Aamilah Aswat makes horse racing history by becoming first black and South Asian female jump jockey to win a race in Britain
On just her fourth professional ride, Aswat claimed victory on 9-1 shot Gunchen at Kempton on Monday; the 20-year-old, who grew up in Gloucester, is of Jamaican and Indian heritage; Aswat gained experience at the inaugural Riding A Dream Academy
Monday 2 February 2026 19:38, UK
Aamilah Aswat has made history by becoming the first female black British jump jockey to win a UK horse race.
Aswat, who is also the first woman of South Asian heritage to become a jump jockey in Britain landed a 2m5f handicap hurdle at Kempton on Monday in just her fourth professional ride.
The 20-year-old rode Guchen, trained by Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls, to victory, guiding the 9-1 shot home in a field of 11 horses.
Being of Jamaican and Indian heritage, Aswat found it hard growing up in Gloucester as she would be the subject of racial abuse, but got into racing after her father's friend gave her a ride.
Aswat said: "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.
"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."
A first victory for Aswat comes after she took out her jockey's license in Autumn 2025.
She learnt to ride at St James' City Farm and joined the inaugural Riding A Dream Academy scholarship programme in 2021-22 (where she was sponsored by The Jockey Club) which supports young people from diverse ethnic communities into horse racing.
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."
