Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.  I have lost my grandfather Tony Budge to cancer and more recently his brother Richard as well as my grandfather Roy Whitfield having had his struggles with cancer and in the past year my dad Karl Budge (all of whom have been racehorse owners) was diagnosed with prostate cancer. As many of you reading this will know, hearing that someone you love has cancer stops your world from turning and in writing this now the tears are welling up with the memory of that day.

So fighting and beating cancer means an awful lot to me.

All four have been heavily involved in the construction industry throughout their working lives with my dad still in the thick of it. It was not long after he returned to work post-surgery (and far too early in his recovery for my liking) that he phoned me late one evening and asked me to ride in the race - something that I could certainly not say no to even though the thought of riding in front of 25,000 people terrifies me.

My love of horseracing is inspired by my grandfather Tony Budge who was a winning owner of the York Gimcrack Stakes three times with Sharp N' Early, Rock City and River Falls so it is very exciting to be riding at a racecourse to which my family has such a rich history. I have ridden since I was five years old and pony clubbed in to my early teens. I was given my first opportunity to ride a racehorse in the summer for John Bridger and am now riding out for Clive Cox and Oliver Sherwood in Lambourn.

I am Sponsorship Manager at Newbury Racecourse having previously worked at the Racing Post as part of the bloodstock team as well as for a number of studs and bloodstock agencies. 

This is a charity and cause very close to my heart, cancer will affect all of us either directly or indirectly at some time and Macmillan offer support throughout. Please give what you can, no matter how big or small that donation every little helps (and here's hoping Tesco don't sue me for that!).