Goodwood’s Magnolia Cup to feature star-studded line-up
The 2018 Magnolia Cup charity race at Goodwood Racecourse will feature a field of strong, inspirational women from the worlds of business, sport, fashion, medicine and media, who will set aside their day jobs to become jockeys for the occasion.
Run at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, (known affectionately as ‘Glorious Goodwood’), on Ladies’ Day, August 2, the Magnolia Cup is now in its eighth year and has raised over £1.2million for a number of charities since its inception. The race itself is run over five-and-a-half-furlongs down Goodwood’s straight in front of a capacity crowd of 25,000 and the riders will need nerves of steel, especially as most of those taking part had never set foot in a racing yard before their training started.
For the first time this year, each rider will wear a bespoke jockey silk designed exclusively for the Magnolia Cup by Iranian/Swedish fashion designer and women’s rights activist Morvarid Sahafi. Morvarid’s designs for her brand, Morv London, reflect female empowerment and are inspired by the Suffragette movement, in fitting support of the values of the Magnolia Cup.
This year, the Magnolia Cup will support Cancer Research UK, the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research. Its pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives and has been at the heart of progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years. The charity is continuing to tackle women’s cancers on all fronts – helping to prevent and improve the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and gynaecological cancers.
Fundraising takes place through race and horse sponsorship, as well as at the Regency Ball, a stunning Regency-themed banquet and party held at Goodwood House the evening after the Magnolia Cup.
This year’s inspiring riders will be:
Lady Alice Manners – Sunday Telegraph Columnist and Personal Shopper
Dr Amanda Cross – Cancer Researcher at Imperial College London, funded by Cancer Research UK
Camilla Hickish – Trainee Doctor and Cancer Survivor
Emily Baxendale – Founder and Creative Director, Emily-London milliners
Holly Thomson (Hollie-Ella) – Director & Editor of In The Country Magazine & Blog
Melissa Margolis – Assistant Program Director of PDP (Prostitution Diversion Program), Los Angeles, Ca.
Rosie Tapner – British Fashion Model and Student at Oxford Brookes University
Sarah Cook – Sport Secretary, Daily Mirror & Sunday Mirror
Shadi Halliwell – Chief Marketing Officer, Three
Lady Tatiana Mountbatten – Professional Dressage Rider and Tech Start-Up Founder
Vicki Smith – Director of Absolute Aesthetics/The Whiteley Clinic
Victoria Gray – Lifestyle Director, Sunday Express S Magazine
(ENDS)
Editor’s Notes:
To follow the riders as they train for the Magnolia Cup, including facing a gruelling assessment at the British Racing School, please visit Goodwood Racecourse’s social media channels.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/goodwoodracecourse
Twitter: www.twitter.com/goodwood_races
Instagram: https://instagram.com/goodwood_races
About the Qatar Goodwood Festival:
Once described by King Edward VII as ‘a garden party with racing tacked on,’ this world-famous five-day festival – popularly known as ‘Glorious Goodwood’ – is one of the highlights of the flat racing season. Over 100,000 people flock to the world’s most beautiful racecourse to enjoy top class racing and entertainment, including the £1million Qatar Sussex Stakes, the cavalry charge that is the Qatar Steward’s Cup and the marathon Qatar Goodwood Cup.
The 2018 event takes place from Tuesday 31 July to Saturday 4 August and Qatar continues its generous support of the week, with prize money totalling over £5million.
Tickets and hospitality packages for all of Goodwood’s 2018 fixtures can be purchased at Goodwood.com or by calling 01243 755055.
For editorial enquiries please contact:
Laura Gilbert-Burke or Sam Hanson in the Goodwood Press Office: 01243 755 000, laura.gilbert-burke@goodwood.com / sam.hanson@goodwood.com
About Cancer Research UK
- Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
- Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
- Cancer Research UK receives no funding from the UK government for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on vital donations from the public.
- Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.
- Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years.
- Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
- Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow Cancer Research UK on Twitter and Facebook.
