Irish Sports
Welcome to Live View – Take the tour to learn more
Start Tour
There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
30 Jun 12
13:35
Joined:
Date Joined:
05 Jan 10
will be hoping that outsider Trovare doesn’t win today’s Northumberland Plate – because the rider is local lad Darren Egan.
Dailystar.co.uk
The son of a motorway site foreman, 20-year-old Egan has been Britain’s apprentice find of the season, despite having no background in the sport. Now he’s something of a hero back home.
“I went to a pony club at Kenogh when I was 13 and learned to ride there,” he explains. “I did show jumping, hunting and cross country for the first few years because I wasn’t interested in racing.
“But then I went to the Racing School in Ireland because, though I have always had an interest in horses, speed was the thing I liked most - and the jumping.
“But I was always going to be too light to be a jump jockey, so it had to be the Flat. When I left the school, I went to work for Kevin Prendergast and I learned a lot there.”
Although he rode three winners, young Egan still wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing, so he took a break from racing and moved back home.
In the end he rang a few British trainers and was happy to accept an invitation to join Ron Harris at Earlswood, near Chepstow.
“I had a bit of bad luck when I had a bad fall at Epsom during the Derby meeting. I was badly bruised and was off for nine days.
“But I came back on a Friday and rode a winner three days running!”
Trovare, a hurdles winner for trainer Amanda Perrett, has bottom weight in today’s Plate and Egan can comfortably do 7st.7lb to maximise his 5lb allowance.
“He’s off a low weight and if the ground is heavy, we’ll definitely benefit,” he says.
“So hopefully I can get a decent position.”
After the Plate, he and Luke Morris will fly over to The Curragh to ride Judge’N Jury and Secret Witness for Harris in the Sapphire Stakes
Dailystar.co.uk
The son of a motorway site foreman, 20-year-old Egan has been Britain’s apprentice find of the season, despite having no background in the sport. Now he’s something of a hero back home.
“I went to a pony club at Kenogh when I was 13 and learned to ride there,” he explains. “I did show jumping, hunting and cross country for the first few years because I wasn’t interested in racing.
“But then I went to the Racing School in Ireland because, though I have always had an interest in horses, speed was the thing I liked most - and the jumping.
“But I was always going to be too light to be a jump jockey, so it had to be the Flat. When I left the school, I went to work for Kevin Prendergast and I learned a lot there.”
Although he rode three winners, young Egan still wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing, so he took a break from racing and moved back home.
In the end he rang a few British trainers and was happy to accept an invitation to join Ron Harris at Earlswood, near Chepstow.
“I had a bit of bad luck when I had a bad fall at Epsom during the Derby meeting. I was badly bruised and was off for nine days.
“But I came back on a Friday and rode a winner three days running!”
Trovare, a hurdles winner for trainer Amanda Perrett, has bottom weight in today’s Plate and Egan can comfortably do 7st.7lb to maximise his 5lb allowance.
“He’s off a low weight and if the ground is heavy, we’ll definitely benefit,” he says.
“So hopefully I can get a decent position.”
After the Plate, he and Luke Morris will fly over to The Curragh to ride Judge’N Jury and Secret Witness for Harris in the Sapphire Stakes
Show More
Post Your Reply
Please login to post a reply.
Wonder
Instance ID: 13539