Andrew Nicholson selected to ride in Cheltenham Festival's charity race
Andrew NicholsonThe dozen lucky riders selected to ride in the 2015 St Patrick's Derby charity race at the Cheltenham Festival have been named. The list includes New Zealand eventing champion Andrew Nicholson who is based in Lockeridge just outside Marlborough.
The mile and five furlongs flat race, being run for the sixth time, is staged as the final contest on the third day of the Festival, St Patrick's Thursday, March 12, 2015. It is being run this year in support of the Injured Jockeys Fund.
The number of applications to take part in next year's race race was significantly up and two reserves have been named - in case any of the riders cannot make the weight!
The charity event is open to any amateur rider who felt they could raise the necessary £5,000 in sponsorship. Riders provide their own mount, who must have run at least twice under the recognised Rules of Racing.
The 12 riders selected for 2015 are a mix of well-known people in the racing world and others keen to take part.
Andrew Nicholson told Marlborough News Online: “In another life I would have loved to have been a jump jockey and riding at the Cheltenham Festival, the home of jump racing, is the closest I’m going to get to this dream!"
"At my age, you need to take the opportunities whilst they’re there and what better charity to do it for than the Injured Jockeys Fund as I have the most enormous respect for jockeys. I’m looking forward to the training for the race, but not to shedding two stone!”
Among the twelve jockeys will be Clifford Baker - head lad to trainer Paul Nicholls; Phillip Clark a longstanding cameraman for Racing UK; Olive Murphy a senior cabin crew member with Aer Lingus; and the youngest, Loughborough University student Thomas Williams who is also a pupil assistant trainer with Violet Jordan.
You can help reach Andrew's sponsorship target at his Just Giving site.
And at Marlborough News Online you can read our September interview with Andrew and all about his new book Focused.