Amateur jockeys across Yorkshire have been selected to take part in the ‘Ride of their Lives’ at York Racecourse this year.
The UK’s biggest charity horserace, the Ernest Cooper Macmillan ‘Ride of their Lives’, has raised over £11 million since its inception over 54 years ago and is one of the highlights of the horseracing season at York.
Now in its 14th year, it’s viewed as one of the most successful charity horse races in the UK.
Twelve amateur riders are carefully selected to take part in this challenging race and must undergo gruelling training for over six months to achieve the fitness levels required to compete on York’s Knavesmire course.
Each jockey pledges to raise at least £4,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. The riders will race in front of a crowd of around 25,000 people on Saturday 13 June.
Six of them are from Yorkshire including: the most senior competitor this year, Brian, aged 64, from Goole, a former jockey who is getting back in the saddle after 20 years; Rebecca, whose grandfather is Britain’s longest-serving racehorse trainer and whose mother competed in the race 10 years ago; and Danny, a strength and conditioning coach at Jack Berry House in Malton, who despite training nearly 100 jockeys for this race over the last 8 years, only got in the saddle himself for the first time last year.
Danny, who works for the Injured Jockey’s Fund at Jack Berry House helping to rehabilitate jockeys after injury, has a personal reason for taking part in the race this year as his father was supported by Macmillan nurses when he had throat cancer.
“The jockeys have been saying I need to learn to ride for years, so I thought it was about time I took up the challenge and experienced the thrill of horseracing,” said Danny.
“Working with jockeys all this time has given me a thorough understanding of the extreme physical and physiological demands placed on them and now it’s time for me to experience it myself.
“I’m looking forward to sharing this experience with the other riders as I’ve seen the camaraderie that develops in preparation for this race with the common goal of raising money for a fantastic charity.
“I’ve also seen first-hand how amazing Macmillan nurses are after they helped treat and support my dad to make a full recovery from throat cancer in 2018. They supported him through the entire process and are nothing short of extraordinary.”
William Derby, chief executive at York Racecourse, said: “We are delighted to welcome this year’s riders and look forward to supporting them every step of the way as they prepare for this once in a lifetime opportunity.
“York Racecourse is incredibly proud of its long running partnership with Macmillan. Through tremendous support from individuals and organisations we raised a remarkable £465,000 on this race day in 2025.
“We can’t wait for the Macmillan Charity Raceday on Saturday 13th June and to welcoming a large crowd who create such a fabulous atmosphere on the biggest charity race day in British horseracing. It’s always an amazing day.”
Racing fans can support this fabulous day of fundraising just by attending, for further information and to book tickets visit the York Racecourse website.
You can support the twelve riders by donating to their JustGiving pages here.
