An amateur rider from Cumbria has been chosen to take part in a prestigious charity horse race at York Racecourse.
On June 11, Morgan Prescott, 27, from Temple Sowerby near Penrith, will join 11 other amateur riders from across the UK for the Macmillan Ride of Their Lives horse race, which will see members of the public completing six months of intense jockey training and fundraising before racing thoroughbred horses on York’s iconic course.
Now in its tenth year, each jockey is committed to raising at least £4,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, since the first race in 2012 past riders have raised over £1.2 million for people living with cancer.
Morgan, an account exec at insurance broker Weatherbys Hamilton, has been riding horses for around 25 years and previously worked for renowned racehorse trainer Mark Johnston.
She said: “I’m delighted to have been selected for the Ride of Their Lives charity race, which is a fantastic event. I’ve been around horses all my life, and still ride as much as I can, so it will be a great opportunity to compete in an amateur race in front of a crowd at York Racecourse, which will be a once in a lifetime experience.
“I’m motivated to take part as some of my closest friends have had relatives who have been diagnosed with cancer, and also sadly died from the disease, and I know it can have a huge impact on the whole family. I have also heard about the fantastic practical, emotional and financial support they received from Macmillan when they needed it most.
“I’m really excited, as well as a little apprehensive, about the upcoming challenge. I hope that taking part will not only rekindle my love of horse racing but, more importantly, raise vital funds for such a worthwhile cause to support as many people as possible living with cancer.”
Morgan and the 11 other amateur riders selected to take part can expect to race in front of around 25,000 people in June, they are George Atkinson, Bella Brown, Samantha Brown, Morgan Faye Prescott, Lucy Horan, Jane Horner, Kerry Humphries, Shay McDonnell, Wendy Normile, Issy Saxby and Carolyn Woods.
William Derby, Chief Executive at York Racecourse, said: “Ten years ago, we couldn’t have predicted that the Ride of Their Lives amateur race would grow to become one of the most successful charity horse races in the UK.
“Congratulations to the twelve intrepid riders selected to take part this year, we wish them the best of luck and hope they’ll enjoy every minute of this once in a lifetime opportunity.
“York Racecourse are incredibly proud of our long-running partnership with Macmillan. Through tremendous support from individuals and organisations, we raised a remarkable £300,000 in 2021 which included half this sum being raised by the charity race.
“We are very much looking forward to Macmillan Charity Raceday on June 11 which is the biggest charity race day in British racing and traditionally Macmillan’s biggest single fundraising event. Just by attending and supporting these riders and enjoying the wider race day people are helping raise funds for those living with cancer.”
The Macmillan Charity Raceday at York is the oldest running charity race day in the country, 2022 marks over 50 years of this iconic partnership, in which time over £9 million has been raised for people living with cancer. The Macmillan ‘Ride of Their Lives’ race will be the last race of the day at Macmillan’s Charity Raceday on June 11.
Megan Hayman Tansley, Fundraising Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “It takes real dedication, bravery and perseverance to put yourself forward for this challenge and at Macmillan, we’re so appreciative of these twelve amazing people, we wish them the best of luck.
“Macmillan Cancer Support receives no government funding and relies almost entirely on donations – we simply couldn’t help the growing number of people who need us, without the support and generosity of the riders and their supporters.”
For further information and to book tickets visit the York Racecourse website.
You can support the twelve riders by donating to their JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/macmillanraceday2022
