The Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation has named Conan Murray and Mark Moloney as the 2026 recipients of its Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Experience scholarships, the Foundation announced Friday.
Granted to recent graduates of equine programs from Irish educational institutions, these annual awards provide young people with the opportunity to travel to the United States and gain placement at a leading Kentucky farm.
Conan Murray, a Kildare native and graduate of Kildalton College, will be based in Lexington at Springhouse Farm, a full service breeding operation. Conan has worked at Baroda Stud and Ballylinch Stud in Ireland and had a stint with Yulong Investments in Australia.
“I'm extremely thrilled to have been accepted for the Gerry Dilger scholarship and am really looking forward to getting started,” said Murray.
Joining him is Mark Moloney, a native of County Waterford who will be joining Hunter Valley farm in Versailles, also a full service breeding operation. Mark graduated from the renowned Irish National Stud course in 2024 and has worked at several well-known farms in Ireland including Clare Castle Stud, Glidawn Stud, The Beeches and Ballyhimikin Stud. In addition, he has ridden out for Dungarvan trainer Paul Stephen Kiely.
“[I am] deeply interested in the art and business of pinhooking and [am] committed to building a strong reputation in this area,” Moloney said.
Click here for full scholarship details.
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