Newbury ride then Cheltenham for Sheikh Fahad

Sheikh Fahad is taking part in charity race at Newbury on March 4, ahead of another similar challenge at Cheltenham, the home of British Jumps racing in April.

He is raising money at Newbury for Greatwood, the Wiltshire-based racehorse welfare charity that takes in ex-racehorses that are in danger of neglect, and in some cases uses them to educate disadvantaged children and young adults with special educational needs.

It also delivers pioneering education programmes teaching emotional literacy and life skills via interaction with rescued and rehabilitated ex-racehorses.

Among the 12-strong field at Newbury will be racehorse trainers David Dennis and Imogen 'Bundle' Pickard.

On Thursday, April 20 at Cheltenham, following a selection process that whittled applicants down from 600 to seven, he is riding in aid of The Bob Champion Cancer Trust and Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony Charity.

Along with a quartet of pre-selected riders namely Olympic gold medal-winning showjumper Nick Skelton and event riders Ben Hobday, Tina Cook and William or Alice Fox-Pitt the Sheikh and the other riders will take part in the Champions Willberry Charity Race. The race is in aid of The Bob Champion Cancer Trust and Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony Charity. Each selected rider has pledged to raise a minimum of £2,500 and it is hoped the day will make at least £100,000 to be split evenly between the two charities.

Sheikh Fahad has become a regular participant in such events, and won the final leg of Ireland's Corinthian Challenge at Leopardstown in October. Prior to that he landed Newmarket's Town Plate at the July meeting.

Former Grand National winning jockey Bob Champion said of the field for the Champions Willberry Charity Race: ‚"Selection was so hard. Everyone who applied was worthy so it all came down to suitability and fundraising. We hope we have got a good mix of people.‚"

Ian Peters, Trustee of Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony Charity commented: ‚"We never cease to be amazed at the generosity and spirit of our supporters and we want to thank everyone who applied to ride in this race. Bob and Hannah are both an inspiration to the equestrian community and our shared goal of #kickingcancersbutt unites the charities in a common purpose.‚"

Ian Renton from Cheltenham Racecourse, added: ‚"The number of applicants to ride in the race was more than any of us could have expected and we'd like to thank everyone for their interest in the event. Selecting the final riders was incredibly hard but I believe we have a great line up of people.‚"

Sheikh Fahad also hopes to ride in races at the Punchestown Festival, Newmarket's Town Plate and at Ascot later this year. He has become a noted fund-raiser for various charities, and hopes to make another significant contribution to the Champions Willberry Charity Race - you can support him by making a donation, no matter how small, via the fund-raising page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SheikhFahadAlThani.

For further information about the Champions Willberry Charity Race Day go to www.championswillberry.org.uk.