Category: Jockey News
21-04-2017
Many congratulations to Lewis Stones on riding his first jumps winner at Ludlow on Tuesday evening in the AJA Amateur Riders’ Handicap Hurdle.
7 went to post and the field went a good gallop with Lewis biding his time on ANTON DOLIN trained by Mick Mullineaux, happy to settle in midfield. Lewis started to cajole his horse as they turned into the home straight and they went 2nd from two out to take it up on the flat and win by 5 lengths.
Well done Lewis and winning connections!
Many thanks to AJA President Bob Davies and all at Ludlow Racecourse for re-scheduling this race which was lost from our winter schedule having featured earlier in the calendar in previous years.
Photo credits: AJA
11-04-2017
Do you have jockey plans for Easter weekend? An exciting invitation has just landed for 2 amateur jockeys – either gentlemen and/or lady riders – to ride in Bratislava, Slovakia on Easter Sunday!
The plan is for jockeys to fly out on Easter Saturday to Bratislava and return Monday, racing on the Flat on Sunday over 2000 metres (1m 2f). All flights will be paid for by the AJA.
If you are interested, you do not need to have ridden a winner but must have some race riding experience either on the Flat or jump racing/point-to-pointing/Arab racing and be able to ride at a light weight for men – top weight is 62 kg (9 stone 10 lbs) and bottom weight 57 kg (9 stone). You should also be a member of the AJA.
Please e-mail sph.oliver@btinternet.com as soon as possible if you would like to be considered, giving your full racing career details.
Many thanks!
08-04-2017
Many congratulations to leading amateur jockey of the season James King who enjoyed a fantastic victory at Aintree in the Fox Hunters, going one better than last year’s runner-up slot when again partnering Dineur for trainer Peter Bowen’s son Mickey.
Sadly the pair did not enter the winner’s enclosure as James dismounted after passing the post to ensure the horse’s welfare. Following the race Mickey said “He was quite tired and gave himself a nick. The vets are checking him out but he seems fine. He had a leg two seasons back and when he came here last year he ran second to On The Fringe. Things have gone a lot more smoothly this season and he came out of his run at Chepstow last month really well. We’re delighted with the result and depending on how he recovers he could go to Punchestown at the end of the month. He went there last year but the ground was slower than he wants. So the ground there will be a factor if he’s to travel.”
James said: “Dineur was brilliant. He’s pretty sharp so I wanted him to start quickly. He settled into a nice rhythm and I was always happy where I was. He was a little tired at the finish and I led him to the cooling-down area. He didn’t seem too bad but it was better to be safe than sorry.”
Katie Walsh had what looked like a nasty fall at The Chair from Distime amid initial fears that she had broken her arm. Luckily it transpired that it was only bruised and she was subsequently passed fit to ride Wonderful Charm in the Random Health Grand National.
Well done James on tightening an already firm grip on this season’s amateur men’s jumps championship with this win now taking his total for the season to 15, 7 wins ahead of his nearest rival Richard Patrick.
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
09-03-2017
Many thanks to all who supported Greatwood and the charity race at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday 4 March. 10 riders raised an incredible amount in excess of £40,000 in support of this great charity. Many congratulations to Sheikh Fahad Althani on a gallant 4th, David Dennis placed 3rd, Steph Cameron 2nd and Georgie Norton on winning by the proverbial country mile! Well done all!
If you would like to ride in this charity race in 2018, please e-mail sph.oliver@btinternet.com to express your interest.
Photo credits: AJA
06-03-2017
Are you an experienced successful amateur jockey who might be interested in adding an extraordinary racing experience to your cv?
Saturday 29 April sees the 121st running of the Maryland Hunt Cup, the historic 🇺🇸 American Steeplechase over timber. Not for the faint hearted, the race is held over 4 miles with 22 timber fences.
This year a unique opportunity has arisen for at least 2 amateur jockeys (ladies or gentlemen) (hopefully more) to take part from the UK and Ireland.
