Category: International News
22-02-2018
A huge thank you to our friends at the Jockey Club of Peru Jochi Meza and Sara Torres for so kindly offering the chance of a lifetime for us to send an amateur jockey to ride at Hipodromo de Monterrico in Lima, Peru this coming weekend! This is the first time ever that a British amateur jockey has ridden there.
With a very light riding weight of 56 kg required, multiple flat lady champion Serena Brotherton is delighted to be flying out this week to enjoy this unique experience. Thanks to our kind hosts, Serena looks forward to 2 rides on Saturday, one over 1500 metres on dirt and the other over a mile on turf.
Loads of good luck and safe travels to Serena flying the flag for the AJA
🇬🇧 on her South American adventure! 
🍀
✈️
🏇
💨
Watch live here!! Saturday night 2nd race TEFO 7:25 pm & 7th race THUNDERING SAINT 9:30 pm
http://www.hipodromodemonterrico.com.pe/pedigree/sistemas/arbol/inscripciones.php
02-12-2017
Congratulations Shauna Larkin on winning the Britain v Ireland Challenge Hurdle yesterday at Limerick with Dromore Lad for Dermot McLoughlin by half a length from James King on Ali Bin Nayef for Shark Hanlon with Becky Smith 3 1/2 lengths 3rd on Hawk Eye Down for Paul Power. This was a special win for Shauna being her first win under Rules so a day for her never to forget!
Sam Davies-Thomas was 4th on top weight Paper Lantern. Of the 7 runners, only 5 finished and Page Fuller pulled up.
10-11-2017
Tonight sees the finals of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies and Apprentices World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
Many thanks to the Sheikh Mansoor Festival and of course to the driving force that is Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairman of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) and Chairman of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) for the many opportunities given to our own lady amateurs as well as professional lady riders and British apprentice jockeys.
This year Jodie Hughes (Oman), Alice Mills (St Moritz (abandoned) & Stockholm), Emma Todd (Texas), Ellie MacKenzie (Bahrain & Chelmsford), Michelle Edden (Morocco), Emma Sayer (Rome), Poppy Bridgwater (California), Ostend (Rosie Jessop) and Poland (Joanna Mason) all enjoyed riding abroad and representing Great Britain. There were some incredibly close finishes but sadly no amateur victory, although we were hugely proud to have a UK win in Belgium (for the 3rd consecutive year with previous winners Page Fuller and Cath Walton) thanks to Rosie Jessop who rides in tonight’s finale. GOOD LUCK ROSIE!
The following apprentices also rode for the UK: Katherine Glenister (Oman & Copenhagen), Jane Elliott (Rome), Paddy Pilley(Chelmsford and New Jersey), Jonathan Fisher (Poland) and Paula Muir (France). Sadly again no UK victories but Newmarket (Stuart Williams) based Milly Naseb was victorious representing Jordan at Chelmsford which earned her a place in the line-up tonight in the apprentices’ finale. GOOD LUCK MILLY!
Other UK based apprentices represented their respective countries: Manuel Fernandes (Portugal), Jordan Uys (Zimbabwe), Sophie Ralston (Ireland) and Robbie Fitzpatrick (Ireland).
Wishing everyone a great evening’s racing in Abu Dhabi to conclude this year’s Arabian racing under the patronage of the Sheikh Mansoor Festival.
We all send get well soon wishes to Cecily Eaton who was due to represent Australia but had a bad race fall the day before leaving for the Middle East and is currently recuperating with broken bones in her back. Mend soon Cecily!
28-10-2017
Huge thanks to Kit Wu of Wuhan Jockey Club for inviting us to send a representative from the UK to ride in China this week in their International Invitational race.
Well done to Jay Kendrick for being selected to represent Great Britain and doing an excellent job for us in this ambassadorial role. James is amateur jockey to Roger Charlton at Beckhampton and has enjoyed a winner under Rules as well as an Arabian win.
James thoroughly enjoyed taking part in yesterday’s race and, although his horse was a little too slow to be placed, this was a great and unique experience for him and we really appreciate the kind hospitality of our friends in China.
20-10-2017
Well done to Freddie Tett who survived what can only be described as absolute carnage including a slipping saddle when riding in the cross country race at Nuilly sur Vicoin in France and enjoying victory earlier this month!
The video tells the story and this was a first victory for a UK gentleman rider over this demanding course.
A previous visit to Nuilly sur Vicoin took place in 2007 thanks to the kind invitation of Jeremy Mahot when Polly Gundry became the first lady jump jockey to ride around and complete the course and Clairey Bonner went on to win there that weekend. Dickie Barrett and Alex Merriam also took part and the memories of their negotiations over the river still remain fresh!
27-09-2017
Our military amateur riders are an integral part of our membership and the names of Erica Bridge and Guy Disney should be familiar to everyone after their many exploits and successes at our annual Sandown military meetings.
Both jockeys took to a different stage at the weekend when riding in Merano (Erica currently stationed in Italy) and congratulations to Erica on a valiant 4th place with Guy 7th.
Here is the official press release:
Two British military amateur riders rode in a 3300m Fegentri organised race over natural hedges at Merano in the South Tirol region of Italy yesterday (Sat 23 Sep). Captain Guy Disney flew in to partner Sareerah, a 4 year old filly trained by A. Bianco. Lieutenant Colonel Erica Bridge, already based in northern Italy due to her husband’s NATO posting, rode Dalton, a 5 year old gelding trained by Ilenia Nero and ridden in the famous colours of the double Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Ribot.
