Hiya!

Today’s post is an interview with Cian MacRedmond who is an apprentice jockey to Declan Carroll. He gave me a brilliant interview with some in-depth answers, so I really hope you all enjoy.

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Me: What is your favourite race of your career, win or lose?

Cian: My favourite race that I have won was just a handicap at York on Music Seeker. To win it on such a big weekend on John Smith’s weekend it was brilliant. The place was packed and I would absolutely love to have that feeling to come into a packed parade ring again.

Me: If you could ride any horse that you never have, past or present, what horse would you choose?

Cian: Sea the stars is a horse I would love to have ridden. He was absolutely amazing and to see what he achieved in his three-year-old career it’s just outstanding.

Me: What are your opinions surrounding the discussions of banning the whip?

Cian: Like other fellow jockeys I do think that the that the discussion around banning the whip is outrageous. I do think that people are not completely educated surrounding the whip and its uses. No matter how hard you hit a horse with the whips it does not hurt them. They are completely padded and it’s only the noise of the whip that makes the horses go forward. It also helps with horses that hang and every jockey out there can tell you if they did not have a whip when a horse hung with them they would’ve been in serious trouble and could of got themselves, the horse or someone else hurt. I do believe that the whip rules should remain as they are.

Me: As a jockey, weight is obviously a huge thing for you guys, so what would you eat on a regular day? Are there any periods across the year where you can actually just eat anything and everything or is it a strict kind of diet all year round?

Cian: Like most jockeys I do struggle with my weight. Being 5 foot 10 and trying to constantly keep my weight around 8 stone 6 lb is very hard. I do eat a lot of fruit and drink a lot of tea, coffee and water and try and keep my weight stable. During the winter when there is not much racing it’s very hard, I could be anywhere between eight stone six and nine stone purely because I’m not as active as I would be throughout the season. During the season when I’m very busy and I could be riding out horses in the morning, for racing because I am so active I tend to eat whatever I want so I am very lucky in that regard. I try my best to stay out of the sauna because when I come out of that my weight seems to go up and down like a yo-yo.

Me: What would you say to anyone who thinks racing is animal cruelty?

Cian: To anyone that thinks racing is cruel I do think they should go into a yard in the morning and they can see how horses are treated. There are treated like royalty.

Me: Racing is an all year round sport, so when you do get some down time, what do you like to do?

Cian: Racing is all year round but I don’t tend to ride during the winter purely to try and save my claim being an apprentice. I’m still busy breaking in yearlings but when I’m off work I usually play golf or go back home to Ireland to visit my family and friends. I also find myself binge watching a series on Netflix too.

Me: Who do you look up to in the weighing room?

Cian: I do look up to many of the lads in the weighing room but one person that stands out to me is Danny Tudhope. He’s very hard working and also struggles with his weight. He’s an outstanding rider and he’s a great role model for any young jockey out there.

Me: What is one race you’d love to win?

Cian: One race Id love to win is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. It’s definitely my favourite race to watch and people from all over the world watch it. The best horses all around the world run in it and would be a childhood dream if I was ever to have a ride in it.

Me: What’s your overall goal in racing over the upcoming few years?

Cian: I don’t really set myself goals because I know things don’t always go your way but hopefully in the next few years I’ll just keep improving and start to ride in better races on better horses.

Me: What would be your ‘horse to watch’ for the next season or two?

Cian: My horse to follow for the next season is a horse I won on twice last year called Music Seeker. He seems to always be improving and at the moment he’s in the form of his life. He has given myself and the Bryan family some great days and I’m sure there’s a nice valuable handicap in him next season if he gets his ground.

Me: What is your favourite racecourse to ride at and why?

Cian: My favourite racecourses is the Curragh. I grew up two minutes down the road from it and I rode my first winner there on a horse called Sweetest Taboo. It’s a very fair track and the best horse in the race usually wins there.

Me: What is your best advice for young people who have a passion they want to follow, whether that be racing or something else?

Cian: The best advice I can give anyone is keep your eyes open, your ears open, and your mouth shut. If you live by that you’ll get to where you want to get to in life.

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Once again, as always, first things first I want to thank Cian for his time. Cian is a brilliant lad and has a bright future ahead of him. I can’t wait to follow his journey!

I hope you enjoyed!