Magical Max at Newcastle

Elle-May rode in six of the 10 races that took place in the series, which is supported by Malton based White Rose Saddlery, winning at Ripon in April and scoring points in all the others.  Unfortunately, she took a fall on the way to the start at Wetherby and the horse was withdrawn.  At a crucial early stage in the competition this was a blow for the 22 year old, who was in second position and closing down on the then leader, but such is racing and she was able to fight her way back to the top.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Elle-May started riding as a child, firstly at a riding school before getting a pony on loan and then moving onto an ex-racehorse.  Show Jumping and Cross Country were the main competitive disciplines that Elle-May took part in and from there she moved into racing.

“I knew someone that worked at Ivan’s (Furtado) and while I was still at school, I started to go in at weekends to earn some pocket money.  It was mainly yard work until Ivan saw me ride and then I started to ride out as well.”

With her dad being in the army, Elle-May moved around a lot as a child but completed secondary school in Rotherham and after passing her GCSE’s she started at the National Horseracing College in Doncaster.

“I always knew that I wanted to work in the equine industry, but I didn’t have my heart set on racing.  It was only when I started working at Ivan’s that I decide that this was the route for me.”

“As soon as I started at the college, I knew I wanted to be a jockey, but I didn’t rush things.  I wanted to improve my riding before taking out my license.”

Continuing with her studies, Elle-May has completed her Level 3 Apprenticeship and took out her license at the age of 19.  Her first ride came upon Chipiron, at Wolverhampton in January 2021, with the pair finishing third.

“He really put me on the map, I rode three winners on him and he was hardly ever out of the frame.”

To date Elle-May has had 17 winners, three of them since wearing the Go Racing In Yorkshire branding and using the saddle which was part of her prize from White Rose Saddlery for winning the series.  She only needs three more winners to reduce her claim to 5lbs, although weight is not an issue for the dedicated rider.

So what does a typical day look like for Go Racing In Yorkshire’s sponsored apprentice?

“I’m in the yard for 7am and muck out between five and seven boxes before riding out.”

“The first lot pulls out at 8.30am and I can ride between five and eight lots a day, usually finishing about lunchtime.  Ivan has his own gallops so we don’t have to travel anywhere, which means we can spend more time riding.”

The afternoon activities depend on the racing calendar.  If Elle-May isn’t hot footing it to the races, then she will usually head to the gym.

“I have a personal trainer and we generally have two sessions a week.”

“Russ Kennemore is my jockey coach and we meet up weekly.  Either I go to his to use the equisizer or he will come to the yard to watch me riding out and take some videos, then we can analyse and discuss what I need to work on.”

Elle-May’s goals for this year are to keep riding winners and reduce her claim.  We look forward to supporting her and following her progress throughout the year.