Gainford makes the ideal start as a pro
Gainford off to a winner in pro ranks
PROMINENT YOUNG point-topoint rider, Jordan Gainford from Caim, decided last week the time had come to turn professional and he had a dream start when he booted home a 25/1 winner on his first ride in the paid ranks at Navan on Sunday, beating off 19 rivals.
He was due to make the switch from the Qualified Rider to the Conditional Jockey ranks at Limerick on Friday but the meeting was lost to the weather, as was Gowran on Saturday.
However, he grabbed his chance when it came on Fierami for Gordon Elliott in a two-mile five-furlong handicap hurdle, making much of the running to beat Keith Donoghue on Westy Fox (7/1) by a length and a half.
Elliott was happy with his new recruit: ‘It’s great for Jordan as that’s his first ride as a professional.
‘He’s coming to me now three days a week and he’s a lad we’re going to get plenty of use out of. He’s a good rider.’
Gainford only recently had his 20th birthday and he has been catching the eye mainly on Colin Bowe mounts since he made his point-to-point debut at Boulta in December 2018.
He has had eleven wins between the flags, including four in the recent autumn programme, and he had also won four on the track.
He developed his love for horse racing at the yard of neighbour, Shay Slevin, from a young age and has been with Colin Bowe for the past three years, with Bowe facilitating his move to Elliott.
He has already ridden a few for him, including a spin in the Thyestes Chase at Gowran last month.
Gainford will remain a part of the Bowe team, riding out three days a week until the end of the point-topoint season, before making the switch full time to Elliott.
Two other point-to-point riders also made the switch this week.
Richie Deegan has been a familiar face on the local scene for almost a decade, noted mainly for his association with the yard of his neighbour, Aidan Fitzgerald, just across the border in Borris.
He has ridden 57 point winners from almost 900 rides.
Twenty-three year-old Shane Fenelon from Newtownmountkennedy in Wicklow has worked for Ballydoyle, Peter Croke, John McConnell, ‘Shark’ Hanlon and Seán Doyle’s Monbeg stable.
The best of luck to the three of them as they try to carve out a career in a very competitive profession.