Amateur jockey set to ride horse trained by husband and owned by mother-in-law at Grand National
IT is a real family affair for one of the contenders at Saturday’s Grand National as an amateur female jockey competes on a horse trained by her husband — and owned by her mother-in-law.
Gina Andrews, 32, is set to ride Latenightpass at Aintree.
Her husband Tom Ellis, 39, has taken out a full licence so he can train the horse.
The nag, rated 25-1 with bookies, was bred by his mum Pippa from a mare she bought during a night out with dad Tony.
Tom, who previously focused on point-to-point races, said: “I’ll never have another one that my mum bred and my wife rides, not in that race anyway.
“To see your wife live out a childhood dream on a horse your mum bred, it’s amazing. Words can’t describe it.”
Gina said: “It has always been a dream of mine to ride in the National but being an amateur it had never been that realistic.
“I’m trying to take each day as it comes and just wait for the day. It’s a fantastic story.”
She and Tom wed in 2015 and live near Marton, Warks.
Pippa admitted she still found the situation surreal.
She said: “I’ve been watching since I was a little girl, so to be actually going with a horse that we’ve bred, that my son trains, my daughter-in-law rides, it’s bonkers. It’s mad.”