CHAMPION BEN ENSURES NHS IS A WINNER TOO
ALL-WEATHER champion jockey Ben Curtis is giving £2,000 to an NHS charity fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
The sum was part of his prize for winning the title with 101 victories in the saddle during October and March.
In a normal year, the £1 million grand finale of the All-Weather Championships at Lingfield would have taken centre stage yesterday.
Instead, Curtis (right) and his fellow award winners made sizeable donations to locally-based SASH, the charity for East Surrey Hospital.
He said his wife Shauna and agent Simon Dodds were the driving force behind his successes, a haul just one short of Luke Morris’ 2015 record.
“My wife was very much at the forefront of keeping me motivated. If I had a bad day, she was quick to pick me up,” he said. “It was a big team effort from a lot of people.
“Luke Morris and Hollie Doyle kept me on my toes the whole way through it.
“Both of them were riding winners relentlessly and it meant I had to up my game.”
Curtis added: “I am giving a donation of £2,000. The NHS do so much for us on a daily basis.
“I have had a few falls and they have always looked after me impeccably.
“I think now more than ever people are appreciating what they do.”
The total donation amounts to more than £25,000, with Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Godolphin and Mick Appleby among the contributors.
Godolphin took the champion owner title for the sixth consecutive year.
Managing director (UK and Dubai) Hugh Anderson said: “Full credit must go to the whole team, who have all played a part in another successful season.
“In light of the current situation, it seemed entirely appropriate that we donate our prize to those who are working tirelessly to help the country.”