Neon Moon ridden by jockey Tom Scudamore clear the last to win The MansionBet Merry Cheltmas Bet 10 Get 20 Maiden Hurdle at Wincanton Racecourse. Picture date: Thursday March 11, 2021.
The 14-year-old had been worried that her return to school last week after two months of homeschooling would mean she’d miss seeing her father (pictured, above) racing at Cheltenham (16-19 March). So she wrote a letter addressed to the prime minister, which Tom posted on social media and which then went viral.
“However happy I am about seeing my friends [back at school on 8 March], the week after is the biggest week in the racing calendar (Cheltenham Festival),” wrote Margot, a keen young jockey on the pony racing circuit.
“I am asking that maybe schools could go back on 22 March, therefore we could watch Cheltenham or you tell schools that they should have ITV Racing on throughout the school days from 16-19 March.
“My dad (Tom Scudamore) is going on 39 and as a jump jockey he is reaching the end of his career so I think that it is important at the age of 14 and as an aspiring jockey myself that I should be able to watch the Festival because in my case that is where I learn from watching my dad along with many other professionals.”
Word obviously reached 10 Downing Street as Margot’s head teacher received a phone call from Mr Johnson himself, while a letter arrived from him for Margot, and it was decided that the teenager would be allowed to watch the racing from her classroom every afternoon during all four days of the Cheltenham Festival.
“She’s very excited and happy about that,” Tom told H&H. “It’s great for her — and possibly a reflection on her stubbornness! But it’s also about how well her and her sister have done while homeschooling during lockdown; they’ve obviously studied very hard and the school has rewarded Margot with this.
“She’s very grateful to everyone involved and Boris giving her a helping hand has helped.
She’s excited to get a letter from the prime minister — she’s a very excited little lady, as are all her classmates.”
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
