Latest Blogs from Vincent Finegan and "My Racing Story"

AI technology causing friction between IHRB and Trainers

A New App at the Centre of the Storm

11.46AM

Artificial watering of tracks is a tricky job to get right in hot weather

With temperatures set to stay high over the coming weeks it will be a testing time for groundstaff and competitors alike.

10.33AM

Jane Carpenter

I'm from just outside Kells, Co Meath and I suppose racing has always been a passion of mine. I do love the sport, and it is brilliant to make a career out of it now. My family are huge racing fans and I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Racing is a highly discussed topic at home with my family as well as farming. The racing is never off the TV. We take an annual family holiday to Galway every year. We go down for the week, and I've been going since I was a child. It is a proper family tradition now. We have going to the same house for the races I'd say for 14 or 15 years now. There are so many bedrooms there and some of my friends from home come down towards the weekend. It is a proper good holiday, and it is always in our calendars every single year. We were in Punchestown recently after Fairyhouse, so we would be big supporters of going racing. My parents are farmers, so I wouldn't have a close association with horses. I grew up on the farm, and I've been surrounded by animals all of my life. I know at first hand the effort, work and dedication that goes into animals and caring for them. I would have helped dad out on the farm alongside my two brothers. We still try to give a hand when time allows. We've no horses here on the farm, but I'm extremely confident that we will one day! I used to do a bit of riding when I was younger at my local equestrian centre. Things just got in the way then, but last summer I took it back up as a hobby. I'm really enjoying that again.

11.22AM

The dangers associated with horse racing are not taken for granted

In the past week alone there were 301 horse races run at 44 separate race meetings in Ireland and the UK.

11.00AM

Sadhbh Tormey

I live in Garristown, north Co Dublin, near Ashbourne in Co Meath. I started riding ponies when I was younger. I did a lot of hunting with the Ward Union Hunt and Fingal Harriers Hunt, and then I got into the Ward Union Pony Club. My brother, my two younger sisters and I all did the pony club for a good couple of years. We did eventing and show jumping and everything.

6.28AM

Attendance at Punchestown going from strength to strength

For the second year in a row Punchestown was blessed with good weather throughout the week and this led to bumper crowds across the five days. In total 139,017 people (new record attendance) turned up compared to 136,651 in 2025.

11.43AM

HRI should be supporting all positive horse racing initiatives

Back in mid-2024 Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) announced a series of National Hunt races aimed at addressing the imbalance on the jumping side of the sport where the top four trainers had been dominating to the detriment of the rest for several years.

10.42AM

Colum Polly

I'm a Downpatrick man born and bred and have lived here all my life. My first encounter with horses was through my late father Willie Polly taking me out to my uncle Frank Fitzsimon's stableyard in Vianstown which was actually in the middle of Downpatrick Racecourse. That was the place where my mother was born and reared. Frank, who was a brother of my mother, trained horses out there and we used to go out on a Sunday morning to see the horses and would have gone into what was called the home house for tea. My father bought a horse in the late 70s called Mountain Gale who Frank pre-trained and then sent him on to Noel Meade. He had a few wins, but I remember he wasn't a particularly good jumper! That's where my father first encountered Noel Meade. My dad also had a few point-to-pointers of no real note, and he had a horse with Jeremy Maxwell in his time and with Bunny Cox and with John Oxx to name but a few.

9.50AM

Grand National changes are benefitting Irish-trained horses

A certain cohort of racing fans, myself included, still lament the old days of the pin-sticking unpredictability of the Grand National with 40 moderate horses and their riders trying to negotiate 30 monstrous obstacles in an attempt to etch their names into the history books.

10.37AM

Orla Tynan

I'm from Moyglass, Co Tipperary and I had a pony at home which I rode out around the gallop at my grandfather's (trainer Matty Tynan) place. I'd see the lads riding out at home and I'd want to ride out with them. I kept asking my grandad and uncle, and they kept saying to wait a while, so I rode the ponies for a few years. Even before I started riding out, my grandad would come out with me after school every day on the pony. He taught me what to do and what not to do. He also helped me a lot when I was pony racing and he has been great in giving me that start.

11.03AM

Nothing would surprise me anymore in this unpredictable world

What a crazy world we are living in these days. Only four weeks ago I was watching images of missiles raining down on Dubai, with the iconic Burj Khalifa Hotel in flames and panicked Irish and UK citizens trying to flee the city.

