Andrew Slattery This time of year is the changeover period for me in some ways — the end of the Flat season and the start of the school season! I’m currently in my final year at Scoil Ruáin in Killenaule but I do have a few half days to look forward to now that Dundalk is back on a Friday! The teachers and the school are very understanding when it comes to me getting time off school to go racing and there is good craic in the school with Ben Coen and Gavin Ryan all in the one class. Ben is my cousin and we are basically like brothers and we’d be best friends with Gavin, Killian Leonard, Nathan and Shane Crosse and it’s good to see everyone get on well and enjoy a few winners. There is no bitterness among us and Killian is good enough to give us a lift racing when we don’t have runners ourselves. Every day Ben and myself would ride out a few lots before school and then we’d go inside with my father, Andy, and my uncle Will and Brian and they’d go through all our rides for the day whether they were for our yard or not. It’s not an easy place to be when things aren’t going well! Ben is obviously trying to win the apprentice championship this year and while it is easier said than done I would be hoping to try and give it a go myself next year. To be champion apprentice is definitely what I’m aiming for. That’s the short-term goal anyway. In the long-term I just want to keep improving all the time and ride as many winners as I can. Ben stays in the house three or four nights a week and we’ve grown up together and only for him I might never have got into racing despite growing up in the middle of it. It was actually a year to the day I had my first ride last Saturday when I had the treble at Limerick, so it was a nice anniversary, but I only started riding horses when I was about 14 and up until then I didn’t like horses at all, I was much more into soccer, football, hurling, you name it, I used to play it. I started to go off pony racing with Ben every Sunday and eventually I got into it that way and thankfully it has gone well since and hopefully now I can make a career out of it. That’s the aim but it’s a tough game. But there’s a lot of hungry lads in Ireland and I look around the weighroom and see jockeys that are much better than me and aren’t getting chances and it’s just mad. The treble at Limerick on Saturday was just something you’d dream of and not something you imagine would ever become true. I went to the races hoping to have one winner but to come out of there with a treble is a great boost when you are trying to make a name for yourself. Having a claim is a big help so I’ll probably slow down a bit over the winter and try to keep as many winners on my claim as I can as a 7lbs claim is crucial in going for the apprentice title. Sors was the horse I got going on and started to ride out at home first and I remember leading up for my father for the first time and Pat Smullen was riding him. He won that day at the Curragh and ever since then I’ve never looked up to anyone else only Pat Smullen. If I’m half as good as Pat I’ll be going well. I’ve been lucky to have a lot of support this year. John Grogan gave me my first premier handicap winner at Naas last month and he also let me ride in the Listed race last weekend. I have a very supportive family and a lot of trainers have kept putting me up consistently and I’m very appreciative of that and I’d ride work for Edward O’Grady who isn’t far away from us and he has been good to me as well and that all helps. I’m looking forward to seeing how the end of the season goes and most of all I’m looking forward to next season… and the end of the Leaving Cert!
