Friday Video: Taking the Knee in the Magnolia Cup

So often, England’s Magnolia Cup – an invitational charity flat race for women who aren’t actually jockeys at England’s Glorious Goodwood – is the site of extraordinary, inspiring stories. It was here that teenager Khadijah Mellah became not only the first-ever Hijabi winner of a race, but the first Hijabi jockey in the UK back in 2019, which inspired a flurry of aspiring jockeys to join the Ebony Horse Club programme in London, where she’d learnt to ride.

This year, upon the race’s return to the calendar, we’ve seen a similarly exceptional winner in Ashleigh Wicheard, who used the race as a platform to promote diversity in equestrianism and the continued fight to end systemic racism well beyond the realm of sport. I’m putting the site of the jockeys collectively taking the knee down as one of the most moving sporting moments of the year, and I doubt we’ll see it eclipsed as the rest of 2022 plays out. Check out this short documentary video for the full story, and give Ashleigh a follow on Instagram to keep up with this powerhouse rider.