Andrew Slattery

It is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of the flat season, with just a handful of fixtures left.

It is even harder to believe how well it has gone for me personally. To have ridden 42 winners, for one of them to be a Group 3 and to be in with a shout to be champion apprentice is something I could never have imagined. It’s unbelievable and whatever happens will happen between now and Sunday week in Naas.

People presume because I grew up in a race yard with my dad of the same name training, because Dad and my uncle William were jockeys and because William and Brian are so involved in the breeze-ups, that I was always going to be a jockey but it wasn’t really the case.

I was 14 by the time sat on a racehorse and it was only when my cousin Ben Coen began to be successful in pony racing that I considered the possibility of following him.

I was playing soccer and hurling and football. I had the dream of being a soccer player. Then it dawned on me I was very small compared to all of the other lads on the pitch.

I just started going off racing and taking an interest, going pony racing with Ben, and Ben got me going. The lads around the yard, my father and my two uncles were a great help as well.

Ben has been going very well too and it has been great to have him in the weigh room, particularly with the two of us apprenticed to Dad. There was Gavin Ryan too, who is apprenticed to Jim Bolger. We were in the same class in school and the fact that the three of us were all doing the Leaving Cert was a great help.

I wanted to keep my mother (Mary) happy by doing the Leaving but I wanted to do it for myself too. You can never be too sure what’s around the corner either.

Winning the Group 3 Loughbrown Stakes on Kastasa in the colours of the Aga Khan and for a trainer like Dermot Weld was incredible.

The first day I sat on her in Sligo, she ran around a bit and every day since she has improved. She hits her little flat spot four out, every single time. And every time I have ridden her she has only barely hit it. There is a good bit more to come from her.

That last 100 yards I knew I was actually going to have my first group winner. I am not even sure it was relief or delight or what to win a group race. I don’t even know how to describe it being honest. It was just class.

Mr Weld has been a brilliant supporter, as he has been of Oisín Orr, who is right on my tail in the apprentice jockeys’ table. We have the same agent too in Kevin O’Ryan.

We throw a couple of digs at Kevin every now and again. Who is he trying to get the wins for? Kevin is great. He is more of a friend than anything.

When you see a phone call from Kevin it is never usually a good thing if you haven’t had a winner that day. He is ringing you up to pick you up on something you did. You need that. You badly need that feedback.

I am 18 now and though I grew four inches this year to 5’3’’, I’m still only seven stone so I’m in the gym a lot to build up my core strength and my shoulders. Having said that, being able to claim off bottom weight in handicaps is a big advantage and that is why you won’t be seeing much of me in Dundalk. I want to protect my claim as much as I can into the next turf season.

Kastasa is the best I’ve ridden on the racetrack and she is improving all the time. She’s not the best I’ve ever sat on though. That would have to be Magical, who I rode work on when in Ballydoyle for a week’s work experience. She is unreal.

Aidan O’Brien was very, very good. He was letting me ride the good horses. He was putting me on a lot of the good fillies. This, a 10-pound claimer, with no experience. I was riding in Dundalk. He knew what I was riding in all of the races. He was talking to me about it and he advised me to stay in school as well.

I really have been very lucky and I am thankful for all the support I have had. That won’t change whether I’m champion apprentice or not. It has been a great season.