10.17AM

Nicola Burns

I'm from just outside Mullingar in Co Westmeath and I grew up around horses. Dad (trainer Robbie Burns) always had horses at home, so I was definitely born into the game. I would have always had a pony growing up and then I started riding the racehorses out around 10 or 11. I moved into pony racing around 14. I always wanted to be a jockey, that was always what was in my head. I had two good years pony racing that included a four-timer one day in Ardee. Pony racing was definitely a big help before I went to the track. It definitely sharpens your skills for the racetrack. I rode a good bit for Shane Crabbe, he got me started with my first winner pony racing. Then I rode for Mary and Jimmy Brady, and plenty of others. I was champion lady rider in 2023 and 2024. That initial pony racing experience gives you a buzz to keep going and you just want to get out onto the racecourse proper and onto bigger things.

10.30AM

Glamourising excessive gambling is bad for horse racing

In my late teens growing up in the suburb of Rathfarnham in Dublin I was part of a circle of friends that numbered around a dozen at its core.

10.50AM

Statistics don’t support the use of red hoods at Cheltenham

As the dust settles on another Cheltenham Festival it is always interesting to look back at the data to try and spot trends.

10.42AM

Rory Mulligan

Dad (Paul Mulligan) was a jockey himself, and we always had ponies around the place - I was on them for as long as I can remember. I always rode different ones around the yard for dad. Then when I got a bit older, I started pony racing and I was mad keen to be a jockey. I suppose Colin Keane would have been my idol. He was always around at home because dad used to work for Colin's father Gerry. I always thought that I wanted to do the same as Colin. He would have given me tips on riding when I was pony racing. I was pony racing from about 10 to 16, but I missed a good bit of it with Covid-19. I could have missed two seasons because of that. I rode nine winners I think on ponies. I was only five and a-half stone and dad wouldn't let me ride the horses.

2.27PM

Memories are made at Cheltenham

As the excitement builds on the eve of another Cheltenham we all have our own favourite memories from Festivals gone by.

11.19AM

Art Of Unity - The sad story of an ageing sprinter

The results of two Referral Hearings published by the IHRB last week pose a number of questions for the sport and in particular highlight how the sport has failed an 11-year-old sprinter named Art Of Unity.

10.28AM

Laura Hourigan

Like everyone in racing, you kind of start off with ponies. I did a bit of pony club and hunting and that. Dad (Michael Hourigan) always had a busy yard, so we rode out before we went to school. It was a great grounding, and I was lucky in the sense that I didn't have to go away anywhere. We always had plenty of horses and ponies at home to mess around with. I had my first ride when I was 16 in a ladies' bumper in Killarney. Dad always had plenty of Kerry owners and enjoyed having runners in Kerry. I kind of got bitten by the bug, I suppose. I had the majority of my rides for dad, and I was always working at home. I wouldn't have had the number of winners I had only for dad. I did have winners for others as well, though. My best day in the saddle came on Moonmeister in the Ladies Derby at the Curragh (2019). He was a 50/1 shot, but Tony Martin always has his horses fit and he got up by a neck. I had 29 winners on the track, including a hurdle winner, and one point-to-point winner.

10.12AM

Racehorses are the ultimate sporting heroes

Who'd have thought an all weather race at Southwell on a Friday night would showcase the true essence of why horse racing is such a fascinating and compelling sport?

10.37AM

The positives far outweigh the negatives in horse racing

For the past few weeks I have been watching the sport from afar in Spain and on the whole I've seen lots of positives.

10.44AM

Cian Hughes

I'm from Celbridge, Co Kildare and my father did a bit of hunting as a hobby. Basically, I was down the road from David Bean's yard, he had a busy little yard breaking horses so I kept my pony down there with him when I was seven years old. I got into the racehorses through David and he got me riding. I went down there every day after school and on weekends. I also went around the yards that David was riding out in. Paul Flynn was from up the road and he started down there as well. I followed him as he had gone on to England when I was in David's. After that, it was all horses for me. I progressed with David through riding racehorses and he got me in with John Mulhern in the Curragh. That was the first racing yard during school. I got a summer job there and Stephen McCarthy looked after me, he was the assistant trainer. He got me riding out and I went racing a lot with Stephen. I got the train up there every morning. They looked after me well and I got my amateur licence when I was there. John gave me a couple of spins in amateur races when I was only 16. That was a good start. I was just doing it for fun, but I kept the amateur licence for maybe eight to 10 years and I was also riding in point-to-points.

