23.10.08 - RACING AT AINTREE

Racing's Rising Stars On Show

The top 30 racing ponies and riders in the country will be battling it out in the prestigious 2008 Charles Owen Pony Racing Finals at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday, October 25   .   

A series of 20 Pony Races has taken place around the country since April, with ponies accumulating points per win and place.  The top 15 in each category (138cm & Under and 148cm & Under) have qualified for Aintree, which hosts the annual Finals at its meeting this weekend.  

Many of the riders, aged 11 – 16 years, are set to pursue a career in the saddle professionally and being crowned 2008 Charles Owen Pony Racing Champion is the perfect stepping stone to a career in racing.    

Rebecca Morgan, Chief Executive of The Pony Racing Authority, said: “In such a short time Pony Racing has developed phenomenally and the standard of riding is astounding, in fact many of the riders already look like professional jockeys in the saddle!  Both finals look set to be really competitive and are the culmination of the 2008 Charles Owen Pony Racing Series which is racing’s own X Factor, providing opportunities for anybody interested in race riding to have a go.” 

Leading Jump jockey Robert ‘Choc’ Thornton commented: “I have seen the Pony Races throughout the Summer and the riders are very stylish and competent.  Some of them have already progressed from Pony Racing and are now riding against me professionally [eg. Hadden Frost, Rhys Flint and Felix de Giles] and it’s a great initiative to encourage race riding from a younger age.”