Leopardstown hosts race for injured jockeys

LEOPARDSTOWN Racecourse will once again be leading the field on Sunday, October 23 when it hosts the final leg of The Corinthians Challenge Race series.

Run in aid of the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund, this event takes place on the very same track which saw the current European top-rated horse, Almanzor, win the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes.

Only this time, the famous circuit will see 10 amateur jockeys ride to compete for Corinthian Challenge Cup glory in a bid to raise funds in excess of €100,000 for this very worthy cause. 

The Corinthian Challenge is a three-race series where amateur riders raise an entry fee of €10,000 each in order to compete in the race, which is staged at the Curragh, Naas and Leopardstown racecourses.

 The series is a test of endurance for all the amateur riders as they strive to maintain fitness, drive and commitment over a six-month period which will culminate in the final leg at the Southside track.

As the series heads to a climax, the leader-board standings include student Alice Kavanagh and Nial Corkery on 10 points each, Eamonn Egan on seven points, Sally Ann Grassick (TV presenter) and Killian McCarthy (Softco Sales Director) on five points, and Chris Byrne and Niall Cronin (journalist) on three points.

Other potential riders include Sophie Candy (International Marketing Executive of Goffs), and Sheikh Fahad Al Thani and Jamie Morris (trainer Mouse Morris’s son).

Racing at Leopardstown on the day also includes a thrilling renewal of the Group 3 JRA Killavullan Stakes which last year saw Blue de Vega win the race under Colin Keane. 

Blue De Vega progressed to Group 1 company this year with a third place in the Tattersalls 2000 Guineas at the Curragh. 

The day will also feature the renewal of the listed Trigo Stakes which last year was won by Dermot Weld’s Zannda.

You can make a donation online by logging onto www.corinthianchallenge.com, click on the rider’s name and it will bring you to their Everyday Hero account.  Alternatively, donations can be sent directly to Irish Injured Jockeys at Curragh House in Kildare.