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Victoria Pendleton back in the saddle - but on four legs, not two wheels as she eyes Cheltenham Festival spot

Track star who'd never ridden a horse till last week aims for ride in next year's Foxhunters Chase...

Victoria Pendleton, winner of multiple world championship and Olympic gold medals on the track, is getting back in the saddle – but she’s swapping two wheels for four legs, with the aim of riding over the jumps at next year’s Cheltenham Festival.

It’s an ambitious target for any amateur equestrian, but Pendleton had never even sat on a horse until last week.

The 34-year-old, who retired from cycling after winning the Keirin at London 2012, is partnering with bookmakers Betfair and is targeting qualifying as an amateur jockey and competing in the Foxhunters Chase at Cheltenham in March 2016.

Betfair says the “ground-breaking” challenge will “provide an unexpected and entertaining perspective on horse racing, while also profiling the skills, athleticism and courage faced by jockeys every day.”

Over the next 12 months, Pendleton intends to make the journey from total novice to securing a Category A licence, riding in National Hunt point to point races, with the ultimate goal of securing a ride in the race often described as the amateur riders’ Gold Cup.

She has already started her preparations, working alongside Team GB eventing performance manager Yogi Breisner, and she will also be coached by Paul Nicholls, eight time National Hunt champion trainer.

Pendleton said: "I've been looking for a new and exciting challenge. When Betfair approached me about the opportunity to train to become a licensed amateur jockey, it captured my imagination.

"I'm motivated by the scale of the challenge and the opportunity to combine my love of horses with learning a new skill under the guidance of the team of horse-racing experts Betfair has put in place for me.

“I will be working closely with Yogi Breisner, Chris King and Paul Nicholls to help train and advise me over the next 12 months.

"My team and I have identified the ambitious target of riding competitively in the Foxhunters Chase at Cheltenham Festival next year, but the initial focus will be on getting me to a level whereby I am granted an amateur jockey licence, which is a significant challenge in itself given that I had never even sat on a horse until a week ago."

Breisner already impressed with the application shown by Pendleton, saying: "Victoria is a hugely talented, ambitious and gutsy individual, and these traits will stand her in the best stead possible for achieving this ambitious goal.

"Having worked with her for a week, the progress she has already made in such a small amount of time is quite frankly remarkable. It's a real privilege to work with Victoria on a challenge of this magnitude.”

Nicholls similarly believes that Pendleton has the character needed to succeed in the challenge. He said: "Victoria is an outstanding athlete with a real drive and determination, so while this is an incredibly difficult challenge, these attributes are exactly what you need to become a jockey.

"Having the competitive mind set of an Olympic champion, I've no doubt will put her in a great place to succeed in this challenge whilst also shining a much deserved light on the sport of horse racing."

Pendleton isn’t the only Team GB track star pursuing a change of sports after a glittering track career, with Sir Chris Hoy racing for Nissan in a bid to secure a place in the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hour race next year - though should Pendleton secure that Foxhunters Chase spot, she'll pip him to the post in achieving her dream.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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11 comments

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denepercy | 9 years ago
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Tosh. She's so desperate to find something and making herself look foolish. Unfortunately she just does cycling.

I watched her last weekend at the track and all she could do was harp back to how good she was.

It reminded me of the Molly Sugden bridesmaid sketch on Little Britian

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chunka | 9 years ago
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Very interesting to see how she gets on, feel i can comment ashaving ridden in races over jumps as an an amateur and heading for a 4th etape this year, whilst they require similar attributes in terms of balance quick decision making and strength, they are also very different. Firstly whether she will have the nerve for it, you are essentially trusting a living breathing mind of its own half ton beast. She will hit the floor and it will hurt, regularly. I find heading down mountain passes a lot easier as the only way im ending up on the floor is if i make a mistake, my bike does not have a mind of its own.The muscles used are so different, I did a raid Pyrenees last year and then rode a few days later, legs, shoulders and back ached like hell after riding for an hour as I had not ridden a horse for a few weeks.
Goodluck to her, she will need it!
Although I will be amazed if she makes it to Cheltenham next year, would be a great storey if she did

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chunka | 9 years ago
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Very interesting to see how she gets on, having ridden in races over jumps as an an amateur and heading for a 4th etape this year, whilst they require similar attributes in terms of balance quick decision making and strength, they are also very different. Firstly whether she will have the nerve for it, you are essentially trusting a living breathing mind of its own half ton beast I find heading down mountain passes a lot easier as the only way im ending up on the floor is if i make a mistake, my bike does not have a mind of its own.The muscles used are so different, I did a raid Pyrenees last year and then rode a few days later, legs ached like hell after riding for an hour as I had not ridden a horse for a few weeks.
Goodluck to her, she will need it!
Although I will be amazed if she makes it to Cheltenham next year, would be a great storey if she did

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john wells | 9 years ago
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Queen Vic can do no wrong!

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Simon_MacMichael | 9 years ago
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Our track cyclists may have gone off the boil when it comes to winning World Championship gold, but good to see we're still world leaders when it comes to knocking people down.

If you know anything about National Hunt racing, you'll know how tough it is, and if she succeeds in getting an entry to the Foxhunters Chase next year she'll have earned it and - excuse the expression - it certainly won't have been a free ride.

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SamSkjord | 9 years ago
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And there goes the respect I had for her.

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Joeinpoole replied to SamSkjord | 9 years ago
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SamSkjord wrote:

And there goes the respect I had for her.

Why? She needs to earn a living and find new challenges for her competitive nature. She's also very media friendly but I doubt that there's enough commentary work to keep her fully occupied. I'd say it was a perfect match for her skills.

Paddy Power supposedly 'sponsored' David Ginola's recent bid to become FIFA president to the tune of £250K. If there's that sort of cash on offer I wouldn't blame Pendleton for accepting it. Everyone always complains how little money is available to female professional cyclists. Time for Pendleton to cash-in. She's put the training miles in over a couple of decades and got the medals to prove it. She's earned every penny she will make from her media profile.

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hylozoist replied to Joeinpoole | 9 years ago
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Joeinpoole wrote:
SamSkjord wrote:

And there goes the respect I had for her.

Why? She needs to earn a living and find new challenges for her competitive nature. She's also very media friendly but I doubt that there's enough commentary work to keep her fully occupied. I'd say it was a perfect match for her skills.[...]

I agree. This seems like a fine thing for her to take on if she wants the challenge & money.

On the other hand, this did put something of a dent in my level of respect.

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racyrich replied to SamSkjord | 9 years ago
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SamSkjord wrote:

And there goes the respect I had for her.

I tend to agree with you.
It's a publicity stunt for Betfair. I admit she could probably do with the income, but don't insult our intelligence with the 'I love horses' crap when you then admit to never having ridden one till last week.

If I were one of the hundreds of female aspiring amateur jockeys I'd have the right 'ump!

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SamSkjord replied to racyrich | 9 years ago
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people who 'love' horses don't ride them. http://www.horsedeathwatch.com/

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Joeinpoole | 9 years ago
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Interesting. I do hope they'll produce a documentary about her experience. Gutsy lady, I'd certainly favour the odds on her being successful.

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