Stable staff jockeys take centre stage at Thirsk Racecourse
Tomorrow, Friday 30th August, will see this year’s renewal of the Creditas Taking Care of Business Stable Staff Stakes at Thirsk Racecourse. Run over a mile on the flat, the race will feature 12 riders from yards located across England and Scotland, all of whom are raising money for Racing Welfare.
In a special touch unique to this race at Thirsk, the riders will all be led up by professional jockeys on the day. All those taking part have been nominated to ride by their employers and have a variety of motivations for entering the race. The line-up of riders and jockey grooms this year is as follows:
All of the riders’ sponsorship pages can be found by clicking their photos.
Amy Fife – riding for Marjorie Fife; Jockey groom: Harrison Shaw
Cameron Hillhouse – riding for Daniel Mark Loughnane; Jockey groom: Callum Shephard
Claire Bolam – riding for Tim Easterby; Jockey groom: Rachel Richardson
Chelsea Brooks – riding for Ollie Pears; Jockey groom: Phil Dennis
Hazel Brown – riding for Liam Bailey; Jockey groom: Kevin Stott
Sophie Brown – riding for Karl Burke; Jockey groom: Clifford Lee
Lucy Conuel – riding for Jedd O’Keeffe; Jockey groom: Jack Garrity
Georgia Morrill – riding for Richard Fahey; Jockey groom: Cam Hardie
Charlotte Mulhall – riding for David O’Meara; Jockey groom: Daniel Tudhope
Isaac Wood – riding for Alistair Whillans; Jockey groom: Andrew Mullin
Natasha McKee – riding for R Mike Smith; Jockey groom: James Sullivan
Sharron Morris – riding for Patrick Morris; Jockey groom: Franny Norton
Charlotte Mulhall, who is being led up by Danny Tudhope, attributes her drive to a family connection to race-riding, saying,
Both my Mum and Dad were jockeys, so it will be great to follow in their footsteps. Also, it’s nice to give something back to Racing Welfare after everything they do for people working in racing.
Speaking on what it means to her to take part in the race, Claire Bolam, said
It is just something I have dreamt about often. I know I’d deeply regret it if I didn’t give it a go – I’m very excited!
General Manager of Thirsk Racecourse, James Sanderson, said,
Thirsk is delighted to host this opportunity for stable staff to actually race-ride and raise funds for Racing Welfare in the process. And well done to all the jockeys who come out to lead them up before the race and so demonstrate their personal appreciation for all the hard work stable staff routinely undertake for them. It’s great to see.
Chief Executive of Racing Welfare, Dawn Goodfellow, commented,
We are thrilled to be part of this special charity race and extend our most grateful thanks to Thirsk Racecourse and sponsors Creditas Financial Solutions for making it possible. Thank you also to the trainers and owners who have allowed each rider to take part, and to the jockeys for getting behind this fantastic initiative. We hope all of the riders have a fantastic day and thank you to them for all of their fundraising efforts in aid of Racing Welfare.
The Creditas Taking Care of Business Stable Staff Stakes gets underway at 1.30pm and is the first race of the day, ahead of an eight race card. The race is taking place as part of Thirsk’s Pirate’s Family Fun day, which features a giant inflatable pirate assault course amongst its attractions. Gates open at 11.30am and adult tickets start from just £6.00 (under 18s get in free), making it a perfect day out for families.