BOLLINGER PROVIDES ANOTHER CORKING SEASON FOR THE GENTLEMEN!

21-05-2008

The 15^th year of sponsorship by Bollinger Champagne in conjunction with the Daily Telegraph begins on Friday at Newmarket with the first gentlemen’s flat race of their series for 2008 to be run over the Rowley Mile.

 The 2008 series consists of twelve races culminating in a finale at the prestigious Ascot Autumn Festival meeting on Friday 26th September. The Bollinger Champagne Challenge Series has undoubtedly helped to improve the standard of riding for gentlemen amateur riders.  Last year’s series winner, 20 year old Charlie Huxley, has gone on to win not only this year’s National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but also the Scottish Grand National at Ayr as an amateur jockey before recently taking out his professional jockey’s licence.  We all wish Charlie every success with his career. The remaining races for this year’s series are: 

NATIONAL HUNT CHAMPIONS TO BE CROWNED AT STRATFORD ON SATURDAY

21-05-2008

Rose Davidson rode a double today at Kelso and Sedgefield, confident in the knowledge that nobody can snatch the ladies NH title from her with 19 wins accrued so far this season.  Her nearest rival is Jacqui Kidd, winner of the Cadale Ladies Hurdle Series, on 8 wins, with Gemma Gracey-Davison third on 4 wins.

 The championship runs from 27th May 2007 until 24th May 2008

Meanwhile, the men’s title is not so clearcut.  With Thomas Greenall sidelined by a bad fall which damaged his liver back in March, he has had to watch his lead slowly diminish with Nick Scholfield creeping up on him and currently equalling his winning total of 19 wins.  Things could change over the next 72 hours with Nick only needing one more winner to take the Championship.  Josh Guerriero remains third with 13 wins for the season.

*  turned professional

BRITANNIA RULES IN GERMANY!

17-05-2008

Many congratulations to Ben Brisbourne and to Nicola Jefferson who represented Great Britain in the Fegentri World Cup of Nations in Baden-Baden, Germany, today.  Ben won the race and Nicola finished 2^nd.

Great Britain now lead the Fegentri World Cup of Nations Series with 2 wins from 2 runs, Scott Dobson having won the first leg in Italy in March. 

It has been a good week for England with Danny Cook also having won in Madrid on Thursday for the gentlemen.  The Fegentri riders are getting used to listening to our National Anthem!

DANNY COOK REIGNS IN SPAIN!

15-05-2008

Representing Great Britain for his first ride of the Fegentri season, Danny Cook could not have wished for a better start, winning in great style today in Madrid.  Congratulations to Danny!  He and Gemma Gracey-Davison, his female counterpart, have now ridden one winner apiece so far this Fegentri season.

New Vice President and New Director welcomed at AJA AGM

15-05-2008

The Annual General Meeting of the AJA was held at Weatherbys on Tuesday 13^th May by kind permission of Dr Paull Khan when tributes were paid to the late Vice President John Ciechanowski who died recently. 

Director Dr Philip Pritchard was appointed Vice President and Bob Davies installed as Director to join fellow board members Ian Balding, Richard Dunwoody, Nick Gaselee and  President Gay Kindersley together with Vice President Bill Shand Kydd. 

A cheque was presented by the President to Richard Dunwoody to contribute toward the Richard Dunwoody South Pole Account which has so far raised £80,000 for Richard’s 3 favourite charities, Racing Welfare, SPARKS and Spinal Research.

DUKE OF BRISSAC INVITES 4 GENTLEMEN AMATEURS TO ANGERS

02-05-2008

This Sunday, 4^th May, David Turner, Phil Collington, Danny Cook and Richard Bandey will be representing Great Britain by riding in Angers thanks to an invitation from the Duke of Brissac to celebrate 30 years of his race which originated as the Richmond-Brissac Trophy.  A return match is currently being planned to take place in England in the autumn.

AMATEUR NH CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES SOON TO REACH CONCLUSION

01-05-2008

Whilst jumping’s pros said goodbye to their 2007/8 season at Sandown last week, NH amateurs continue their season which concludes at Stratford on Saturday 24^th May.  Nick Scholfield is enjoying loosening Thomas Greenall’s hold on the amateur men’s NH championship, reigning Champion Thomas currently sidelined following damage to his liver sustained in a fall back in March whilst heading the men’s table with 19 wins.  Nick’s win last Monday took his total to 18 as he continues to narrow the gap.  With 3 of our top amateurs having turned professional in the last few weeks (and good luck to Alex Merriam, Charlie Huxley and Harry Haynes), Josh Guerriero is the only other possible contender, currently lying 3^rd in the tables with 13 wins. 

