Racing greats including John Francome and Pat Eddery are getting back in the saddle for a charity race at Doncaster racecourse later this year.
The Leger Legends race will be held on 8 September, the opening day of the Ladbrokes St Leger Festival, to raise money for two charitable projects that benefit jockeys and stable staff.
John told H&H he is riding out already and is looking forward to the race.
“This is such a good cause,” he said. “But I last rode in a race at Kempton about three years ago [in aid of Richard Dunwoody’s Shackleton South Pole Expedition] and I’m still blowing from that!”
Former champion National Hunt jockey Peter Scudamore, 10-times champion Irish jump jockey Charlie Swan and Kevin Darley, former champion Flat jockey and now chief executive of the Professional Jockeys Association, have also been confirmed to ride.
The race will be run over a mile. A spokesman for Doncaster added that Lester Piggott will present the prizes.
The money raised will go to The House that Jack Built, a project to build the first residential centre for injured jockeys in the north, coordinated by former trainer Jack Berry, and the development of accommodation and facilities at the Northern Racing College, Doncaster.
• For more information, visit: www.doncaster-racecourse.co.uk
This article was first published in Horse & Hound (20 May, ’10)