The participation of the military riders was made possible due to the assistance of Merano racecourse and Major Domenico D’Alò. D’Alò is an Italian Signals officer who rode in the 2017 Grand Military Gold Cup and won the Annington Homes Queen Mother Memorial Hurdle Race for Nicky Henderson on Silverhowe at Sandown Park in March.
Some of the best amateur riders in Europe were amongst the 12 in the line up, including the eventual winner on Relco Sud Ovest, Barbara Guenet, the leading French Lady Amateur rider and Riccardo Belluco, the leading Italian Amateur, who has already notched up 20 wins in the series so far this season with over €72.000 in prize money.
Merano has to be one of the most stunning racecourses around, surrounded by the Dolomites, with vineyards and Tyrolean villages nestled high up in the mountains. 3300m ‘siepi’ course is in a tight figure of 8, which demanded a fairly high standard of horsemanship and spatial awareness to negotiate the turns at speed. With one faller and a flying plank of wood from the base of one of the fences, it was not a race devoid of excitement.
D’Alò managed to finish 2nd on Albina behind Relco Sud Ovest. Dalton quickened over the last for Bridge to finish well in 4th and Disney, whose instructions were to finish whatever happened, came home 7th.
It was a great experience for the British military riders to race in Italy, particularly at such a big venue and on the first day of the two-day Gran Premio meeting.
15-09-2017
Are you a very light gentleman amateur jockey who seeks race riding opportunities abroad?
An invitation has arrived for a gentleman jockey who can ride at only 9 stone to ride in Wuhan, China, at their 15th International Horse Racing Festival.
The International Invitational Race will be a 1100 metre non-handicapped and non-thoroughbred race on 21st October. All expenses will be paid for flights and accommodation as well as local transportation and meals. This is a unique and extraordinary experience to look forward to. All jockeys are asked to arrive on 18th October and return on 23rd October.
If you are interested and have a current passport and licence as well as no problem riding at this very light weight please e-mail sph.oliver@btinternet.com to put your name forward.
09-09-2017
Its not very often that an amateur jockey enjoys a winning ride on 2 consecutive days, but to ride a winner on 3 consecutive days is very rare. Make that 3 wins in 3 days in 3 different countries and it is extraordinary.
That is exactly what Freddie Tett achieved recently when he began the last weekend in August riding in France’s inaugural point-to-point at Vaumas on Saturday. Riding as a non-nominated guest rider in the inaugural The Gentlemen’s League series in the cross country race, Fred sent the Augustine Adeline de Boisbrunet-trained SARIKA to the front 5 fences from home and managed to hold on in a photo finish from the fast finishing URGENT DE GREGAINE and Ireland’s Dean Sinnott, with William Easterby 3rd on ALPHA TIEP. A video of the day can be seen here of the day’s racing, with the pont-to-point race starting at approx 1:28:30: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvah4k4-Gus
Well done also to William Easterby who rides for GB in this year’s Gentlemen’s League (against France and Ireland) and went on to win a race of his own on the same day.
A 3 am start on Sunday morning saw Fred back in the UK in time to partner his mother’s horse MR RED CLUBS at Goodwood trained by his brother Henry and running in the Gay Kindersley memorial amateur riders’ Handicap. 11 went to post with Fred content to bide his time until about 2 furlongs out, where he wore down the leaders to pull clear inside the final furlong and win by a couple of lengths.
Next stop Les Landes, Jersey on Bank Holiday Monday for the first race of the day over hurdles which he duly won by 4 lengths when riding against professionals aboard BOWL IMPERIOR for local trainer Alyson Malzard. Well done Fred on a great weekend’s work and a unique achievement!
28-03-2017
Huge thanks to each and every amateur jockey who applied for the extraordinary opportunity so kindly offered by our friends in the US for two amateur jockeys from this side of the pond to ride in the Maryland Hunt Cup.
Over 100 applications were received both from UK based and Irish amateur jockeys and there were many very strong contenders which made the selection process challenging. However, the prerequisite for jockeys to have to commit to a minimum stay of 9 days helped a little to narrow the field.
After lengthy discussions with Amateur Riders Club of America President and Middleburg trainer Don Yovanovic and winning 2016 Maryland Hunt Cup trainer Joe Davies, we are delighted to announce that Emma Todd and Max Kendrick will travel from the UK to the USA next month and spend a week with Joe Davies before riding in the Maryland Hunt Cup on Saturday 29th April.
We are very hopeful that further such opportunities will arise in the future to share with our experienced amateur jockeys in the hope that as many jockeys as possible can gain from such a unique adventure. Good luck Emma and Max! 🇬🇧
24-03-2017
With the decline of jump racing in many parts of Europe in recent years (and also sadly now non-existent within Fegentri), the AJA welcome the founding of “The Gentlemen’s League”, a European Jump Championship for gentlemen riders, conceived by France’s Gonzague Cottreau and Maxim Denuault together with Ireland’s Patrick Mullins and GB’s Freddy Tett.
Yesterday saw the first race of their inaugural year held in Cork with this year’s representatives enjoying their first encounter: Pierre Dubourg for France, Dean Sinnott for Ireland and William Easterby for Great Britain. Unfortunately William’s weight cloth slipped off which automatically disqualified him from the race, with Dean finishing 2nd and Pierre down the field. However, a good time was had by all! The next race in their calendar will be held at Le Lion d’Angers on 25th May over their incredible cross country course. Good luck all!
To follow the boys’ progress throughout the year you can visit their website here: http://thegentlemensleague.wixsite.com/accueil/copie-de-l-association
