Their only job next week is to learn, to soak up as much insider info about steeplechase as they can. It’s the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance, and these three can pay back U.S. jump racing in kind.

By Betsy Burke Parker

Cross-pollination is key.

That’s the word from trip organizers for the Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation-sponsored young rider training trip that begins this weekend.

Three young riders on the U.S. steeplechase scene are headed to Ireland July 22-Aug. 1 for a week of hands-on learning from the sport’s top trainers and horsemen. The idea, trip leader, and ersatz den mother, Regina Welsh says, is that by exposing young American horsemen and women to how the world’s best get it done in the literal cradle of steeplechasing, the domestic circuit gains a load of enrichment from a boots-on-the-ground level.

In other words – they’re insiders on the biggest, and many call it the best, jump jurisdiction in the world. Their only job is to look and to learn, and, hopefully, bring back lots of knowledge they can apply on the home front, now and in the future.

It’s a cool opportunity, and one that’s worked well since the first TGSF trip to Ireland in 2014.

As in years past, the exhaustive selection process includes nomination by a licensed trainer and a comprehensive essay. Camille deStanley, Scarlet Davies and Sophie O’Brien were chosen to represent – and learn for, American sport abroad.

(Photo, above, of 2022 Ireland trip participants Eliza Edwards, Tom Young and Taylor Kingsley with trainer Gordon Elliott)

Former TGSF president Sam Slater and his wife, Lornie Forbes, will host the group at their Cahrvillahow estate in County Tipperary for most of their stay. Complete trip details are fluid, but last year’s participants rode out for notable Irish trainers including Pat Doyle, Jessica Harrington, Gordon Elliot, Willie Mullins, Fozzy Stack and Enda Bolger. They also visited trainer Aiden O’Brien at Ballydoyle, went to Coolmore stud and attended the Galway Festival and the Limerick Races – with course walks by sometime-American circuit participants Sean Flannagan and Eddie Keating.

They saw how it works at the RACE Academy jockey school and went to the Irish National Stud.

This year’s participants have been promised a similar itinerary.

They’ll no doubt eat lots of fish and chips and get used to their minders driving on the wrong side of the road. They’ll figure out what “jump off” means (hint – it’s doesn’t mean dismount.) They’ll see first-hand how the Irish sheep hurdle is similar, yet different, to the American national fence.

We bet they’ll eat musli for breakfast, sammies and crisps for lunch and biscuits and tea as an afternoon pick-me-up.

They’re not old enough, but we know enough about the racing set to know they’ll probably see the inside of an Irish pub.

TGSF caught up with Camille, Scarlet and Sophie as they count down to lift-off for what all three believe will be the trip of – and the opportunity of – their lifetime.

Put your boots in the boot and stow away for their wild ride.

Camille Josephine deStanley

Family: Dad Liam deStanley, mom Beth Newman deStanley, sister Olivia

School: Going into her second year of college

Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation: You had the inside track – your father’s Irish!

Camille deStanley: My dad grew up just outside of Dublin in Blackrock, and (while) he learned to ride over in Ireland, it wasn't until he came over here as an adult that he became serious about it and got into racing.

He started riding at my mom's (Beth Newman) family farm (near Leesburg, Virginia.) That's how they met and eventually they fell in love and got married.

A couple years after they got married he decided to try (steeplechasing.) He'd watched my mom race for 10 years and be a champion lady timber rider (on the Virginia point-to-point circuit) and wanted to give it a go. (Liam deStanley was champion novice rider on the flat in 2007.

TGSF: You were born with your boots on, pretty much.

CD: I grew up riding and going to horse shows and races. I started foxhunting when I was 6 and fell in love with going fast.

As soon as I turned 16, I begged my mom to let me start racing. So we found a horse and my parents got back into it.

TGSF: It’s a big jump from hunting to racing.

CD: My first racing job was going down to ride at Sunnybank farm with (the late) Speedy and Eva Smithwick. My mom was really good friends with Speedy, and she knew that he would teach me a lot about what goes into racehorses.

2023 Old Dominion Pt. to Pt. Races Novice Rider Flat race: Camille deStanley on #4 - Big Dave (owned by Camille and Olivia deStanley). ©Douglas Lees

TGSF: How does it feel to be going halfway around the world do an intensive course with the best trainers in the birthplace of steeplechase?

CD: I learned of the Ireland trip last year when Regina Welsh reached out because she saw me race at Middleburg Hunt Point-to-Point.

I have been to Ireland twice in the past when I was really little for my christening, and more recently to visit (my father’s) family for a summer vacation.

