Eight riders from across the North West and beyond will line-up to race at Aintree in aid of The Countryside Alliance Foundation on 23 October.
The charity race – where riders race on borrowed horses – is part of the Aintree Countryside Day, which is a great day out for all the family.
It is also the course’s Old Roan Chase Meeting so there will be a full card of races after the charity event, which will be the first race at around noon.
The riders are:
Charles Clark: A joint master and huntsman of the Holderness hunt in Yorkshire, this will be his first charity race, but Charles has some experience.
His mother trains point-to-pointers and he rides out on the gallops each day – work permitting. He last raced five years ago, and has ridden round Weatherby a few times in hunter chases.
David Redvers: Bloodstock agent David’s clients include the Qatari Royal Family. He is also a joint master of the Ledbury hunt.
Oliver Dale: Oliver is huntsman and a joint-master of the Ludlow hunt. He last rode in a charity race around nine years ago and is looking forward to racing at Aintree.
Richard Tyacke: A joint master and huntsman of Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn’s hunt (the Wynnstay), Richard has not raced before. He hopes to borrow a horse from trainer Oliver Greenall in Malpas or Warren Greatrex in Lambourn.
Hayley Brobyn: Congleton vet Hayley used to event and took part in a charity race at Cheltenham in 2012.
Michelle “Mouse” Barlow: Mouse was “volunteered” to take part in the race by her husband, Cheshire hunt joint-master Charles Barlow, but is looking forward to racing at Aintree.
She used to point-to-point and hunter chase and hopes to borrow a mount from Tattenhall-based trainer Gary Hanmer.
Polly Portwin: Polly is hunting editor for Horse & Hound magazine and a former senior master of the Bicester with Whaddon Chase.
She was fourth in our charity race at Aintree in 2011 and hopes to get her hand in again in the run up to this race by riding out for Alan and Lawney Hill in Oxfordshire.
Molly Dingwall: Molly may have a home advantage in this race as she is Aintree’s regional business development executive for the North West.
She also won her most recent charity race – the Jockey Club Challenge at Warwick in May – aboard Dove Mountain, trained by Co Meath-based Gordon Elliot.
She hopes she might be able to borrow another horse from Gordon for the Aintree race.
Other attractions at the countryside day include trade stands, displays by falconers, the Quack Pack duck herding display team and gun dogs, animals from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust or you can try your hand at laser clays?
Organiser Paul Dunn said: “Aintree has tremendous facilities and this is bound to be a great day out for racing and countryside enthusiasts alike.
"We are very grateful to the riders who will try their hand at race riding on our charity race to raise money for these great charities.”
The riders will be collecting sponsorship money in aid of The Countryside Alliance Foundation (TCAF) charities – Casting for Recovery, Fishing 4 Schools and Falconry For Schools
