The teenager made headlines winning at last year’s Glorious Goodwood and threatens more racing ‘chaos’ after her degree
“It was a magical outcome,” Khadijah Mellah says as she remembers how her life changed last summer when, after sitting on a racehorse for the first time just a few months earlier, she won the Magnolia Cup at Goodwood. In August 2019, as the first jockey in Britain to race while wearing a hijab, the 18-year-old from Peckham urged on her horse, Haverland, to a thrilling victory which made news across the country.
Mellah was in the midst of her A-levels while learning how to ride a racehorse. Her journey from the underprivileged Ebony Horse Club in Brixton to the winner’s enclosure at Glorious Goodwood was captured in Riding A Dream, an ITV documentary lit up by Mellah’s sparkling character and courage. It could lead to a feature film based on the incredible story of a young Muslim woman overcoming prejudice and subverting stereotypes.
Written by Donald McRae
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jun/15/khadijah-mellah-interview-horse-racing-glorious-goodwood under the title “
“. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
