Help for injured athletes Injured Jockeys Fund Newsletter No 14 Autumn 2018 O’Sullevan House starts to take shape in Newmarket By Brough Scott, Chairman was instrumental in getting the new project under way. Next year we will get the treble up. The Other notable contributors are the opening of Peter O’Sullevan House in Thompson Family Charitable Trust and Newmarket will complete the tripod of the Racing Foundation, but we still the IJF’s rehabilitation and fitness cen - need more support over the next year. tres across the country. Members of the public who donate Oaksey House opened in Lambourn over £100 will be allocated a horseshoe in 2009, followed by Jack Berry House that will be used to create an imagina - at Malton five years ago. tive Horse Shoe Sculpture in the Now work is under way to build grounds, using around 800 racing plates Peter O’Sullevan House on land off the worn by horses from Newmarket. Snailwell Road next to the British Peter O’Sullevan House will provide Racing School, which will provide nat - state-of-the-art rehabilitation and ural links to the jockeys of the future. fitness facilities including physio treat - It will also be the new base of the ment rooms and a hydrotherapy pool, Looking ahead: IJF chief executive Lisa Hancock views the building site Injured Jockeys Fund and is very well as well as a gym, the IJF head office and named. For as well as being the most a meeting and work space for those shot treble. He would have loved this. In his will he left me his binoculars. eloquent commentator to ever hold a using the centre. With a fair wind our latest centre will While they are one of my proudest microphone, Sir Peter was a lifelong What’s apt is that Sir Peter was also a open by the end of next summer, com - possessions, I am terrified of losing supporter of jockeys and a substantial lifelong and highly successful punter plete with the Peter O’Sullevan Atrium them. I think we have found a safe bequest from his charitable trust and was always on the look out for a big containing memorabilia from his life. haven. Ed triumphs in able-bodied dressage events in the West The determined style of the rider is Exeter for Hobbs two months earlier, with a little help from the IJF, he matched by an almost tangible desire but his days as an amateur jockey were continues to shine in dressage to compete at the highest possible over as he lay unconscious in hospital competitions both for able-bodied level. after suffering a brain haemorrhage, riders and para riders. Comebacks from grievous injury are crushed vertebrae and other severe Ed has represented Great Britain and part of the fabric of this charity. Few injuries . this summer he has been winning able- have been more inspiring than the re - Daunting challenges lay ahead for bodied novice dressage events in the covery of Ed Chanin from a schooling the youngster who remains paralysed West Country on his trusty steed My accident for Philip Hobbs in December on the right hand side of his body. Rubicon. 2001 that almost claimed his life. Yet by sheer force of character, the No wonder Marie says, “I am so Ed had won on Gunther McBride at loving support of his wife Marie and proud of him.” New Lambourn pool helps Aspell back to winning form Punishing sessions in the gym and new pool was a huge bonus for me because hydrotherapy pool at Oaksey House I could use my lower limbs freely. The helped speed Leighton Aspell’s recov - upgraded facilities at Oaksey House ery from a fractured vertebrae in his are magnificent. neck. “Eventually I was able to step up my Although he wore a neck brace for training with neck strengthening six weeks after a fall at Hereford on 27 exercises, physio and fitness work with March the dual Grand National win - gym coach Gavin Egan.” ning jockey was able to start exercising All his hard work paid off when he in the pool within a couple of weeks. returned with a winner, Captain Pea - Aspell says, “Having the use of the cock, at Bangor-on-Dee on 3 August. Training hard: Leighton Aspell continues his recovery in the Oaksey House gym 1 Compassion l Care l Support IJF Newsletter 2018 News Fundraising news helped by such luminaries as Paul Nicholls, Jonjo O’Neil, Fergal O’Brien, Dan Skelton, Gary Moore and David Pipe. The Soccer night’s jockeys’ penalty squad included reigning champion Richard Johnson, Tom Scudamore, Aidan Coleman and Carl Llewellyn. Arguably the most spectacular bumper haul action of the evening came at the sub - sequent auction where two drawings by former England wicket keeper Jack Russell fetched a total of £10,000. They were donated for sale by the