EDIE CAMPBELL last week won Goodwood's inaugural Women's Celebrity Race, competing against Tatler's Kate Reardon and DJ Sara Cox. Here she shares her three-day jockey diary.
Monday
The race is on Thursday. It is Monday. I am feeling unfit and slightly ill-prepared. Balls. Spending this week riding out at George Baker's in Salisbury, my 5am wake-up calls facilitated by my outrageous competitiveness. Jockeys are quite a hilarious species; tiny, pumped full of testosterone and constantly starving themselves. In some ways not all that different to models then.
Wednesday
Last day, final preparations. Slightly shaky, sleepless night. Exercised two horses and then drove down to Goodwood with my "spiritual adviser" Rosie. Hoping to absorb some of these jockeys' experience by osmosis.
ABSOLUTELY ****TING IT.
That is all.
Thursday - Day of the RACE!
Very funny and fun Goodwood Ball last night. I instructed various friends to drug my competition but there was no chance that any glasses were going to be left unattended. Felt very suspicious of all the advice I was given; convinced everyone was trying to sabotage me. Regency-themed: men in tights, carousels and lots of ruffles. It all took a stranger turn when Courtney Love sang, and members of the audience shouted "show us yer t*ts love". Sober and early bedtime, professional athlete that I am.
WON THE RACE. Thanks entirely to my horse. Not a single thought passed through my mind during the race, except for, "If someone overtakes me now I'll be furious". Completely exhausting, and so, so, so, much fun. I want to return to defend my title next year.
I vaguely remember having a conversation with Courtney Love about horseracing but that situation seems quite unlikely, so who knows if it actually happened.
Came crashing back down to earth the next day when I rode my own horse terribly. Ego swiftly deflated.