Class of '25
Victoria Stoughton
Victoria is a 21-year-old student from Essex. Her passion for media and content creation stems from her Instagram account where she shares her riding journey with her horse Clove. As a result, she has worked with various equestrian companies and thoroughly enjoyed creating content for them. Additionally, as an Equine Performance and Business Management student, it has tied her passion for horses and media together, leading her to discover the Racing Media Academy. Throughout the previous year, she has been a member of the Youth Collaboration Group with Careers in Racing in which she has written race previews and attended race days. She is excited to delve deeper into her career with the Racing Media Academy and looks forward to gaining knowledge and networking with like-minded people.
“The Racing Media Academy has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The initial week in Newmarket not only provided invaluable industry knowledge and connections, but also fostered some incredible friendships. It was a week I wish I could relive, and I am immensely grateful to everyone involved.
As my three-month placement with ARC comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the summer I have had. Back in February, I received the dreaded call that I hadn’t been selected for an interview at the academy. It just goes to show how life works in unexpected ways, what is meant for you will happen. It is crazy how I went from no interview to a place on the academy!
My time at ARC has been full-on: thousands of miles travelled, countless reels posted, and a handful of interviews completed. This placement offered me the chance to work within a full marketing team, where we shared experiences, tips, and celebrated successes together. It was incredibly rewarding to contribute to the team and see the impact of our work first hand.
I will truly miss everyone I have worked with over the past year, they have helped shape my career in so many ways, but I am sure we will stay in touch.”
Jake Wilkes
Jake Wilkes is 23 years old and is about to graduate as a sports journalist, after studying for three years at the University of Gloucestershire. He worked in an office job after he finished his A-Levels but decided to pursue his dream career in the sports journalism industry. While at university he has regularly written for publications such as the Cheltenham Post, Gloucestershire Live and for Old Gold Racing’s weekly newsletter. Despite his young age, he has interviewed leading experts in the field, such as Ruby Walsh, Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson.
Before he decided to go to university, he had applied for the Racing Media Academy but was unsuccessful. This rejection prompted him to tidy up his skills and learn to be a more complete, well-rounded journalist. He is hugely excited for his placement with Ascot Racecourse. He is hoping his time with the Racing Media Academy can lead to full-time employment as a horse racing journalist. He currently lives in Ludlow, so moving to London will be a bit of a shock to the system!
“My time at Ascot was nothing short of exceptional. A wonderful team either way the most welcoming group of people you could wish to meet. During my placement, I worked with various departments such as the racing team, the marketing team and the social team, understanding key aspects of how to successfully run the business. Of course, I have to mention the Royal Ascot meeting itself, simply one of the best weeks of my life and it was such a special experience to be a part of.”
Imogen Bridges
Imogen is 23. Along with having family in Ireland who have a history with horses and racing, she has been lucky enough to grow up riding at home in the Kent countryside. Aside from her love of horses she also has an interest in wildlife and storytelling. While carrying out her degree in Television Production, she particularly enjoyed crafting the narrative of her graduate project, ‘Behind the Reins’, which explored the benefits that ponies bring to neurodivergent children and their unique and special partnership. This experience, along with her interest in horses, solidified her motivation to apply for the Racing Media Academy and she is so glad she did! She is really looking forward to her placement with Equine Productions to learn more about their process of creating such beautiful and fascinating documentaries, as well as immersing herself in the world of racing and meeting the other trainees during the training week at the British Racing School in Newmarket.
“The Racing Media Academy was an experience like no other.
It all begins with the training week in Newmarket. From arrival at The British Racing School, we were completely immersed in the horse racing industry. We gained an incredible insight into both horse racing and the media and were lucky enough to learn from some incredibly talented people in the industry. Participating in a full day masterclass from Lydia Hislop and Lee Mottershead, listening to talks on presenting from Rishi Persad and Jill Douglas, and visiting James Ferguson’s yard and Dalham Hall Stud were just some of the opportunities that the course offered us.
The week culminated in the challenge of the Mock Raceday. Having enhanced our knowledge and skills throughout the week, we each took on our assigned roles and worked together alongside RaceTech to successfully produce our Mock Raceday. This was an invaluable experience that really reflects how brilliant the week’s training is.
The day after finishing the course I began my placement with Equine Productions in Chepstow. With my interests in storytelling and production, the placement was perfect. Not only are the EP team extremely talented at what they do, but they ensured to involve me in as many aspects of their work as possible. This gave me experience across various aspects of pre and postproduction and I even had the exciting opportunity to accompany the team on a shoot.
I am very grateful to have been a part of the Racing Media Academy, and I appreciate the time taken by everyone involved in the curation and delivery of the programme. The experience filled me with a renewed passion for media and horse racing and I greatly encourage anyone who is interested to apply, you never know where it could lead you…”
Lara Partridge
Lara is 25 and lives in Guildford. She is a graduate of the University of Bristol and of the British Racing School. When at university, she started riding out in Epsom and fell in love with horseracing. She is looking forward to the opportunity to meet lots of interesting people across the industry and put some of her creative skills to test with the team at Great British Racing.
“My time with the RMA was a once in a lifetime experience. Getting to meet the best in the industry was invaluable and has given me so many opportunities moving forward. During my work placement, I was able to really discover what I’d like to do moving forward and I’m forever grateful to everyone involved for making that happen.”
