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Wesley Joyce pictured above is a gifted jockey from Moyross. Wesley Joyce pictured above is a gifted jockey from Moyross.

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Teenage Moyross jockey Wesley Joyce has a spectacular debut

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Wesley Joyce pictured above is a gifted jockey from Moyross. 

Teenage Moyross jockey Wesley Joyce has a spectacular debut

 By I Love Limerick correspondent Peter Cooney

Moyross jockey Wesley Joyce had a remarkable display when bringing his mount home in second place on his first-ever ride at Dundalk.

The Moyross Youth Academy graduate had his first ride at Dundalk on 18/1 shot Misterio for trainer Johnny Murtagh in the five-furlong Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap.

The eighteen-year-old is currently working closely with Johnny Murtagh at his yard after previously learning his trade at Moyross and the Racing Academy Centre of Education.

The gifted horseman Joyce gave his mount an outstanding ride as he looked to make his first ride on the track one to remember. However, the Limerick jockey lost out by a head to Paddy Hassett who trained favourite Maggie Thunder under Declan McDonogh.

Wesley also got best wishes from fellow Moyross native and Munster and Ireland winger Keith Earls saying on his social media, “Great to see best of luck Wesley.”

Joyce spoke about his upcoming jockey career saying, “I went to race and I got a placement here at Johnny’s. Then Covid came and I had to go back come. Then Johnny rang my ma and said there’s a house here in the yard if I wanted to move up. The next day I moved up. It’s nice to work here. The boss is nice, everyone’s nice in the yard. It’s a nice dream.”

He added, “A few lads from Limerick have done the trail and got through and I just want to be like them and see what I can make of it.”

Murtagh said, “This is one of the good stories in Irish racing, a young lad from Moyross, never rode a horse until he came to the apprentice school, did his time in the apprentice school, comes to me and now he is getting his first ride on the racetrack. It’s great stuff, it’s magical stuff and we need more of that in racing.”

All of us at I Love Limerick would like to congratulate Wesley on his impressive debut and wish him luck on his future jockey career!

For more information on his jockey career click HERE 

For more stories on horse racing click HERE 

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