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Budding jockeys given chance to ride on a Wincanton race day

BUDDING champion jockeys are being offered the chance to ride out at Wincanton Racecourse in a special charity race.

The Bob Champion Cancer Trust has announced the race, to be run as part of a day of racing in honour of the charity on Sunday, October 29, celebrating 40 years since the founding of the cause.

The trust was set up in 1983, just two years after Bob’s fairy-tale victory on Aldaniti in the Grand National.

The Wincanton race will be run over one mile and two furlongs on the flat and will give 12 riders a unique opportunity to experience the thrill of race riding on a race day.

Bob said: “It makes me immensely proud that The Bob Champion Cancer Trust is still going strong and doing such good work 40 years after it was set up.

“Therefore, we’re delighted to be able to celebrate this with a fund-raising Charity Day and race at Wincanton.

“This will give 12 lucky riders the opportunity of a lifetime, and we do hope that everyone gets involved and supports the day in any way they can.”

Bob Champion

Bob Champion

Jack Parkinson, general manager at Wincanton, said: “We welcome The Bob Champion Cancer Trust to Wincanton and are pleased to be able to host a day for them.

“Bob himself holds a special place at the heart of the jump racing community for what he has achieved and all the good work his trust has done.

“So, giving 12 riders a wonderful chance to ride around our track seems a fitting way to celebrate and raise funds.”

Applications are open now, with a closing date of midnight on May 12. The application form, with guidelines, is available at www.bobchampion.org.uk.

Key criteria will be that applicants are under 12 stone, competent riders, can pledge to raise a minimum of £2,500 and are able to source their own racehorse.

There will also be an official lunch on the day with a range of fund-raising activities to support the Bob Champion Cancer Trust.

Visit www.bobchampion.org.uk for more details, including how to apply to ride, how to get involved, how to attend the day/lunch, sponsor a jockey and to donate. Sponsorship packages are available on request.

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I am the editor in chief of Blackmore Vale media, which includes the New Blackmore Vale, New Stour & Avon, Salisbury & Avon Gazette and the Purbeck Gazette, having been a reporter for some 20 years. In my spare time, I am a festival lover, with a particular focus on Glastonbury. I live in Somerset with my wife and two children.