I am beyond excited to be one of the final 12 riders selected to ride in this year's Markel Magnolia Cup at the Qatar Goodwood Festival presented by Visit Qatar, supporting Education Above All and EACI.

As someone who has been horse mad since a very young age, the feeling has never faded - even as life became more demanding with school, university and now a corporate career in London.

However I’ve always found a way to keep horses in my life, starting out at the bottom spending long days mucking out, grooming, cleaning water buckets and just doing any job at the local riding school to be around the horses. Now, I am very proud to have two of my own horses and those jobs are still very much a daily occurrence, just with a lot of early starts and late finishes to fit them around my day job. I was voted "Most Likely to be a Jockey" when I left primary school.. something that now many years later I am one step closer to achieving! I've successfully ridden in several camel races, however never a horse race.

The past 6 months of training have involved a considerable amount of time, effort and dedication both physically and mentally in becoming jockey fit, while learning the ins and outs of riding a Thoroughbred racehorse at Tom Clover's yard in Newmarket, who have been so welcoming and helpful.

But, the challenges I have faced in training are nothing compared to what the millions of children supported by Education Above All and EACI are confronted with daily. Many grow up in conflict zones, extreme poverty, or displacement, where even the right to learn is out of reach - a right that most of us just considered as "normal" when growing up and was a part of everyone's childhood.

Throughout the whole training process and juggling the 4 am starts when riding out, fitness, my own horses, work and all other life commitments, one thing has remained constant and very much in the forefront of my mind; how much of a privilege it is to be in this position and be able to say "yes" to take on such a challenge in the first place. While I get to choose to be challenged, the children supported by EEA and EACI are forced to overcome their own individual challenges every single day, therefore to be using my privilege to help raise money and open doors for children who deserve the chance to learn, grow and dream means a lot to me.

If you can, please support this cause and help open the door to education, safety, and opportunity for children who need it most.

The 2026 Markel Magnolia Cup will raise vital funds to support girls’ empowerment around the world through education and economic opportunity.

When a girl is given the chance to learn, she gains the power to shape her own future, and to lift her family and community with her.

Through the work of Education Above All Foundation, we support girls by:

· Providing access to education for out of school children

· Expanding access to finance for young female entrepreneurs

· Providing skills training for decent jobs and livelihoods

Funds raised in the UK by Educate A Child International (charity number 1160869).