It was exciting trying out for this adventure, and I'm very thankful to the TGSF. It’s such an amazing opportunity for young riders to see how big racing is in Ireland.

TGSF: You’re excited?

CD: I'm so excited for the trip I'm practically buzzing. We're going to be riding out for a few different trainers but I'm really excited to ride out for Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins, two of the biggest trainers in the world.

I'm excited to be going to a couple different tracks and just experiencing a higher level of racing.

TGSF: We have to ask it – you think “this horse thing” is temporary or permanent?

CD: Racing and horses is definitely not just a phase in my life, it is my life. I don't know what kind of person I'd be without horses and I plan to do this for the rest of my life.

TGSF: We asked the owners, trainers and riders in their Take 5 With The Top 5 interviews, and we want to ask you, too – any heroes who you might give a shout-out for inspiring your career?

CD: Early childhood heroes I'd have to say are my sister and my two older cousins. The four of us are spread across four years so we kind of grew up as siblings but because I was the youngest I was always having to run to keep up.

I think they are the ones who really pushed me into being the best rider I could be and making be the bravest rider I could be. I didn't want them to leave me behind: They're the reason I started foxhunting at 6!

My current heroes are my grandmother Laura Lee Shreve Newman, and my mom. They both did everything they could with horses and they did it without fear and they did it well.

TGSF: What’s your dream job that’ll maybe get a boost from this trip? Dream big!

CD: My dream job is to first in my 20s be a champion jockey and then move on to training racehorses. Hopefully be a wildly successful trainer and win the Triple Crown or get into the Hall of Fame.

Essay excerpt, Camille deStanley

I grew up surrounded by horses of every size: From the small Shetland pony I first learned to ride on to the 17-hand thoroughbreds I ride now.

Horses have remained a constant throughout my entire life.

I’ve taken up an ambition to be the very best rider I can be. I know I have an incredibly long journey to reach that point. Being able to learn from champion trainers and jockeys, the best of the best, is the opportunity of a lifetime and I will take what I learn and continue to strive to be better and better every day."

Scarlet Haines Davies

Mother: NSA champion rider Blythe Miller Davies (her father, Bruce Miller, trained five-time Eclipse champ and Hall of Fame ‘chaser Lonesome Glory)

Father: Champion amateur rider Joe Davies

Brother: Active jump rider Joseph E. “Teddy” Davies

School: Rising senior at Notre Dame Prep in Towson, Maryland

TGSF: You’ve got quite the steeplechase pedigree.

SD: I’ve been riding as long as I can remember. My parents have been training racehorses and hunters for my entire life.

TGSF: So, that means you got a jump start on racing?

SD: I had my first pony when I was 3. I’ve been very fortunate in having great ponies since the leadline days. Along with my family, that’s what formed my love for racing.

TGSF: Even with all your brand recognition, you still had to do the work to get to go on this trip.

SD: (To qualify), we had to write an essay that included our past riding experience as well as why we wanted to go on this trip. It was definitely exciting, and a bit scary, just because I really wanted to go, and there was always the worry I may not get accepted.

Thankfully, I was (chosen) along with two other talented young riders.

Overall the process just has been really exciting, and I can’t thank Sam Slater and his family, along with TGSF for providing this opportunity.

TGSF: Who are some of your heroes?

SD: My early childhood heroes include my childhood nanny Debbie Baumgardner and my grandmother Nancy Miller. They shaped my view of the world and always made sure I had tons of love, support and, of course, fun!

My current heroes are my grandmother (Joe Davies’ mother,) Ellie – she’s 92 and always so positive and full of life, and when I talk to her about her past, it is always so inspiring to hear all that she did.

As well as my grandfather, PopPop – Bruce Miller. His riding and the legacy he created are truly admirable and I hope to achieve just a fraction of that when I am his age.

Of course my parents too.

TGSF: Anything other than horses that takes your attention?

SD: I run cross country and indoor and outdoor track – the mile, 2-mile and 800 meter.

I started running sophomore year when my dad forced me to join the cross-country team because he thought I would like it.

I loved it.

I’ve been running ever since.

Essay excerpt, Scarlet Davies

“(I did) Green Spring pony camp from the ages of 7 to 15, which included riding out every day for two weeks, learning from different steeplechase trainers such as Jack Fisher, Willie Dowling, Liz McKnight and many others.

I believe it taught me a great deal about the fundamentals of riding.

Establishing a fun mindset around riding from a young age has inspired me to continue my riding into my older years.