12.55PM

Eoin Griffin

I'm from south Kilkenny, just outside Waterford. I live right on the border of Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford. Like any border, there's always plenty of fun down here especially when it comes to GAA! I'm a Kilkenny man, but I class Waterford as my home town.

9.27AM

Stewards' apathy could be symptom of deeper regulatory problems

A brief stewards' report on an innocuous maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse on 15 January indicates serious issues within the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB).

6.41AM

Jordan Canavan

I'm from just outside Belfast in Antrim and always grew up with horses. My father rode for a long time, and my grandfather rode as well and trained. The moment I looked out the bedroom window, there was always a yard full of horses. When my grandfather retired from training, my dad, JJ, took over. He trained a few point-to-pointers on his own just to keep himself busy. I started riding the racehorses out at home when I was about nine or 10 and then started pony racing when I was 11. I went down to the late Edward O'Grady's for a summer when I was about 14.

9.23AM

All to Play for in Second Half of the National Hunt Season

As we fast approach the business end of the current jumps season it is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing for many a year.

10.58AM

Stephen Hanlon

I'm from the Curragh in Co Kildare. I originally found my way into racing through my father and my uncle. They were very friendly with the late trainer Frank Ennis. Frank had a small number of horses and trained on the Curragh, probably trained about 25 horses. My father got me a job with Frank in 2007 and that's how I started really. Initially, I had aspirations to be a jockey but I grew too tall and got heavy. I realised then that it just wasn't going to be possible, so I changed course very quickly and I had my sights set on training from then on.

10.06AM

Philip Byrnes Referral Hearing Observations

After seven months of investigations the eagerly anticipated Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) Referral Hearing into the controversial departure of jockey Philip Byrnes from his mount Redwood Queen at the final hurdle in a race at Wexford in May was heard last week.

9.25AM

Zoe McMullan

I was born in Coleraine, Co Derry and have lived in Ballymoney, Co Antrim for 10-12 years. I do say I'm from Ballymoney now. It is bizarre how I got into horses because none of my family are into them. They don't come from an equine or farming background, they are town people. We went on holiday to Ayr when I was three and at the caravan park there was a 50p pony ride that I wanted to go on. That's what got me the bug and I was non-stop talking about horses after that. My mum and dad enquired when we got home about getting riding lessons, but you couldn't get them until you were five-years-old. To do me for the meantime, mum and dad bought me a rocking horse! Then when I was five, I got riding lessons at a place called Island Equestrian Centre in Coleraine. It was every Thursday evening at 5.30pm for an hour. I loved it and I just loved being around horses. From my first lesson, I wanted to learn how to put a head collar on and how to tack up even though I was tiny. I really have to thank the riding instructors there - Elaine Barnes and Jeannie McCollum. I was there until I was 16.

11.25AM

Bold move by Epsom in attempt to breathe new life into the Derby

For people of my vintage the Epsom Derby was the absolute pinnacle of equine achievement. It was the most important horse race on the planet and helped define the breed.

11.13AM

New initiatives aimed at racegoers send out a positive message

Declining attendance and a changing attitude

10.32AM

Identification mix-ups are far more common than you may think

Last week a Referral Hearing was held into the circumstances that led to the wrong horse running in a novice chase at Punchestown on 13 November.

10.00AM

The jumps season is officially in full flow after scintillating John Durkan Chase

A bright crisp winter's afternoon watching sport is always one of life's great joys and for those that made it to Punchestown on Sunday they were served up a real treat.

11.28AM

Nessa Joyce

I'm from Co Meath, beside the now Emerald Park, and I'm from a dairy and beef farm, so horses weren't a part of my growing up. I've always loved horses from as long as I've known. Lots of neighbours had horses and there was always racing on television as my father loved racing. I probably got the interest and bug from that. A few neighbours let me sit up on a horse and I'll never forget that moment of being that close to a horse. I begged for riding lessons for a few years before my parents caved. I got lessons in the local riding school and worked for free to get the lessons. With a father who is a dairy farmer, he wouldn't be too keen on having an animal that doesn't make money! I dabbled in everything - did hunting and a bit of showing. When I was asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, the answer was 'something with horses'. There was always a passion there for it and I was lucky to translate that into a career.