game’s organiser, Chris Coley, who is the driving force behind the syndicate horses racing for the Yesnowaitsorry partnership. He bought them and one other from Russell for £200 at his first exhibition over 30 years ago, following Clear: Dettori on the losing side his maiden tour in Pakistan. Coley relates, “All three came from Show time a selection of Jack’s original sketches on that tour. for jump Sharpshooters: Fergal O’Brien, Dan Skelton, Paul Nicholls, Tom Lacey, David Pipe, “It was brilliant to see them raise so Warren Greatrex and Harry Derham helped the Trainers win the penalty shoot out much money for the IJF.” The match was generously sponsored jockeys A charity soccer match after racing at before overseeing some skilful substitu - by Stonegate Homes whose director Rocco Dettori showed his dad the way Cheltenham in April raised the superb tions which saw Wayne Hutchinson, Jerry Hinds arrived at the ground in with a dashing winning ride in the sum of more than £40,000 for the IJF. Dave Bass, Charlie Poste, Ben Pauling and rampant form in a coach with countless Shetland Grand National at Olympia Jockeys past and present were Sam Twiston-Davies feature prominently. friends after cheering home his horse just before Christmas. Frankie Dettori queuing to play for Sir AP McCoy’s XI Half-time entertainment was a penalty Traffic Fluide at Cheltenham a little had a clear round, too, in the Markel against Cheltenham Town Legends on a shoot-out won 10-4 by the Trainer’s Team earlier in the colours of the Galloping Champions Challenge which was the warm spring evening at Whaddon Road. on the South Downs Partnership. highlight of the evening programme. This time the host team won 2-1 to Hinds explains, “When I heard that But it wasn’t enough for the flat gain revenge for their narrow defeat 12 Chris was holding the game for the IJF jockeys team to hold onto the trophy months earlier. I knew it was something I wanted to they proudly claimed 12 months earlier Jamie Bargary was on the mark for get involved in as it is a cause close to by beating the jumps jockeys . the jockeys for the second year running our hearts.” Time spent on reconnaissance is sel - but goals from Cheltenham’s popular Top marks to Jerry and co-director dom wasted and the hours of training giant Damian Spencer and John Brough Steve Curwen for their sponsorship and put in ahead of this lively event by John saw the locals home in front. to racehorse owner Chris Coley and Francome, Peter Scudamore, Richard IJF president Sir Anthony McCoy Cheltenham Town for putting on a Dunwoody, Sir Anthony McCoy and played a cameo role in the first half McCoy: midfield dynamo memorable fund raising event for the IJF. Charlie Swan paid rich dividends. With more titles than you will find at Star jockeys conjure up rare feast to raise some dough the House of Lords, they practised hard Richard Hughes, John Francome and Sir waited on 30 thirsty guests who con - “I’ve done my share of cooking but under the watchful eye of showjumps AP McCoy were definitely out of their sumed copious amounts of cham - it is definitely the first time I’ve pro - guru Graham Fletcher at a get-together comfort zone as they toiled late into pagne and fine wine at the Lambourn duced 40 Yorkshire puddings. Richard near Swindon in October. the night in the kitchen at the Queens Valley’s favourite watering hole. Fran - was in charge of the starters and AP Arms, East Garston at a function that come reports, “It was a fun evening with produced the puddings. raised over £13,000 for the IJF last lots of laughs, everyone played their part “Top marks to landlord Freddie November. and best of all as far as I know we didn’t Tulloch who thought of auctioning a The three volunteer chefs also poison any of the guests. dinner at the Queens for the IJF.” Legends race for veterans raises £1million in just 8 years Retirement did not last long for ever - 625 winners despite serious injury and Like so many before him, Harding green jump jockey Brian Harding. the testing period of a mandatory 12 clearly suffered from withdrawal A few months after hanging up his months on the sidelines after suffer - symptoms after his decision to retire. saddle following a career stretching ing an epileptic fit. “Race riding was my life for so long almost 30 years he beat a stellar collec - Within weeks he bounced back to then suddenly it is all over. Giving it up A quartet of the world’s top event tion of veteran flat riders in the Septem - register his finest victory on One Man was a wrench and my immediate riders proved too good for a team of ber Leger Legends race at Doncaster.