Episode Two:
It’s late 2012 and the journey towards the Cheltenham Festival is truly underway. The jockeys are busy; their hectic schedules are packed full with everyday work and almost daily racing. The cameras follow as champion jockey Davy Russell puts some potential future stars through their paces, Andy McNamara needs to lose 5lbs on the morning of a race to make weight for his rides that day and Andrew Lynch pays a visit to his surgeon to check up on how his leg break is recovering after a fall earlier in 2012.
Overview
The Irish Road To Cheltenham is a new five-part observational documentary series, broadcast in association with Horse Racing Ireland on RTÉ One, each Thursday night at 8.30pm from 7th March until 4th April.
This observational documentary follows five well-known jump jockeys throughout the 2012/2013 National Hunt season whose ultimate objective is to compete at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2013 – The ‘Olympics’ of National Hunt racing. Jockeys Davy Russell (current National Hunt Champion Jockey), Nina Carberry, Andrew Lynch, Andrew McNamara (Andy Mc) and Robert ‘Puppy’ Power will give us unique access to their lives and a glimpse into the physical and mental lengths they go to for their profession.
The fly-on-the-wall series will provide a deep insight into the world of Irish National Hunt Jockeys who compete in one of the toughest sports in the world and will document their lifestyle on and off the track including the risks, the sacrifice and the physical challenges that go along with being a National Hunt jockey.
The Irish Road to Cheltenham will show viewers the passion, excitement and authentically-Irish flavor of National Hunt racing from all around the country as it follows five of our top National Hunt Jockeys on their journey to the Cheltenham Festival.
Produced by Animo Television for RTÉ in association with Horse Racing Ireland.