Oshane Marsh has champion ambition after graduating from Riding A Dream Academy

Oshane Marsh has become the first student from the groundbreaking Riding A Dream Academy in Newmarket to graduate from the British Racing School's Foundation course.

Marsh, 16, was one of the first students on the academy's Khadijah Mellah Scholarship programme, which seeks to support talented young riders from underrepresented communities, and he first learned to ride at the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton.

Marsh now works for Charlie Fellowes and is not short of confidence on his Instagram account, in which says his "one dream is to become a jockey. Not only a jockey, a champion jockey".

Commenting on his experiences, Marsh said: "I loved the scholarship and really enjoyed the foundation course, but it was a lot of hard work. You get up at 6am to look after the horses and are busy all day. I loved riding all the different horses, particularly the challenging ones and I really liked a horse called The Gay Cavalier – I just liked his way and his intelligence."

When he went back home to South London last week, Marsh realised things had changed. He added: "I went back to London for a few days before starting on my yard placement and London is boring by comparison – usually you would be busy the whole time in Newmarket so I'm looking forward to getting started."

Khadijah Mellah at Goodwood on the day of her triumph in the Magnolia Cup in 2019Credit: Edward Whitaker

Mellah made headlines in 2019 when winning the Magnolia Cup at Goodwood on Haverland, trained by Fellowes. It was a connection not lost on the trainer, who said of his new recruit: "Oshane has been here about a week and he's incredibly polite, happy and bubbly. He rides at an above-average standard from people we've had from the Racing School in the past and has a lovely pair of hands.

"It's fitting that he came to us as Khadijah Mellah, who was also from the Ebony Horse Club, was with us when she rode Haverland to win the Charity race at Goodwood a few years ago."

ITV Racing's Oli Bell, who co-founded the Riding A Dream Academy alongside Great British Racing's Naomi Lawson, added: "We're all so proud of what Oshane has achieved and can't wait to follow his career.

"I first saw him at the Ebony Horse Club a few years ago and for him to have grown into the stylish rider he is today and be riding racehorses is so exciting.

"Oshane is the perfect example of how the Riding A Dream Academy can support young riders into the racing industry and our hope is that he is the first of many young people from the academy who go on to pursue a career in the sport."

The Riding A Dream Academy is funded by the Racing Foundation and currently runs two riding-based programmes: the Khadijah Mellah Scholarship and a residential week which acts as an introduction to the sport.

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