Naas racecourse on the evening of May 13^th saw the first of three instructional races to take place as part of the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice series.

The training aspect of the race at Naas involved participating apprentices attending the course an hour before the first race so they could walk the track under the guidance of Lorcan Wyer (Turf Club) and Barry Walsh (Chief Instructor, RACE). Apprentices were given advice on the ground and options for what path to take in the race as they walked the course, in addition to general advice on many aspects of what is involved in a successful racing career.

After the race, all apprentices gathered in the stewards room to watch a re-run of the race and have their riding performances reviewed by Lorcan and Barry. The aim of these instructional races is to give less experienced apprentices advice that may help them improve or progress in their chosen career, and avoid possible pitfalls. The performance of apprentices in these training races and the training sessions associated with them will be taken into account for the Rookie of the Year award at the end of the season, which has a valuable prize attached to it.