The sport of horse racing is mostly associated with hurdles and straights, but for former X Factor contestant and boy band member, JJ Hamblett, a race course now represents a full circle moment in his life, and he has now swapped the stage for a return to the ground.
Thee 38 year old, Newmarket native, will be best known for the time he spent in the world of music and entertainment as a member of Union J, but in his pre fame time as a young boy born in Suffolk, he whiled away his youth horse racing, and actually gained his jockey licence at the ripe old age of just 16.
His racing endeavours did not end there as his first competitive appearance in the sport came way back on September 11, 2005 at Doncaster Racecourse, and it has now been confirmed that he is set for a nostalgic return to the ground as he has signed up for, and agreed to take part in, the upcoming The Leger Legends race, according to GamblerMedia’s horse racing center.
Meeting with the media to help build the public relations coverage for the event, Hamblett explained that it felt as though he had completed a full 360 to return to where he began, and given how his more recent career has gone and the experiences that this has gifted him, he knows that he is now in for a ‘very unusual next week’.
He admitted that preparing for his horse racing return in the last few weeks has definitely seen him get ‘that buzz back again’ and that he has ‘loved’ the experience of being back in the sport, but he knows that he will bring an added focus and interest to the spectacle and the simple questions on everyone’s lips will be ‘how does he get on?’, and ‘will he win?’
There will certainly be those out there who knew about his horse racing background, but for many the news of his licence at 16, and the fact that he grew up around horses (his father was a jockey) and began riding race horses at 14 years old, will certainly come as a surprise. As will his forays into the competitive world of the sport. The latter point may not be a great surprise when you learn that when he became an apprentice jockey at 16, it was under champion trainer Sir Michael Stoute – eventually racking up his first win in 2005, and then proceeding to add another 22 wins over the course of five seasons, to his name and record.
He more than acknowledged returning after a 20 year gap has posed ‘very challenging’ problems of its own, but in many ways The Leger Legends Classified Stakes is the perfect opportunity for him to return in, as basically it is its entire raison d’etre – a specific race for ex-professional jockeys with the added bonus of raising money for charities, which include the Injured Jockeys Fund and Jack Berry House who provide care, rehabilitation, and support for injured jockeys.
A very worthwhile cause, and one deserving of support and other confirmed riders for this years event are Gary Bardwell, Sammy Jo Bell, Joe Fanning and Andrew Tinkler. Frankie Dettori had committed to taking part in the local Suffolk event, but he had to pull out following the unfortunate car crash he was involved in last July that left him with several broken ribs.
Hamblett has been trained by John and Thady Gosden, based at Clarehaven Stables in Newmarket, and although he has already ruled out a full time return to racing given his age, he intends to return to The Leger Legends in future years – whether he wins, or not.
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