Sunday Magazine – July 28, 2019

30 S MAGAZINE ★ 28 JULY 2019

her the skills and techniques needed to ride

a racehorse.

“I got lucky when I was invited to train at

Jim’s yard. It’s such a nice place. Everyone

there is so helpful. Jim and his team have

taught me brilliantly,” she says. “I’m riding

very differently now from when I started.

People think it’s the speed aspect that’s

the difficult part. It’s not – it’s getting to and

from the gallops. But I’ve been taught how

to control a horse. Obviously, horses can be

unpredictable but I now feel if the horse I’m

riding got spooked I’d know what to do.”

(Earlier this month, Vogue was hospitalised

and needed 12 stitches after being thrown

during training.)

Apart from acquiring the necessary expertise

to master a thoroughbred racehorse, fitness

is another important part of becoming a jockey.

Without incredible leg and core strength you

can’t stay in the saddle. Each aspiring jockey

must embark on a brutal training programme

to get race fit.

“I’m quite fit and healthy but the first time

I galloped for a mile I honestly thought my legs

were going to give way,” says Vogue. “I pride

myself on being a very fit person and I train

in the gym four times a week, but jockey fit is

very different from just being normally fit – they

have legs of steel. Thankfully, the more you

ride the stronger your legs become.”

As enjoyable and challenging as Vogue is

finding the training and preparation for the

race, she isn’t doing it just for fun. She and

the other riders will be raising money for the

Wellbeing of Women charity. The organisation

was founded 55 years ago to provide funding

for new cures and medical research into

women’s reproductive and gynaecological

health. From ovarian cancer to endometriosis,

premature birth, miscarriage and stillbirth,

the charity has helped thousands of women

in the UK.

“It’s fantastic that we all get to do something

so amazingly fun but we’re also raising money

for a really good cause,” says Vogue.

So who does she see as her main rival?

“It’s a great group of women but we’re all very

competitive – after all, you don’t enter a race

to come last. We met at the British Racing

The model

and presenter

gets up at

5.30am to train

Vogue

with

Olympic

gold

medal-

winning

cyclist

Victoria

Pendleton

Taking the reins

Model Vogue Williams is gearing up for Goodwood’s

glamorous Magnolia Cup Words by Victoria Gray

V

ogue Williams is quite the adrenaline

junkie and no stranger to stepping out

of her comfort zone. The 33-year-old

DJ, TV presenter and model was

crowned the ultimate contestant in

ITV’s Bear Grylls: Mission Survive in 2015 and

two years later sustained a serious knee injury

during ski cross training for Channel 4’s

gruelling winter sports show The Jump.

Now she is preparing for a new challenge

• Glorious Goodwood’s Magnolia Cup, a
  five-and-a-half-furlong (1.1km) ladies-only
  charity horse race that takes place at the
  Qatar Goodwood Festival each year. The race,
  now in is seventh year, was the idea of Lord
  March, the 11th Duke of Richmond, and has
  attracted women from the worlds of
  business, sport, fashion, music and media.
  So what made Vogue sign up for Thursday’s
  race? “I’ve always loved horses and racing,”
  she says. “I grew up in Ireland and started
  riding at 11 years of age but haven’t done
  much since I was a kid.”
  Vogue has teamed up with Ladbrokes as one
  of the company’s racing ambassadors. “They
  then came to me and asked me if I wanted to
  take part in the Magnolia Cup race as a jockey.
  I just jumped at the chance. It was never
  a question of it being dangerous. I thought this
  would be the most amazing experience – and
  so far it has been.”
  Vogue is married to Spencer Matthews
  of Made In Chelsea fame, brother-in-law of
  Pippa Middleton. They met while filming
  The Jump and were friends before becoming
  romantically involved and marrying in 2018.
  They have a 10-month-old son, Theodore.
  “Luckily, my family get that I like doing things
  like this and they understand that I like to
  push myself. But at first I didn’t realise what
  a huge commitment it is to prepare for the
  race,” she explains. “I get up at 5.30 in the
  morning to ride twice a week, so at least it
  gets me home for about 10am. Then I’m able
  to work and, most importantly, spend time with
  Theodore. By 8pm I’m ready for bed, though.
  I really don’t have time for anything else – it’s
  just work, family and horses, but I love it.”
  Vogue has been assigned to Epsom-based
  trainer Jim Boyle, who has been teaching