‘Hopefully this is just the beginning’: young jockey blazes trail with historic victory

Aamilah Aswat is looking to the future after becoming the first female Black British jump jockey to win a race in the UK – on just her fourth ride as a professional.

Aamilah, 20, partnered Guchen, owned by Friends of Ebony Horse Club and trained by Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls, to victory in a handicap hurdle at Kempton yesterday (2 February).

“First of all I would like to thank everyone who has supported me every step of the way and to Kim and Mat and the owners for giving me this opportunity,” she said.

“Words can’t express what it feels like to have achieved this win so soon. I just feel really happy and hopefully it’s just the beginning for me and there’ll be many more wins to come in my career.”

The trainers said they are “so proud of Aamilah, who works so hard and really deserves this”.

“She gave Guchen a brilliant ride and we are delighted to be part of her history-making success,” they added, also thanking Brixton-based inner city riding school Ebony Horse Club for supporting her and helping to make this happen.

“We are sure this is just the start for Aamilah, onwards and upwards from here.”

Aamilah was brought up in Gloucester by her British parents of Indian and Jamaican heritage. She learnt to ride at St James’s City Farm in Gloucester and took part in pony races, before joining the inaugural Riding A Dream Academy scholarship programme in 2021. The programme is designed to support young people from diverse ethnic communities into racing.

She then completed the foundation course at the British Racing School and has been working with the two trainers ever since. Aamilah took out her conditional licence in autumn 2025.

“My dream is to ride as many winners as I can, and to just get on with it. Riding against professional jockeys helps to really build up my confidence and you can ask them for advice – they are all very nice and I’m very appreciative,” she said.

“The message I hopefully give out to other people is that if you want to do it, you definitely can and I will be following you every step of the way.”

She added that her route to riding as a professional “has been rocky, but I have stuck with it and it has been so rewarding”.

“Hopefully, there will be many more winners,” she said. “If it wasn’t for the Ebony Horse Club, I wouldn’t have progressed in my race-riding career so far. I am very thankful to them.”

Aamilah also paid tribute to her jockey coach, Will Kennedy.

“Will has worked with me for weeks and weeks on end. He has given me loads of advice and I am very thankful to him as well,” she said.

Naomi Lawson, co-founder of the Riding A Dream Academy, said: “We’re so incredibly proud of Aamilah. She has always been a stand-out talent and we are so pleased that all her hard work has paid off.

“For her to make history today and become the first Riding A Dream Academy student to win a race is incredible and we are so grateful to everyone who has supported her on her journey.”

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