Jockey Chris is back in the saddle for charity race
HE was the oldest rider in the field. But that didn’t stop 64-year-old Chris Brownless from winning a charity horse race.
In front of 21,000 spectators, Chris came joint-first in the Macmillan Charity Raceday at York Racecourse on Saturday.
His horse, Apterix, was involved in a dead heat with X-Rated in a race which raised £110,000 for the cancer charity.
And the retired jockey - who only started training for the race in April had a special reason to take part.
“I was riding today in memory of my brother who died from cancer in 2015,” said the Wooler man. “He would have been 60 today. It’s a special day.”
And he even beat celeb rider Chris Hughes. The Love Island star finished fifth.
Chris earlier posed for selfies with fans in exchange for donations to Macmillan.
The star spent six months training for the race, and said: “It was an amazing experience and the support from the crowd was unbelievable.
“I’m disappointed not to win but I’ve loved every minute of the race, the day and the months of training leading up to today, and just want to have another go now. “It’s one of the best things I’ve done. “My fellow jockeys have all been incredibly supportive and we’d like to thank everyone who has raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support.”
And cash poured in, as the charity passed the landmark figure of £8m raised for Macmillan Cancer Support and other charities since its partnership with York Racecourse started in 1971.
The annual event is Macmillan’s biggest single fundraising event and the largest charity raceday in British Racing. Of the £8m raised, 90% goes to Macmillan Cancer Support to improve the lives of people living with cancer.
The remaining 10% goes to a number of other charities.