11.37AM

Identification issues become centre of attention yet again

Last Thursday a minor fixture at Punchestown hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when a horse that was declared to contest a maiden hurdle ended up running in a different race on the day over fences.

9.53AM

Luke Comer doping case has all the plot twists of a blockbuster

Horse racing has been struggling to maintain its share of voice compared to other sports in recent years and all attempts to replicate the successes of documentaries like Drive To Survive have so far failed to hit the mark.

9.56AM

Sam Coen

I'm from Fethard, Co Tipperary, and my two sisters, Leah and Megan, were really into eventing and hunting.

3.31PM

Mental Health is as big an issue for jockeys as the physical dangers they face

The tragic news from the UK last week that promising apprentice rider Tommie Jakes had taken his own life at the age of 19 is truly awful.

11.03AM

Joey Sheridan

My father Mel was a jockey and was apprenticed to John Oxx. He would have ridden at the same time as Ray Carroll and Donal Manning who I would be good friends with now. Donal is riding out in Donnacha O'Brien's at the moment. My dad went over to Jimmy Fox then to start riding jump horses when he got a bit heavy for the Flat. He got a bad fall when breaking yearlings one winter and they wouldn't give him his licence back. Sea The Stars would have been my first memory of watching racing because my father took a keen interest in him. My mother and father got me a pony and I was always obsessed from a very young age about jockeys and racing. It was all I could think of.

4.20PM

Irish racing's dependency on Government handouts is not healthy for the sport

The latest Irish Government Budget freeze on handouts to horse racing must be of real concern to the sport's administrators.

10.23AM

IHRB appears to be repositioning its role within the industry

Are you aware of \"global challenges like antimicrobial drug resistance and anthelmintic resistance?\"

9.51AM

Nibiru prohibited substance case raises many questions for the sport

The recent Referral Hearing held into the circumstances surrounding a positive finding from the urine sample taken from a winner at Dundalk last October is concerning.

10.15AM

Heather Downey

I'm from just outside Slane in Co Meath. We are in an historic area in the Boyne Valley and it is a lovely area to live in. In terms of horses, I haven't known a life without them. It probably all stems back to my grandparents, they would have bred horses and would have had a lot of horses in training with Dessie Hughes and before that with Dick Hoey. Chow Mein won the Galway Plate in 1985 trained by Dessie. I suppose that is how the interest in horses stemmed for my family. Dad (Pat) was bitten by the bug and that progressed to me. When my dad started training, I was absolutely bitten by the bug then - all the people, the characters and the competitiveness. I was hooked! Every year that I have got older, I have got more and more involved to where I am now. I like to think that I'm pretty involved in it all. I'm very passionate about it and work closely with dad. Obviously, I have a full-time job but, in the evenings, weekends and when I'm off, I try to help as much as I can. I do all his social media channels and I've been doing that since I was young. I then kind of help out with entries and declarations and picking races for horses. I enjoy being involved in the whole training aspect. It's an obsession I suppose!

3.31PM

Decisive action from the racing authorities is welcomed

Last week Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) announced details of the new management team that themselves and the Moloney family have put in place to run Thurles on a temporary basis until the end of the current jumping season. In Peter Roe and Jessica Cahalan they have two people with plenty of experience in this area which bodes well for a smooth transition.

10.42AM

Top quality Flat racing fails to woo an Irish audience like the Jumps can

The international aspect to the Irish Champions Festival weekend is most refreshing to see.

12.42PM

Sam Hamilton

From a young age I started with ponies, show jumping, working hunter and pony club. I always had a big interest growing up in my dad's (Brian) racing yard. He taught me all I know from no age really. In addition to teaching me about riding, he was very good at teaching me about general horse care - the whole lot. A soon as I was allowed to by him, I was mucking out and helped out by riding out on the gallops. It was a great grounding as he got me started and got me going. Basically, I just progressed from there. The best horse I ever sat on when dad was training was Warne who won the Aintree Foxhunters (in 2014 under Sam Waley-Cohen). I would have done roadwork and stuff with him when I was young. I wasn't able to canter him as he was a very strong horse. He was a great horse.

9.40AM

Owning a racehorse can be a very expensive pastime

Irish Champions Festival takes place this weekend with a total prize pool of over €5 million.

10.52AM

Thurles Racecourse's reopening is weather dependent

It is positive to see Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has reached an agreement with Thurles Racecourse for racing to continue at the venue for the remainder of the 2025/2026 Jumps season.

10.27AM