The acclaimed Irish television documentary Jump Girls will have its United States premiere this St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, on RIDE TV, the equestrian cable/satellite network seen nationally on DISH, Comcast/Xfinity, and other distributors. The film will debut as a two-hour special at 7 p.m. | 6c, then repeat at 10 p.m.| 9c and 1a.m. | 12c, giving viewers three chances to watch: before, during, or after their St. Paddy’s Day celebrations.
“As an Irish American, I’m particularly proud to debut this inspirational documentary about the most fearless female jockeys in the world,” said RIDE TV CEO and co-founder Michael Fletcher, “and I’m especially happy to do so on St. Patrick’s Day in March, which is Women’s History Month.”
Jump Girls, which originally premiered in Ireland as a two-part documentary in March of 2019, follows jockeys Rachael Blackmore, Katie Walsh, Lisa O’Neill and Katie O’Farrell, and trainer Jessica Harrington, as they battle at the top of National Hunt Racing, an exciting and perilous steeplechase competition that includes extremely challenging barriers. The film gives audiences an inside look at the lives of these female jockeys as they overcome the obstacles (both literal and figurative) of being women in a predominantly male sport, and the dangers that come with racing horses over hurdles at top speed.
Jump Girls was directed by award-winning director and filmmaker Luke McManus. McManus also directed the IFTA-nominated sports documentary Jump Boys (2012), which focused on the men of National Hunt Racing, and Arkle: The Legend Lives On (2014), a documentary film on beloved Irish horse Arkle, a three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and dubbed the greatest steeple-chaser ever. That documentary film won Sports Programme of the Year in 2015 from both the IFTA and Celtic Media Awards.
“Jump Girls started its life as a film about horse racing, but it soon became something else; a film about women in sport,” McManus said. “The fact remains: racing is the only major sport in Ireland where women directly take on the men, and often beat them…Our admiration for our subjects is greater now than ever before.”
Jump Girls will be immediately followed by the Season 2 premiere of PBR Ride To Glory, a RIDE TV fan-favorite featuring spectacular bull riding competition from PBR. The premier episode of PBR Ride To Glory will start at 9 p.m. | 8c and repeat at 12 a.m. | 11c.
RIDETV.com/Watch.