Month: March 2006
14-03-2006
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General meeting of the AJA will be held on Tuesday 28th March at 11.30 am at Weatherbys, Sanders Road, Wellingborough, Northants NN8 4BX when the following ordinary business will be considered:
1 to receive apologies for absence
2 to consider and if thought fit to approve and confirm the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and to authorise the President to sign them
3 to receive and consider the report of the directors
4 to receive and consider the report of the Chief Executive
5 to receive and consider and if thought fit to pass a resolution adopting the accounts for twelve months ending 31 December 2005. The accounts are now completed and copies will be available at the AGM. Alternatively, on receipt of a stamped addressed envelope, copies will be sent to members on written request
6 to consider and if thought fit to pass a resolution electing directors.
(a) The following director retires at the Annual General Meeting in accordance with Regulations 26.1 and 26.2 and offers himself for re-election:
Philip Pritchard (nominated by Gay Kindersley and seconded by Di Arbuthnot)
Should any other person wish to stand for election as a director he or she is referred to the provisions of regulation 27
7 to re-appoint Dr L A Cotterill as auditors and to authorise the directors to fix their remuneration
Dated: 1st March 2006
By order of the board
……………………………………..Company Secretary
A member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and vote in his stead. A proxy need not be a member of the company.
10-03-2006
Only a fortnight after riding a double on Inca Trail and First Love on clearly his favourite track where he now holds a 50% succcess rate, Jamie Snowden made it one better by riding a treble at Sandown’s Grand Military meeting in the pouring rain.
Jamie’s day began with a winner for Tony Carroll on Danse Macabre before he partnered Inca Trail to a thrilling finish, justing snatching the winning position from Jody Sole on Dr Pritchard’s Happy Hussar, a 100/1 shot who ran his heart out.
Jamies’s hat trick was completed on Her Majesty the Queen’s First Love for his guv’nor Nicky Henderson. This horse was the last winner for the late Queen Mother and it was therefore the most appropriate win for the Hunterchase run in her beloved memory.
03-03-2006
The Amateur Jockeys Association are saddened to learn of Dale Jewett’s arrest and subsequent release on bail. We fully support all of our members in times of adversity. This sorry affair has dragged on for over three years which is a massive timescale within the relatively short working life of a jump jockey. The protracted tarnishing of his reputation can only hinder his riding opportunities, which are hard enough to come by for any amateur jockey. At the hearing in 2004, Dale Jewett was the only jockey who had no legal representation. This case highlights a concern shared by both professional and amateur jockeys alike – the unlevel playing field which has been produced through the massive disparity in resources – and leaves a question mark over whether British justice will ever prevail.
03-03-2006
After riding 2 winners from 2 consecutive rides in Germany last summer, David England took a crunching fall which chipped a vertebra in his neck and sidelined him for many months.
His patience paid off when he made a winning comeback in only his second ride since returning to the saddle on Randolph O’Brien at Leicester on 28th February, winning the amateur riders’ handicap chase by a distance.
Now he has his sights set on completing a notable comeback by riding at Cheltenham Festival, where he has been pencilled in for mounts in both amateur riders’ contests by guv’nor Nigel Twiston-Davies.”He is a very good rider and it is nice to get him back,” said the trainer. “He will ride Bob The Builder in the Kim Muir and may ride Ardaghey in the four-miler if he doesn’t go for the Sun Alliance Chase.”
David, a 19-year-old in his third season with Twiston-Davies, said: “I was out for nearly six months and had my first ride back at Huntingdon last week.”
03-03-2006
Jamie Snowden has a strike-rate around Sandown that even Tony McCoy would envy and a memorable double on Inca Trail and First Love made it eight wins from only 17 rides.
A third Royal Artillery Gold Cup win on Inca Trail was thrill enough for the 26-year-old former soldier, now Assistant to Nicky Henderson. But a winning first ride in Her Majesty the Queen’s colours on First Love in the Hunter Chase made the afternoon a truly special one.
Interviewed on television after getting the Henderson-trained First Love home by a length from hot favourite Cracking Dawn after an exhilarating front-running ride, Jamie said: “I’d never ridden for the Queen before. It was a thrill just to put on the colours, let alone ride a winner in them.”
Jamie had earlier employed the opposite tactics on Best Mate’s enigmatic brother Inca Trail, who needs holding up until the last possible moment.
In a race that began in earnest only when Back Nine took the lead from Lord Kilpatrick going to the last, Jamie cooly waited until halfway up the run-in before letting the ten-year-old go. The winning margin was only a head, but Inca Trail asserted instantly when given the office.
Trainer Paul Nicholls was not present, but a return to Sandown in a month’s time for the Grand Military Gold Cup is likely for Inca Trail. Paul Nicholls and Jamie achieved the same double a year ago with Whitenzo.
03-03-2006
With the FEGENTRI General Assembly held at the beginning of February this year in Kuala Lumpur by kind invitation of the Malaysian Amateur Racing Association, our FEGENTRI 2006 season begins in earnest with racing in Siracusa (Sicily) on Saturday, 18th March.
The first FEGENTRI race of 2006 took place on Sunday 15th January in Seville, Spain, and David Turner represented GB, riding in 2 races there.
The AJA received numerous applications for the coveted roles of lady and gentleman representative for Great Britain. (Unfortunately many applicants had not ridden the requisite number of 5 winners under Rules. However, all applicants details will be kept on file for future consideration. There are a few foreign invitation races throughout the year to which those who have ridden less than 5 winners can be invited.)
For 2006, we are delighted to announce that Faye Bramley and Ben King will represent Great Britain and we wish them every success for a wonderful season ahead of them.
03-03-2006
The AJA gave their five 2005 Champions a night to remember with the AJA Championship Dinner Dance at Cheltenham Racecourse on Saturday 18th February.
Luke Harvey kindly acted as compere and assisted AJA President Gay Kindersley in presenting the prize winners with their cups and trophies, following the President delivering a poem to the assembled company to mark the occasion, for which he received a standing ovation.
Luke Harvey then conducted an auction which raised over £1000 for the AJA. This will be put to good use in sponsoring an amateur riders’ race later this year. Very many thanks to all those who donated prizes for the auction, in particular George Goring of Gorings Hotel, Frankie Dettori and Weatherbys.
One champion who was certainly in good spirits was 2005 National Hunt champion Thomas Greenall, who had enjoyed a splendid and facile win earlier in the day at Taunton on BRIAREUS for former amateur jockey Andrew Balding in the Bathwick Tyres Kingwell Hurdle with an all-the-way victory as he readily repelled all challengers up the straight.
Congratulations to all of our prize winners:
2005 National Hunt Gentleman Amateur Champion – Thomas Greenall; Runner-Up Nick Williams.
2005 National Hunt Lady Amateur Champion – Polly Gundry; Runner-Up Rose Davidson.
2005 Flat Gentleman Amateur Champion – Simon Walker; Runner-Up – Lee Newnes.
2005 Flat Lady Amateur Champion – Serena Brotherton; Runner-Up – Emily Jones.
2005 All-Weather Champion Amateur – Scott Dobson; Runner-Up – Simon Walker.
President’s Prize 2005 for outstanding achievement – Julian Pritchard.
Weatherbys’s Prize for Most Memorable NH Ride – Sam Waley-Cohen.
Weatherbys’ Prize for Most Memorable Flat Ride – Scott Dobson.
