Interview: Sarah Ayton

“I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie,” says 37-year-old Sarah Ayton OBE, the Olympic sailor who will race in the renowned charity event the Magnolia Cup this year – one of the highlights of the Goodwood Qatar Festival – having only sat on a horse twice in her life before commencing training in December.
“I love speed, so going 35-38mph on a horse was pretty appealing to me. I didn’t hesitate to sign up.”

It’s this passion for all things exhilarating, combined with an affinity for perfecting technique, that led Sarah to Olympic gold medals for sailing in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008). Now she has set her sights on mastering a very different sport – and all in less than eight months. 

“I’m giving this 100 per cent of my attention,” says Ayton, who rides at least three times a week and trains in the gym each day. “Making sure I’m really fit is a quick win for me, so I want to be one of the fittest jockeys out there. I’m lucky in that you use the same core strength you need for sailing.”

It’ll take more than just fitness, though, to give Ayton the lead. As any experienced jockey will tell you, horse racing is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. “Going fast is the easy bit,” she says. “What I’m struggling with is how to relax. Confidence comes with time and experience, so I’ve been working on harnessing my nerves so the horse doesn’t pick up on them. You need to be calm but also aggressive.”

There are certain advantages, however, in entering the race as a novice. Learning under the guidance of horse racing trainer Amanda Perrett and her husband, Mark, she has the benefit of an expert team behind her, and coming to riding later in life means she has “no bad technique, only good”. As with sailing, jockeys need to be aware of multiple different factors around them while retaining focus – but of course it’s a different challenge entirely when you’re dealing with animals.

“Being on this unpredictable, living thing adds a completely different dimension,” Ayton says. “I’m very fortunate that my horse, Archangel Raphael, who I call Archie, is an experienced racing horse. He’s solid and I trust him, and we have a good relationship – although I always have to show him who’s boss.”

Managing a time-consuming training regime with the demands of family life is another challenge, with Ayton fitting in her trips to the stables after the school run and training in a home gym in her shed in nearby Birdham, West Sussex, as well as on the Goodwood Estate. “It’s pretty tiring,” she says. “The hard bit is trying to get the rest you need when you’re pushing yourself physically. My days are quite exhausting mentally too. Every evening though, I always sit down with the boys [Oscar, five, and Thomas, seven] and we all discuss our stories. They’re coming to watch me on race day and
I hope this teaches them that you can’t just give up when things are tough, and that you should always be up for trying something new – you really can do anything if you’re brave enough.”

For Ayton, what began as yet another personal challenge has been rewarding in unexpected ways. “It’s given me back that sense of achievement and fulfilment I used to have when I was sailing,” she says, “and it’s a form of total escapism. When I’m on a horse I’m completely living; all my senses are firing and I don’t think about anything else.”

Although she already has her sights set on doing another race, Ayton won’t comment on her chances of winning. For her, it’s simply about getting off the start line and being in control. “When you’re standing on the podium at the Olympics and you’ve delivered, it’s not really about you – it’s the people all around you, who’ve helped you on this incredible journey. I’m my toughest critic – and I know my children will give me a hard time if I don’t win – but I’ve been overwhelmed with how supportive everyone has been. Amanda, Mark, everyone else… it’ll just be amazing to enjoy that final day with them.”  The Magnolia Cup will take place at Goodwood on Thursday August 3, and will raise funds for Place2Be, a charity that provides emotional and therapeutic services for children in primary and secondary schools 

Photography by David Goldman

This article is taken from the Goodwood magazine, Summer 2017 issue