Mark Dooley may not be a household name, but his generous spirit is changing the lives of two young people who have chosen to pursue an unconventional career path—that of becoming apprentice jockeys at British Racecourses. What began as a donation to help fund these individuals’ dreams has quickly snowballed into something much bigger, helping them launch their careers and inspiring visitors at racecourses nationwide. In this blog post, we’ll explore the backstory behind Mark’s donation and how it’s made all the difference for each of these apprentices.
Who Is Mark Dooley?
Mark Dooley is one of the owners of Dooley Thoroughbreds, which is a horse racing syndicate. For those who aren’t aware, a horse racing syndicate is basically when more than three people collectively own a racehorse and then race that horse under one name, which in this case would be Dooley Thoroughbreds.
As a young boy, Mark and his brothers all shared a passion and love for horses and horse racing, which carried through to their adult years. In terms of what he does, he mainly enjoys reviewing the race courses that he visits as well as giving some tips about horse racing. This is because, as mentioned, as a kid, he would visit horse races as often as he could.
What Is Dooley Thoroughbreds?
As mentioned above, Mark Dooley is one of the owners of Dooley Thoroughbreds, which is a horse racing syndicate. Dooley Thoroughbreds is owned by Mark David and James Dooley, all three of whom have shared a love for horses since their childhood days.
What exactly do Dooley Thoroughbreds do? Primarily, they buy the highest-quality horses from respected breeders or top sales. They will then train those horses to be champions and race them in some of the most renowned races in the UK. Some of the horses that they own include Saltonstall, a 7-year-old thoroughbred. They also own Current Option, Casanova, Sirjack Thomas, Politicise, and Magnetic North. In terms of who the trainers are, at the moment they have Ado McGuinness as a trainer at one of the best training establishments in the UK.
What Does It Mean To Be a Horse Racing Apprentice?
If you are new to the world of horse racing, you probably aren’t aware that there are different categories of riders. One category is an apprentice jockey. To be classified as an apprentice, or jockey, you would need to have ridden for less than one year. And more importantly, you have had fewer than 45 winners since you were first licensed.
In terms of the horses that an apprentice jockey can ride, they would be able to ride an appaloosa, a quarterhorse, and a thoroughbred. In terms of the types of races that an apprentice jockey can ride, those would be flat races against professional jockeys. Apprentice jockeys on average make around $48,880.
The next question that you might have is, “How long does a jockey stay an apprentice before being able to move up?” This is determined solely by the performance of the jockey. If the jockey can ride for one full year after his fifth winning ride, he’s able to become a journeyman. If he has ridden for 3 full years, he is also able to become a journeyman, or if he has come atop 45 winners.
What Does It Mean To Get Sponsored?
Finally, the last thing that needs to be discussed is what it means to get a sponsor. This is actually something that many horse riders or jockeys aim for since it is a significant step up and helps them in quite a few ways. First and foremost, when a jockey gets sponsored, it means that a company or an individual is going to reward them with compensation for signing a contract.
How does a jockey benefit from being sponsored? Well, for example, when a jockey wins a race or receives a riding fee, there are things that need to be paid for, such as the riders’ union fees, agents, insurance, valets, and more. If a jockey is sponsored, they will receive a higher income, and their horses will also be able to visit better facilities. More importantly, some of the additional costs mentioned above might be paid for, or since they have more money, they’ll be able to pay for that themselves and still have quite a bit left over.
