Wexford
Craig O’Neill Kildare Hunt Pony Club
Annie O’Neill Beara Branch
3.55PM Presentation to Horse Racing Stars who were previously Irish Pony Club Members
4 pm Irish Pony Club Presentation – Mounted Games
Senior Mtd Games Championships – RDS –
Meath Hunt Branch: Donie Ryan, Bevin Usher, Jeremy McKeever, Jessica Freyne, Phillip Welding
Junior:
Kildare Hunt White: Graham Beirne, Michaela Keatley, Nina Huddleston, Ciara Tyrell, Maeve Fennin
Under 10:
Louth Hunt Blue: Phoenix Williams, Jarlath Jones, Lois O’Hare, Ciara Fay
4.20pm 5th race- Juddmonte Beresford Stakes (Group 2)
4.30pm Musical Ride performance on racetrack (ISLAND BRANCH)
4.55pm 6th race – Derek O’Sullivan Memorial Apprentice Handicap
5.05 pm Irish Pony Club Presentation – Show Jumping
Senior Show Jumping Team
Warrington Branch: Michael Costello, Carolann Molloy, Joanna Cadogan, Alex Power
Senior Individual Show Jumping Champion
Killinick Hunt Branch: Shane Roche
Intermediate Show Jumping
Westmeath Hunt: Ciara Fagan, Eadoin Conway, Patrick McCormack, Roisin Fagan
Intermediate Individual Show Jumping Champion
Scarteen: Rebecca Hayes
Robbie Bailey
Kildare Hunt: Lucy Arkwright, Tadgh Dooley, Sean Monaghan, Alex Power
Dressage Championships
Bray Hunt Branch: Ellen Fitzsimons, James Green, Rachel Lee, Jennifer Diamond
Members Combined Training
Monaghan: Catherine McNally
Intermediate Combined Training
Carlow: Ciara Kelly
Junior Combined Training
Jessica Beresford
5.25pm 7th race Irish Pony Club Maiden (presentation to winning owner by Irish Pony Club competition winner)