Promising rugby player’s ‘remarkable rise’ in new career as a jockey… with big winners and cheques flying in

HE could have been playing rugby for Wales - but instead a 'remarkable rise' up the racing ladder has this little-known jockey making a serious name for himself.

And he is taking home big cheques as well as landing big winners after a red-hot winning streak in the run up to Christmas.

Meet former Welsh scrum-half Callum Pritchard, who has on-track prize money earnings of almost £170,000 this season alone.

The conditional jockey has gone from complete unknown to Grade 3 winner after landing the famous Badger Beer Chase under lovable veteran Al Dancer last month.

The Sam Thomas-trained 11-year-old was given no hope of landing the prestigious Wincanton prize and sent off 25-1.

But Pritchard, who came through the same Rhondda schools system as current Wales rugby internationals Kieron Assiratti and Cameron Winnett, steered him home expertly to win by ten lengths.

It was a procession, with the jockey landing a £48,000 prize for owner Dai Walters live on the ITV main channel.

And the winners have kept coming ever since.

A blistering end to November saw Pritchard record four wins in six days including a Huntingdon double on favourites Grove Road and Gold For Alec.

While the most lucrative financially was the £6,000 success on Anthony Charlton's former Cheltenham winner Rock My Way at Doncaster last week.

Pritchard was still playing rugby last year but packed it in with the threat of injury in the rough-and-tumble game too risky.

Mind you, not many would argue having an ambulance follow you round a track as you guide a 500kg animal over hurdles and fences is much safer.

Whatever your belief, there's no doubt the move has proved a shrewd one in the simplest sense for Pritchard.

Now based with Sun Racing columnist Ben Pauling, he can look forward to more money-spinning rides in the future - and being snapped up by owners hungry for his services.

He said: "Things have gone incredibly well for me this season – beyond my dreams, really.

"You need to be given good horses – which luckily, I am getting at the moment – and then it’s all about making the most of your opportunity, just like in any sport."

Pritchard got involved in racing pretty much by chance.

His girlfriend Hannah trained a point-to-point horse but had nobody to ride it.

So Pritchard 'got a licence for the craic' and quickly found he was a natural.

As word of his skills spread so did the chance to ride better and better horses, culminating in Al Dancer's win when Thomas' No1 jockey Dylan Johnston was injured.

Pritchard said: "A lot of my friends were jockeys so I always wanted to have a go.

"But I never thought in a million years I'd get to where I am today.

"It took me 30 rides to land my first winner, then I got a double the weekend after and it took off after that!

"It's surreal… but long may it continue."

With his talent only just being realised, there's every chance it will.

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