Eventer Izzy Taylor will be among those lining up at Goodwood in this year’s renewal of the Magnolia Cup.
The all-female line-up for the six furlong charity race which takes place on Ladies Day (Thursday, 30 July), will be raising money for the charity Amref Health Africa, Africa’s leading health development organisation.
Currently ranked ninth in the British Eventing listings points league, Izzy has also been selected as a member of Team GBR’s eventing squad for the forthcoming Blair Castle 2015 European Championships. This will be her first competitive ride on a racecourse.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity and I am really looking forward to a new challenge,” Izzy told H&H. “I’ve always been fascinated by the speed of the thoroughbred so can’t wait to get out on the course to experience it, while also raising money for a good cause.”
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Izzy — who recently rode out at Eve Johnson Houghton’s yard near Blewbury, Oxon in preparation for the race — will be up against some tough competition. Her rivals will include Jemima Hannon, whose father in law and husband have previously dominated the Glorious meeting.
“Goodwood has always been good to us, so we hope for a bit more luck in the Magnolia Cup on Thursday,” said Jemima’s husband, trainer Richard Hannon Jnr. “Jemima has put in a lot of hard work training and raising money and we are all looking forward to it.”
The rest of the field includes a selection of influential women in UK business and fashion. These include TalkTalk CEO Dido Harding, Shadi Halliwell who is the head of marketing at Harvey Nichols, and milliner Emily Baxendale, who has created a Goodwood collection as the preferred milliner for Goodwood this year.
In addition to the jockeys, a collection of some of the most celebrated and prestigious female fashion designers — including Viviene Westwood and Bella Freud — have dedicated their time and skills to creating bespoke silks for each of the riders.
