It’s ‘neigh’ bother to Dromore jockey Ronan

A DROMORE man who is pursuing his life-long dream of becoming a jockey will ride in his first ever race next month.

Ronan Slevin, a 25-year-old from Bellisle, was selected from a large number of applicants to ride in a charity flat race in Hereford, England, on April 14, raising money for St Michael’s Hospice. “I’m delighted to have been selected to ride in the race as it’s a great opportunity for me. It will allow me to get a good taste of what race riding is like before I get my amateur licence,” said Ronan.

Explaining his long-time desire to become a jockey, he remarked, “I have always known that I wanted to be a jockey from a young age. I grew up working with horses and my dad definitely played a big part in my desire to become a jockey.

“He always kept horses and would do weddings and I would help him out with that – this really built an interest.

“I would have also taken lessons when I was young but fell out of the habit of it and – like most boys my age – I opted to take up a trade and done mechanicing for five years.”

Ronan then decided to make a change – a change which fell more in-line with his true ambition – and was accepted to a prestigious college in Doncaster.

“Two years ago I got accepted to the National Horseracing College in Doncaster and I have been working at Emma Lavelle Racing for the past 18 months,” he continued.

Emma Lavelle Racing is a large stable near Marlborough, Wiltshire. They boast a huge yard complemented with acres of grass gallops, stables and beautiful schooling facilities – an excellent place for an amateur jockey like Ronan to gain hands-on experience.

Offering a glimpse into what he does day-to-day at the stables, Ronan said, “In my role as a racing groom I work in the stables and ride the horses out in the morning along the gallops, then come back in the evening time to feed them.

“We are given five racing horses each to care for and we are responsible for preparing them on race day and taking them up to the start line.”

As his own race day looms, Ronan remains relaxed for the moment, although that narrative could change once he mounts his horse and stares down the barrel of a mile and four furlongs race course.

“I’m not nervous at the minute but I imagine as the event gets closer that all could change,” he quipped. “It’s my first time on a race course so that’s bound trigger some nerves but it will be a great experience and I’m very excited.

“There were a lot of entries and so I’m over the moon to have gotten this chance – I’m very lucky to be working at such a big yard and to have the expert support of Emma and the rest of the team at Emma Lavelle,” he concluded.

Ronan will be racing for St Michael’s Hospice in Hereford and invites everyone to consider donating to the worthy cause clicking this link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ronan-slevin-1706204696057?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fronan-slevin-1706204696057&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share