Lizzie Jelfs, an Australia-based TV presenter who specialises in horseracing, was victorious in the 2024 Markel Magnolia Cup.
British-born Jelfs, who has been riding out for Newmarket trainer Harry Eustace in preparation for the five-and-a-half-furlong charity race, partnered successfully with her mount Reins Reigns Rains.
Since its inception, the Markel Magnolia Cup has raised £2.4 million for charitable causes. This year, the Markel Magnolia Cup supports My Sisters’ House, a West Sussex women’s centre focussed on welfare and wellbeing, reducing risk of domestic abuse and supporting recovery.
Jelfs said: “Amazing experience! A big thank you to Harry Eustace – he provided me with a wonderful horse. I was just the passenger on board and enjoyed every experience. They were a great group of girls – so lovely, we’ve all got together and had a great time. Our thoughts are with Amy [Moring] who had a tumble at the start, but I’m sure she will be fighting fit.
“The charity aspect of this is really important to me. It’s a local charity supporting women. This race brings together different women from all walks of life, and I think it’s important to show that you can do anything at any old age. I’ve got two kids, I’m probably the oldest in this field, I’ve never ridden in a race, but I thought, why not, give it a go. It’s been a great experience.
“I loved the sport from a very young age. I’ve always loved horses; I’m not from a racing background but had the full support of my family behind me to be part of racing, and I’ve had an incredible journey. I went to Australia with the support of Charlie Egerton at the age of 19 – my parents still blame him for me never coming back – but I’ve had a great career, I’ve had wonderful experiences through David Hayes. I now work in broadcast, and I cannot believe I have ridden the Magnolia Cup winner. It’s coming back to Australia!
“I was out of the saddle for 10 years, and I knew what a big task it was to come back. It took a lot of fitness before I actually got on a racehorse about eight weeks ago. I jumped back on board, and I thought, well, why did I not do this sooner? I’ve been on a really big personal growth journey, and this really tops it all off.
“About a hundred people told me, do not miss the start, and I missed the start! I’ve never done a flag start before and everyone knew where they were. I took my medicine, jumped off, gave him a little squeeze, and I listened to George Baker. I let him roll down the hill and I could see a few were really kicking on, and I thought, I can’t, I just have to sit here, otherwise he won’t have anything left, then I just screamed at him! He was like, oh my goodness, who is this screaming Aussie banshee on my back? And that was it – the rest is him. He was amazing.”
Runner-up Aamilah Aswat, a Riding A Dream Academy graduate, said: “There is so much anticipation but, once you go, it is so fast and much better than I thought it would be. You can’t believe how fast you are going and then it is over.
“I did think I might get there at one point. All the training was definitely worth it.
“This is just the start. I want to hopefully go into Jump racing and become a professional jockey. I am working for Kim Bailey.”