From Runway to Racetrack

Up until a few months ago, I considered myself a fairly fit equestrian. After all, I hacked out several times a week in Hyde Park, and was certainly no stranger to the running machine at my local gym. But as soon as I was selected to ride in this year’s Magnolia Cup, I set out on a journey that has opened my eyes to the incredible strength and athleticism required to become a jockey – even if only for a day.

Going freelance for the first time in my career in 2021, in a job as a fashion journalist that involves hours sat at a laptop every day, left me craving the kind of physical challenge that would boost my health and bolster my self-confidence.

Where many might sign up to do a marathon or take up cold water swimming, my potential midlife crisis could ever only be assuaged on horseback.

In the years since I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world to ride – across the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and the grassy Mongolian steppe, on the beaches of Morocco and through the rainforests near Cairns, Australia. And I have been welcomed into an amazing community of fellow equestrians, whose support, friendship and humour have seen me through heartbreaks, work stress and plenty of horse-related injuries.

So being accepted as a rider in the Markel Magnolia Cup – an annual charity race that sees 12 brave women from different backgrounds, with varying degrees of equestrian experience, training to become amateur jockeys and race at Glorious Goodwood on Ladies’ Day – seemed a dream come true. Better still, this year’s event is raising money for The Brilliant Breakfast, an initiative started by my colleague, the jeweller (and Sussex local) Annoushka Ducas, that helps disadvantaged girls and women aged between 11 and 30 to access education and employment. How could I possibly say no?

My training began early. To qualify as an amateur jockey, and to ensure everyone’s safety on race day, each Magnolia Cup entrant must pass the notoriously gruelling British Horseracing Authority assessment, designed to test a rider’s fitness and endurance skills to the limit. We’re talking four-minute planks, weighted wall squats and 90-second push-ups, and that’s before anyone has tacked up a horse.

So I contacted Rhian Stephenson, a nutritionist, trainer, and founder of the Artah wellness brand, for help. She put together a targeted regime of weights, resistance training and stationary bike exercises to build up muscles strong enough for me to “push” a horse along a 51/2-furlong track and to withstand the deep lactic-acid burn that inevitably accompanies this. On her recommendation I also made tweaks to my diet, including more protein and “good fats” such as avocados and flaxseed oil, to support my body through the heavy-duty exercises.

I also began riding out with the kind and understanding team at Michael Attwater’s Epsom-based yard, who would train me to ride their racehorses and ensure I adopted the proper form as I did so. At first my body went into shock –

I could barely stand after each gym session or morning on the gallops. My inner critic also went into overdrive, and I experienced intense bouts of impostor syndrome and anxiety. I feared I’d bitten off far more than I could chew.

Chided Stephenson after I called her in a panic one morning, having slumped in a breathless heap in the gym. My body, she gently reminded me, was not a machine, and needed to recover properly to build strength. I also needed to be more patient with myself – no small task for a perfectionist who works best under the pressure of a tight deadline. 

Little by little, as my physical ability started to grow, so too did my mental resilience. I became, if not entirely comfortable, then certainly more open to being outside my comfort zone each time I stepped onto the workout mat or sprung into a tiny racing saddle for a ride. The thought of The Brilliant Breakfast’s important work also spurred me on through every pre-dawn alarm call and painful muscle spasm.

As you read this, I am midway through my preparations for race day and still awaiting the results of the dreaded jockey fitness test. Whatever the outcome, I will come away with an enormous appreciation both for the work of the people in this industry and for my body, which has proven more capable than I could ever have imagined. I have met some incredibly driven and passionate people, including my fellow Magnolia Cup riders, who I hope will also become dear friends. These past few months have been the ride of my life, and for that I am deeply grateful.

The Markel Magnolia Cup will take place on Ladies’ Day at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, July 26-30.