Khadijah Mellah slides comfortably into her saddle. Jittery hands adjust her helmet. Her horse, Haverland, paces beneath her, ready for action. At the starting line next to eleven competitors, Mellah can hardly believe she even qualified for the competition.
This tense moment transpired right before Mellah came out of nowhere to win first place at the prestigious 2019 Magnolia Cup Tournament. Remarkably, her victory came only a few months after the 18-year-old first decided to try horse-racing. With little experience, the young jockey has rocketed to the top of the sport.
Mellah’s unlikely success story is now the subject of Riding a Dream, a documentary in production by British television network ITV. The film follows Mellah as she ascends from her neighborhood racetrack in Brixton to the illustrious Qatar Goodwood Festival.
A Surprise Victory after Intense Preparation During Ramadan
In the weeks leading up to her race, Mellah’s main priorities were passing her A-Levels (British school exams) and celebrating Ramadan. Mellah first learned to ride horses as a child. But she had never even sat on a racehorse until just four months before her Magnolia Cup win.
To prepare for the race, the British teen had to push her schedule to its limits. “I have to put in a lot of hard work-riding out two or three times a day,” she says. “As well as time in the gym and on the equicisers.”
Even with all that training under her belt, riding in – much less winning – the Magnolia Cup still came as a total surprise. She recounts that when she crossed the finish line, “I said to the person next to me, ‘I can’t believe this is happening. Oh my God, I’m doing it.’”
Khadijah Mellah Finds Strength in her Support System
Although it was she who cross the finish line, Mellah humbly cites her supportive circle of friends and family – and her beloved horse – as a huge part of her success.
“I’m just so glad that everyone’s here to support me,” Mellah says. “Haverland is such an amazing horse and I love him so much.
Even outside her immediate circle, Mellah has received a lot of support. “Even distant relatives and friends I haven’t been in contact for ages have all been messaging me,” she says. “My primary school teacher, who I hadn’t spoken to in, like, 10 years contacted me.”
Khadijah Mellah’s Unlikely Journey Becomes International Inspiration
Mellah’s humble beginnings magnify the drama of her racing victory. Unlike many of her fellow jockeys of affluent upbringings, Mellah first learned to ride at The Ebony Horse Club. This simple community track doubled as a horse care center, providing youth in disadvantaged areas the opportunity to ride horses.
The champion is also pleased to hear that is viewed as an inspiration around the world. “I am thrilled that I am part of shift in social understanding of what women can achieve and what they can be good at,” she says.
“I want to be a role model to anyone who wants to do something that they wouldn’t initially believe was in their comfort zone and allow people to follow their aspirations and dreams.”