Meanwhile Rose Davidson holds a clear lead of 17 wins to head the Ladies table, with Jacqui Kidd her nearest rival on 8, followed by Gemma Gracey-Davison on 4 having ridden a very patient but persistent and brilliantly timed race on Toni Al Cala having only his third run over fences at Huntingdon tonight and leaving her professional rivals including Champion jockey Tony McCoy in her wake.

UPDATE ON BETFAIR HURDLE SERIES AND CADALE LADIES HURDLE SERIES

01-05-2008

Congratulations to Nick Scholfield on winning the Betfair Series at Perth last week, gaining the most points in the series.   Full results of the Series are included in the Championship Tables on the left.  The weather played havoc with the series by claiming the Sedgefield hurdle fixture which was replaced by a Hunterchase later in the season.

Congratulations to Jacqui Kidd who has already secured the Cadale Lady Riders Hurdle Series by winning the first 2 of this year’s 3 ladies hurdle races.  Originally a series of 5, sponsor Kevin James won’t forget 2008 in a hurry as the weather claimed his first 2 races scheduled in January and February at Leicester and Catterick.  Even his 3rd race at Huntingdon looked in doubt but thankfully survived a double inspection in March.   The finale of the Cadale Series Is at Wetherby on 22^nd May.

DANNY COOK ACCEPTS FEGENTRI OFFER AND RIDES A WINNER!

29-04-2008

Commiserations to Tom Weston who had a crunching fall at the Berkeley on Saturday which knocked him out for 4 minutes and resulted in a broken collar bone.  (By coincidence, this was the same horse that knocked Claire Allen out for 5 minutes at Bangor a few weeks ago!)

This injury is sickening for Tom as not only will it rule him out of riding Caught at Dawn at Cheltenham’s Hunterchase evening meeting next week but it also rules out his plans to be Great Britain’s Fegentri representative this year.

Danny Cook has stepped into the breach and is looking forward to trips to Spain (Madrid), France (Auteuil) and Germany (Mannheim) in the next few weeks.

Danny has celebrated by winning in fine style at Wincanton this afternoon, producing his horse with a well timed run to pass AP McCoy on the run-in for his guv’nor David Pipe.

AJA MOURNS THE LOSS OF VICE-PRESIDENT JOHN CIECHANOWSKI

23-04-2008

John Ciechanowski, Vice President of the Amateur Jockeys Association of Great Britain and a pioneer of amateur racing, died this morning at home in East Garston with his family close by.

Of Polish descent, John escaped his home country with the invasion of the Germans and Russians when he was 17.  Advised to escape to the East, he managed to reach Warsaw before boarding a train to Austria and Italy, eventually rejoining his parents in Paris.  During the brief campaign when Germany attacked France, John joined the Polish army and reached England, before the Polish army reformed to join the Allied attack on the Normandy beaches.

John rode for many years all over Europe, receiving the Fegentri Silver Spur in 1967 and both the Golden and Silver Spur in 1968.  He was widely travelled and fluent in several languages, having trained in Brazil and lived in Ireland (working for Vincent O’Brien) and France, before settling in England.    John was the first European to venture out to Dubai and was instrumental in the introduction of thoroughbred racing there.  In the early 1980s he was also the only trainer in Berkshire to train for a Sheikh, when he acted as private trainer to Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum.

John rode out regularly for Barry Hills, Noel Chance and Mick Channon in recent years before retiring from the saddle, reluctantly, only about 18 months ago.  Fitter than most people of half his age, John rode in the charity race at Newbury in 2005 at the age of 83 and raised thousands of pounds for Spinal Injuries. 

John will always be remembered as the most modest of men, a cultured gentleman amateur rider who held strong views and was never happier than when in the saddle.  He leaves a son and a granddaughter as well as many nephews and nieces, one of his nieces following his path as an amateur rider.  He also leaves a host of friends worldwide and will be much missed.