North Clare jockey Ian Queally cemented his position as one of the top young flat jockeys around, when he earned a place in the final of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR).
The Ballydoyle-based Fanore man partnered Qatari-owned Karar to glory at Sandown Park on Friday. The win meant he secured the fifth spot in the grand final of the competition, which will take place in Abu Dhabi in November.
The 19-year-old is delighted with the win. “I cannot wait to go over. I have never been in that part of the world before so it will be a great experience,” he said.
“Getting to the final is a very big deal. The prize money is very big out there so, hopefully, I’ll be on a horse that has a good chance of winning,” he added.
Ian flew to the UK for the race at Sandown on Friday morning after an impressive win in Killarney on Thursday, leading the Donal Kinsella-trained Maudlin Magdalen over the line in the Download The New At The Races App Kingdom Gold Cup Fillies Handicap.
The HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship will see the Clare man up against qualifiers from Kentucky, Poland, California, Belgium, Russia, the Netherlands and Brazil.
Ian was back in action again on Wednesday at Bellewstown.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.