I rode in many flat pony races as well as follow the master chases on ponies when I was between the ages of 12 and 15. I did take a brief hiatus from racing the last two years as I focused more on show jumping, and as a working student for former timber jockey and now show jumper, Hadden Frost.

During this time, I continued to gallop horses for my parents Joe and Blythe Davies as well as occasionally for Kathy Neilson. These experiences helped form me into a rider with diverse skills and a complete appreciation for all different disciplines.

(This past) March, I competed in the Foxhall team chase (on) retired racehorse Coastal Moon.

After this race, I had the sudden urge to ride in my first steeplechase (Piedmont point-to-point in Virginia, then Brandywine.)

It was a different experience from anything I had ever done before, and it taught me the importance of getting out of the horse’s way and doing everything in my power to make the race as easy as possible for my horse.



My entire life I have always experienced racing and the racing world as a trainer’s daughter. I believe this trip (will) give me the opportunity to learn and work hard to make a name for myself."

Sophie Ann O’Brien



Family: Mom Tracy O’Brien, dad Darren O’Brien, older sister Hannah

School: Heads to a community college in Baltimore County this fall. “I plan on using this time to figure out what I want to major in and getting more time to ride and experience more.”  

TGSF: Do you see this as a “phase” of your life and that you'll eventually grow out of the horses?

SOB: I could never imagine not having this lifestyle, both riding and living out in the countryside. I definitely want to continue riding after college and so on like my parents do.

TGSF: Dream big – describe your dream job. In horses or out.

SOB: Starting off at a young age most people dressed up as a doctor or a lawyer, me on the other hand I would dress up as a jockey.

From day one until now I’d say that’s never left my mind.

TGSF: How’d we get here? Your last name is a rather famous one in racing – Leo, Michael, Keith – those are just a few O’Briens that were involved in American jump racing. (She's no relation.)

SOB: My first horse experience started at a very young age on my pony PopTart, I don’t think I could walk yet and I was put on a horse.

From then on I didn’t stop.

I went on trail rides and started foxhunting. I was surrounded by my mom and dad who were always riding. My mom rode horses for a living, and my dad rode steeplechase until he was injured.

So, riding was the first thing was introduced to and I am very grateful for that.

TGSF: First racing experience – our bet is that is was pony racing?

SOB: My first racing experience started when I was around 5 or 6 when I rode leadline trot on PopTart and went undefeated.

This continued on into pony flat races and field master chases. I traveled to New York and Washington international horse shows to compete In the pony races held there.

Last fall, I rode Joe Davies’ horse, Brown Delivers (winning a restricted adult turf race at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup meet.) It was so much fun, and very fast. It was a very cool experience.

TGSF: It’s a huge step you’re taking – how’d you work up the courage to apply for the Irish adventure?

SOB: I’ve been to Ireland once before for a family trip. If Ireland wasn’t so far from family and friends I would 100 percent want to move there.

I think it’s beautiful, and I love the weather. I have always wanted to go foxhunting in Ireland and jump all their big hedges and stone walls.

For this trip, we were required to write an essay on our accomplishments as a rider. Joe Davies and Regina Welsh helped me through all the steps to make it this far as a rider.

Essay excerpt, Sophie O’Brien

I grew up with my pony, the world-renowned PopTart. We still have him, and he is just as amazing today as he was when I began riding.  

I have been riding with my family since I was 2 years old , being led on my pony, and by 5 years old I started foxhunting with Green Spring and Mt. Carmel Hounds, and I have not stopped.

I was a member of the Green Spring Pony Club from 6 to 11. I was also a member of the Rising Horsemen from 10 to 15.  

I competed in tetrathlon and won my division for three years, and won the George Hammon award for the highest overall possible score, which included the ever-dreaded horse management inspections.  

I absolutely love caring for horses and learning the wisdom and skills to keep a horse both happy and healthy.

For the last two years, I have been working with my off-track thoroughbred, Aardwolf. He was a hurdler from England, trained (in the U.S.) by Sean McDermott.  

(Last) year, I had privilege of working for Joe and Blythe Davies. It was an amazing experience, and I learned a great deal from them. I got to see the inside details of what is required to train and win one of the nation’s hardest horse races (the Maryland Hunt Cup with Vintage Vinnie.) It is not a walk in the park. It takes more than dedication – it is a passion and love for the horse, its strength, its beauty and its personality."

The 2019 TGSF Ireland trip participants had a fun school on steeplechase owner Charlie Noell's hunt horses during their time abroad. Follow along on the TGSF Facebook page to see what adventures our 2023 participants find!