Gilligan to Make Keeneland Debut Thursday

For a fleeting moment Tuesday night at Mountaineer, 18-year-old apprentice Jack Gilligan was wondering about his idea of a dream job.

“That is the most mud I have ever eaten,” Gilligan said after his mount trailed the field most of the way over a muddy surface at the West Virginia track. “But I don’t mind. You’ve got to take the good with the bad. It was different last night, but at times you have to get down and get dirty.”

The weather forecast for Keeneland on Thursday indicates a fast track will be likely when Gilligan makes his race debut here.

Gilligan has three mounts Thursday: Bull Dance for trainer Pavel Matejka in the third, Griffins Magic for Emilie Fojan in the fourth and Goodtime Wilson for Glenn Brookfield in the fifth.

The son of a trainer based at Newmarket, Gilligan started riding horses at the age of 5.

“I always wanted to be a jockey,” said Gilligan, who apprenticed with Sir Mark Prescott, riding four winners from 26 mounts. “I had a chance to come over to the North American Racing Academy for a week and fell in love with it. I knew I wanted to come back when I finished my schooling.”

Gilligan made the move here in August and has notched three victories from his 20 mounts.

“I think the racing here is more challenging because you have to be exact with the pace of the race,” Gilligan said. “In England it is not so much about speed in the race as it is the positioning. Here it is a lot more different and I am enjoying the challenge. It has been a good experience.

“I am getting used to getting out of the gate quick.”

Source: Keeneland