Ideally all jockeys will arrive in the USA for the Grand National Steeplechase over timber (which is regarded as the prep race) on the second last Sunday of April, before taking part in the Maryland Hunt Cup the following Saturday. Therefore you need to have a minimum of two (and a maximum of three) weeks if your work schedule permits for your USA stay during which time you will be very well looked after. The minimum stay would be 8-9 days.
Experience over some bigger fences is essential as these jumps are huge and vertical with no take-offs! The horses are very experienced for the most part and very well schooled.
If you are interested, please in the first instance e-mail sph.oliver@btinternet.com giving details of your riding experience and successes to date. Applications close on Friday 10th March – the end of this week!
01-03-2017
The Amateur Jockeys All-Weather season 2016/17 ended at Lingfield on Wednesday 22nd February with the indefatigable Simon Walker claiming his 9th Amateur All-Weather Championship having scored an incredible 6 times this season. A feeling of deja vu would be understandable with the season’s long time leading jockey Serena Brotherton taking the runner-up slot for the second consecutive year with 3 wins, these championship placings also repeating the results of seasons 2011/12 and 2012/13, with both Simon and Serena sharing the title in 2013/14.
It was good to see some rising stars also playing their part with 3rd position going to Jonjo O’Neill Jnr with 2 wins and 4th position to Poppy Bridgwater with a win and some placed rides.
It was also welcome news to see races run without “caps” within race conditions in the latter half of the season as of course this automatically excludes these races from the championship. We ended up with 21 races in total counting towards the championship across 12 months and look forward to our new All-Weather beginning next Thursday 16 March with our new fixture at Chelmsford City.
Many congratulations to our new Champion and runner-up, to all jockeys who enjoyed a win during the season and wishing good luck to everyone for the new season ahead. Thanks must also go to all trainers, owners and racecourses for their unstinting support. It was excellent to add both Newcastle and Chelmsford City to our list of host racecourses which also feature Lingfield, Southwell and Wolverhampton.
Photo credits: AJA
09-01-2017
The 2016/17 All Weather Amateur Jockeys Championship has its final race of the season on Wednesday 22nd February at Lingfield Park when the new Amateur All-Weather Champion will be crowned🏆.
Current pole positions are as follows:
Serena Brotherton 11 points
Poppy Bridgwater & Simon Walker 9 points
Jonjo O’Neill Jnr 6 points
Ross Birkett, Emily Easterby, Claire Hardwick, Ben James, Max Kendrick & David Turner 5 points
However, there is a long way to go with 9 races still to come in January and February including a new additional fixture which has been added to the calendar on 16th February at Chelmsford City by kind agreement between the racecourse and the BHA.
Other races feature at Kempton Park, Newcastle (another new fixture), Southwell, Lingfield Park and Wolverhampton. (The race at Lingfield on 9th February is currently for ladies only and has had the cap (previously published) now removed.)
Previous champions are:
2015/16 Simon Walker
2014/15 Simon Walker
2013/14 Simon Walker & Serena Brotherton
2012/13 Simon Walker
2011/12 Simon Walker
2010/11 Chris Martin
2009/10 Serena Brotherton
2008/09 Simon Walker
2007/08 Simon Walker
2006/07 Simon Pearce
2005/06 Simon Walker
2004/05 Scott Dobson
2003/04 Eamon Dehdashti
Good luck all!
09-01-2017
CALLING ANY AMATEURS INTERESTED IN ATTENDING A CATEGORY B COURSE!
We are in danger of losing the January Cat B / Conditional course scheduled for next week (16th to 20th January) at The Northern Racing College due to lack of uptake!
Applicants will of course need to have attained the necessary criteria and accrued the correct number of completed rides (15 under Rules, majority over obstacles or 20 in both Point to Point Steeple chases and races under Rules over obstacles).
BHA Licensing are happy to help if you are unsure of your exact race record and/or need advice.
Please spread the word if you know of friends who are planning on taking out a Cat B licence! Many thanks! Please feel free to share.
