On Monday morning (14 January), DJ Sara Cox took over the reins from Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2’s Drivetime show. But did you know, that on top of Sara’s love for music and TV and modelling careers, she also has a strong passion for horses. Here’s just a few things you need to know…
1. Sara grew up on her father’s beef farm near Bolton. It was here that her love of horses began. It all started with a horse called Muffin, who went on to have a foal named Gus. This foal became Sara’s when they were both old enough to ride.
2. Sara used to ride Gus to her local fish and chip restaurant, where she would then remount, butty in one hand, reins in the other.
3. Sara worked as a groom for a showjumping couple until she began her television career.
4. She appeared on the TV show Only Fools On Horses in 2006, where celebrities learnt to showjump.
5. Keen on her racing, Sara has worked with Great British Racing on their Stirrup Summer campaign to encourage more families, particularly under-18s, to have a day out at the races.
6. Sara has ridden in the Magnolia Cup, a charity race at Goodwood twice — in 2011 and 2012
7. Adding to her repertoire as a budding jockey, Sara had a lesson with Frankie Dettori at the British Racing School in Newmarket, where she also beat the Flat jockey in an unofficial race.
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8. Sara has ridden across Dartmoor a number of times, including having a go in the Dartmoor Derby twice. She says she finds riding there “an unforgettable experience” because: “I find the scale of Dartmoor makes me feel like a tiny dot on the landscape — and helps me forget the little nuggets of stress that usually litter my days”. She clearly loves adventures on horseback, having previously said: “I would absolutely love to do some sort of riding challenge across Europe, or to go and work on a ranch or something like that. If somebody wants to do a show where I travel the world riding different horses, then the commissioners can get in touch with my agent ASAP.”
9. Sara is a patron of the equine charity, World Horse Welfare.
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