Kilbeacanty native joins Irish team to take on Australians

A young Galway national hunt rider has been selected on the Irish team to take on the Australians in this year’s Jockeys’ Challenge Down Under.

Ian McCarthy from Kilbeacanty joins Katie Walsh and Luke Dempsey on the flight where they will link up with Australia-based jockey Johnny Allen, to make up the Irish team. The selection was announced by President Michael D Higgins at last week’s Galway Races.

The 28 year old with 70 career winners rode his first winner on Teffia Native, trained by the late Dessie Hughes at Fairyhouse, back in June 2007.

He is a four-time winner on the Jarlath Fahey-trained Jennies Jewel and she provided him with his biggest success in the Tara Handicap Hurdle at Navan in 2013.

Ian and Luke Dempsey fly out with manager Sean Lynch on August 20 and will compete in the first of two racedays at Murraybridge on August 24.

They will be joined by Katie Walsh and Johnny Allen for the second part of the contest on ‘Irish Day’ on August 27 at Morphetville. Irish day at Morphetville ranks as the second biggest raceday of the year in South Australia, attracting a large Irish contingent.

While in Australia, Katie Walsh will seek to emulate her brother Ruby’s success in the 2015 Grand National Steeplechase in Ballarat, by taking part in the feature race on the final day of the Sportsbet-Ballarat jump racing festival on August 21.

Katie, youngest daughter of Ted Walsh and sister of the great Ruby Walsh, is of course herself one of the leading Irish amateur riders of recent times.

She landed the Irish Grand National on Thunder And Roses for trainer Sandra Hughes in April, 2015, becoming only the third woman to ride the winner of the race. Katie was the key member of the successful Irish team who beat their Australian counterparts in the 2008 renewal of the series.

Luke Dempsey is from Carbury, Co Kildare, and the son of trainer Philip Dempsey. He has ridden winners for Dermot Weld, Gordon Elliott, Johnny Murtagh, Colm Murphy and Ted Walsh.

Johnny Allen is from Kilworth, Co Cork, and he has carved out quite a career for himself in Australia, becoming one of the leading jockeys in the process.

This is the 30th consecutive year that an Irish team has been invited to Australia to participate in the jockey challenge. There have already been 40 contests staged in the two countries, with Ireland taking the honours on 24 occasions, Australia winning 15 times and one draw.

Team Australia has won the Australia v Ireland Jockeys Challenge for the last two years and Irish Team Manager, Sean Lynch, is keen to see the Irish team get back to winning ways.

“We have a strong team heading over this year to join Johnny Allen in taking on the Australians and I’m very confident that we can win. It’s a great experience for the jockeys who travel over and we receive the very best of Australian hospitality every year,” said Sean.