A young jockey who grew up in Brixton in South London finished second in his first race on Monday (23 February) at Plumpton with Her Majesty The Queen watching on.
Hezekiah March rode Lumi Plugin into the runner-up position for Gary and Josh Moore in the Johnnie Boden Backs Jamie’s Farm Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase at 2.35pm. The race was won by Lily Jones riding the Neil King-trained Enjoy D’Allen.
Queen Camilla is a patron of the charity Jamie’s Farm and was in attendance at Plumpton to support Jamie’s Farm Raceday which raises funds and awareness of the charity throughout the day.
Located just three miles from the racecourse, Jamie’s Farm transforms the lives of young people facing significant challenges through purposeful work, therapeutic support and a renewed sense of belonging.
‘Amazing experience’
“Not everyone has the Queen on course to watch them on their first ride and it was such an incredible day,” said Hezekiah.
“Lumi Plugin gave me a great spin, he got into a lovely rhythm and jumped really well. We didn’t have quite enough on the run in but it was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to get out there and do it all again.
“It’s been a dream of mine to race ride for so long and I’m really grateful to have had the support of Gary and Josh [Moore] and the team.
“Will Kennedy (my jockey coach) has been brilliant as well. I started riding at Ebony and then went to the Riding A Dream Academy and the British Racing School.
“Hopefully I can inspire other young people to get into the sport and chase the dreams and it would be great to win some races along the way as well.”
Background
Hezekiah grew up in Brixton and attended Ebony Horse Club ahead of winning a scholarship place with the Riding A Dream Academy (funded by the Racing Foundation), which supports young people from diverse ethnic communities into British horse racing. The academy was established after Khadijah Mellah became the first British Muslim woman to win a UK horse race.
The 19-year-old then went on to complete an apprenticeship programme with the British Racing School, before joining Gary and Josh Moore’s yard near Horsham in West Sussex nearly three years ago. He gained his amateur jockey’s licence in 2025 and has since ridden in two point to point races.
“The first time I met Hezekiah he talked about becoming a jockey and so for him to have had such laser focus and have reached his dream is just a huge achievement,” said Naomi Lawson, co-founder of the Riding A Dream Academy.
“He is another trailblazer who shows the importance of having accessible pathways, opportunities and support to help every young person achieve their dream in the sport. We are so grateful to the Racing Foundation for funding these programmes and to Gary, Josh and the team for having supported Hez for all these years and giving him this opportunity.”
Main image © Darren Cool Images, inset image © Alice Gough.
