Galloping into history, girl jockey who’ll ride in a hijab at Glorious Goodwood
BEFORE April this year, Khadijah Mellah had never sat on a racehorse.
But the 18-year-old will make history today – in front of a crowd of 25,000 at Glorious Goodwood – as she becomes the first jockey to race in Britain wearing a hijab.
The teenager from Peckham, south London, will also be the first female British Muslim jockey when she rides in the Magnolia Cup, a ladies-only charity race.
She will take her place in the stalls alongside 11 other amateurs, including Olympic cyclist turned Cheltenham Festival jockey Victoria Pendleton and model Vogue Williams.
Khadijah, who is the only Muslim at her sixth form, has just finished her A-levels and is going on to study mechanical engineering at university in September.
She learned to ride at the charity Ebony Horse Club, in nearby Brixton, after her mother saw a leaflet in a shop window.
The school was so popular that when Khadijah signed up aged nine, she was put on the waiting list for two years. She has since become a strong rider – although she sat on a racehorse for the first time only a few months ago.
Her big break came when her mentor, ITV presenter Oli Bell, entered a rider from the small riding school in the Magnolia Cup.
‘She is a titan, and an incredibly determined young girl, who is proving that it is possible for somebody from her background to do this,’ he said.
‘In this day and age I think it is important not just for the eyes of the racing world to see this, but the eyes of the world.’
While at a ride out at Newmarket racecourse earlier this year, Khadijah tried to spot any other women of colour among the 200 riders – and found just one.
Now, taking her role as a flagbearer for Muslim women riders in her stride, Khadijah insists that she ‘loves surprising people’.
‘I just want to one day be someone that someone looks up to and thinks, “you know what, I can do that”,’ she said.
She added that standing out from the rest of the jockeys does not ‘faze’ her. ‘It makes me feel sort of blessed because not many people get the opportunity to represent. It adds a little meaning to life,’ she told the BBC. She added: ‘People have been very welcoming to the prospect of having a new face in the jockey industry.
‘Sometimes it’s hard explaining my background over and over again to lots of different people, but generally I like explaining where I’ve come from and how I’ve got to where I have.’
And this journey has not always been an easy one, Khadijah insisted. ‘My introduction to race horses started off a bit rocky. They were quite scary at first.’
The teenager admitted she was a ‘nervous wreck’ before her first gallop, adding: ‘It was quite a shock how fast you go.’
The handyman’s daughter will be riding Irish bay Haverland today, and though she knows the odds are stacked against her, she is aiming for a top three finish.
Despite her rapid progression on to this high-profile stage, the young jockey has decided to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. She said: ‘I am definitely going to try to get involved in more charity races and I want to keep up riding out racehorses.
‘But I want to go to university and hopefully come out with a degree, and then pursue an engineering career. Then maybe come back to riding again. We’ll see.’
The five-furlong and 110-yard flat race on the third day of the meet will raise funds for healthcare charity Wellbeing of Women.
Khadijah is taking part in a documentary – Riding A Dream – which will be aired this autumn.