Trailblazer Khadijah Mellah Returns to the Saddle at Goodwood

Riding A Dream Academy co-founder, Khadijah Mellah, who captured global headlines in 2019 as the first British Muslim woman to ride in and win a horse race in the UK, is set to make her return to competitive racing later this week. On Friday 22nd August 2025, the 24-year-old amateur jockey will line up at Goodwood Racecourse, the venue where she made history six years ago.

Mellah has secured her Category A Amateur licence from the British Horseracing Authority and will partner, the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained, Uncle Dick (pictured here with Kadijah) in the Gay Kindersley Memorial Amateur Riders Handicap over a mile and one furlong. The race marks her first competitive outing since her breakthrough Magnolia Cup triumph, where she stunned the racing world by landing the charity contest just months after first sitting on a racehorse.

Since then, Khadijah has combined her racing ambitions with academic success, graduating from university and co-founding the Riding A Dream Academy alongside ITV’s Oli Bell and Naomi Lawson. The Academy, inspired by her own journey from learning to ride at Ebony Horse Club in Brixton, has already supported hundreds of young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds into the sport.

Speaking ahead of her Goodwood comeback, Khadijah said: “Riding back at Goodwood feels so special – it’s where everything began for me. So much has happened in the last six years, but the thrill of race riding has never left me. I’ve been working hard riding out in Epsom, Newmarket and recently Lambourn to prepare for this, and I can’t wait to get back out there. I have sacrificed so much to progress as a rider and really want to be known for my achievements as an individual, rather than as a “hijabi jockey”. It’s hard to get rides and I am beyond grateful to Eve who has given me such a huge opportunity and has recognised my efforts. Being an outsider in racing can be really tough but Eve has been so welcoming and supported my progress and I will never forget it.”

Mellah’s extraordinary story was captured in the award-winning documentary Riding A Dream and continues to inspire new generations with an Academy of the same name established in 2021 to support young people from diverse ethnic communities and disadvantaged backgrounds into racing. Her return to the track promises to be another landmark moment – for Goodwood, for British racing, and for the many young people who see her as a role model. To date, some 75% of Academy students have come from a diverse ethnic background and several alumni are now working in the sport and set to take out their own jockey licences shortly as well.

Good Luck Kadijah – the whole team at BRS will all be cheering you on!

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