Trainee jockey course may yet go ahead

HOPES have been raised of a rescue deal for a Fás-funded course after its cancellation left 32 young trainee jockeys in the lurch.

Talks took place yesterday between Fás, the Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE), which runs the course, and Horse Racing Ireland, which also provides financial support for it.

There is now a chance of salvaging the course, albeit with a late start, and providing places for all 32 trainees who had originally expected to begin classes in August. The course takes in around 30 trainees aged 15-18 each year and provides a combination of regular schoolwork and practical training at RACE’s residential centre in the Curragh.