Getting the students on the right track

SPORTING TEACHERS - BARRY WALSH: Emmet Riordantalks to a former student who graduated to the race track and returned to share his knowledge

WITH THE focus nowadays on league tables and ranking systems for all educational institutions, sometimes it can be hard for students and parents to decide on what road to take.

For the staff and students at the Racing Academy and Centre of Education (Race) in Kildare the results can be more tangible than most given their business is to train not only jockeys, but staff for a wide range of disciplines in the racing industry.

Barry Walsh is chief instructor at the academy and he keeps a close eye on the hundreds of graduates who have passed through the stables and classrooms of the facility.

“You can pick up the paper any day of the week, whether it would be flat racing or jumping, and you will have Race graduates riding in it. We follow them the whole time. Six weeks ago there was a meeting in Sedgefield and every winner was ridden by a graduate,” says Walsh, a former trainee himself.

The brainchild of Stan Cosgrove, Race was originally set up in 1973 to provide proper facilities and training for staff in the racing industry.

Based initially at an old lodge on the grounds of the Irish National Stud, it soon outgrew its surroundings and is now situated in a modern facility close to Kildare Town.

Walsh was one of the early graduates and would go on to ride over 100 winners in a career he admits was solid if not spectacular. “I never got on to any real good horses and won a major race. That’s what catches people out, trying to get off the average horses and get on to a good one. One good horse can be the making of you.”

His career took him to Japan, where he managed a pre-training farm. At the time the Japanese Racing Association were in the process of setting up their own training school along the lines of Race.

“The late Derek O’Sullivan asked me if I was interested in going to work in the school in Japan and when my contract was up there he offered me a job back here in Ireland.

“When I came back in 2002 the numbers had dropped off a little bit because you couldn’t get enough young people to do the weight. So we raised the weights and instead of just catering for people on the flat, we would cater for National Hunt jockeys and amateurs. Also for work riders and head men and things like that,” says Walsh.

The academy has seen great growth in recent years, with the number of courses offered on a residential and part-time basis now covering most aspects of the racing industry, including a course in farriery.

The success has attracted interest from around the world, with Sheikh Mohammed sending young riders from Dubai to train in Kildare, while the top six graduates from the Japanese academy earn a three-month scholarship at Race every year.

“I would probably be a shade biased, but I would class Race as the best school of its type anywhere in the world,” admits Walsh, who is one of the three full-time instructors on the jockeys’ course.

It’s hard to argue when you look at a list of graduates that includes jockeys of the calibre of Johnny Murtagh, Conor O’Dwyer, Robert Winston and Willie Supple, while trainer Philip Rothwell is also a former student.

Although Walsh takes pleasure in the success of all former students, he points to Murtagh’s achievements in becoming one of the world’s finest flat jockeys as an example of how the academy can help young riders achieve their goals.

“Johnny Murtagh had never sat on a horse before he came to Race. Another instructor, Paul Keating, was on the course with Johnny and when all the trainees had gone out to their trainers, himself and Johnny were kept back,” he laughs.

The extra bit of home work obviously paid off, but Walsh is keen to stress that natural ability is not the only prerequisite for a successful career.

“A natural lad will always stand out, but ability is not everything. We’ve often had young lads come in who were fairly green. They wouldn’t know a huge amount about horses but they would have something about them that would catch your eye.

“It they have a good work ethic and you can see the hunger in them and they are willing to go that extra yard for it. Riding ability alone is not enough.”

Walsh has 30 students on this year’s course, including six female jockeys and one rider from Mauritius. Funded by FAS they take part in a 10-month residential programme that covers all aspects of the business with the goal of earning an industry-recognised Fetac qualification.

Although the practical side of things plays a huge part, Walsh is keen to stress that Race takes a holistic approach to the education of students and points to the fact that over 80 per cent of graduates are still employed in the industry as a mark of their success.

“We take them in between 16 and 18, we like them all to have their Junior Cert done if possible. We keep the school theme going, they are working in the mornings and in the classroom in the afternoons, so they are still involved in education. It’s trying to find a happy medium,” admits Walsh.

Walsh knows he will have his work cut out next week to keep the attention of his students as the Cheltenham Festival gets under way. “It’s very hard to get them motivated to do anything when Cheltenham is on, all they want to do is watch it. The great thing is they can learn so much from just watching it on television.”

On the web: www.racingacademy.ie