Ben Ryan
Ben is a 20-year-old undergraduate student of Global Communication and Media based at the University of Portsmouth. He has been waiting for Racing Media Academy applications to open ever since he heard about the course whilst working on a small filming project at Kingsclere, Park House Stables (the breathtaking training facilities licensed by Andrew Balding), in April last year. It was Grand National won by Many Clouds and jockey Leighton Aspell that gravitated him towards the sport. Knowing nothing at the time about the racehorse, Aintree Racecourse or the prominence of the late Trevor Hemmings’ success stories, something about the National just fascinated him.
Now, from getting trackside on the courses, watching race build-up and analysis, or listening to the trainers explaining horses’ work on the gallops, each part of this sport has continued to intrigue and fire him up with opinions/ideas.
He is extremely excited about being in the Racing Media Academy cohort of 2025. He sees this as the perfect opportunity to learn practical and essential media skills which, which he hopes, will prepare him for a lengthy career in the racing media landscape. He is also excited about meeting like-minded people equally enthusiastic about racing, media or both, which will allow him to make great connections too!
“My five-week placement with ITV Sport has been far greater than I could have ever imagined. It has been inspiring to see such vast teams all passionate about high-quality programme output, and I have been lucky enough to see the cogs of the organisation churning right across the range of sports that ITV covers.
My first couple of weeks with the team involved plenty of shadowing to get an idea of how we would shape the rest of my placement. From ITV’s coverage of Coral-Eclipse Day at Sandown to a gallery in Ealing Broadcasting Centre for the production of UEFA Women’s EURO matches, I was completely immersed in ITV’s portfolio of live sport, not just horse racing (which I strongly believe will be valuable for the future).
It therefore felt like a smooth transition when Paul Cooper (Coops), Sport Programme Editor and my line manager whilst on placement, said I would effectively be working as a junior producer for the rest of my time there. I then became involved with a Sussex Stakes runners and riders feature in our Goodwood Festival coverage on ITV1, production of the Australian Darts Masters playout on ITV4 and multiple EVS (live replay) outputs right across ITV’s summer racing programme.
Having started my placement with a set of racing blinkers on, I would never have thought that such an eclectic sample of sport would be so appealing to me, and yet it was! Though I cannot put into words how surreal it has been to observe some of the most well-known faces of horse racing go about their work in person, rather than on screen (making live television look ‘easy’ is an understatement and testament to a sterling production team).
I write this just four days after my placement concluded at Ascot Racecourse, and I can honestly say I miss the people and the crazy and incredibly rewarding world of live TV already. However, I look forward to everything upcoming, knowing that I have spent this summer gaining the greatest possible industry exposure. There are far too many people to thank for that, but I know this would not have been possible without my prior training with the Racing Media Academy at The British Racing School in Newmarket.
I am forever grateful to everyone behind the RMA and everyone at ITV Sport for providing me with opportunities that I will never forget.”
Matt Morris
Matt is 23 years old and from the Wirral. He has worked for Liverpool FC Tours and the museum department for nearly three years, delivering a range of experiences for fans, plus involvement in media productions for club departments and partners. He is a passionate racing fan, attending as many meetings as possible and following the latest news and results daily.
His favourite course is Cartmel, and he is lucky enough to have shares in a few horses with local trainer James Moffatt. He loves visiting the yard and seeing the horses enjoying their lives at home and being cared for so well by the team. He is excited to meet lots of new people and learn from the best in racing media. He is eager to gain a strong understanding of the different areas within the racing media and apply that knowledge during his placement at JSC. He aims to use these valuable experiences to establish a career in the racing media.
“The RMA was truly an unforgettable experience. From start to finish, we were so well looked after and supported by Lee, Cath, Abby, Josh, and everyone at the BRS during our residential week. The programme was inspiring, packed with opportunities to learn from some of the very best in the racing and sports media industries. Through practical sessions, career advice, and industry insights, I gained so much. One of the most special parts of the week was meeting new people. I’ve made some very good friends on the course, and I know we’ll stay connected as we all move forward in our careers.
My placement at JSC has been just as rewarding. I’ve loved working with such a supportive and encouraging team, getting involved in a range of exciting projects like the Henry Cecil Open Weekend and Unibet blogs. Most of my time has been focused on social media, creating content for clients including KHK Racing, RaceShare, and the Breeders’ Cup, as well as for JSC’s own channels. The highlight for me was definitely Royal Ascot. I had the incredible opportunity to work every day, helping run the media centres and producing content alongside racing personalities, from ITV and Racing TV presenters to jockeys and trainers.
This whole experience has been so special and has given me the belief, and the practical experience I needed to confidently pursue a future in racing media.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in organising the RMA, and to all at JSC for the support and guidance throughout my placement.”
Ameila Santangeli
Amelia Santangeli is 23 years old. From a young age she been passionate about the horse racing industry. Most of her childhood was spent growing up in rural Cheshire riding event horses, and riding racehorses on the weekends. Horses have always been a massive part of her life, leaving home at 16 to go to Hartpury Equine College in Gloucester, where she then went on to go to study International Horse Racing Business. She is currently working at Overbury Stud doing the thoroughbred breeding season and loves working there. She is excited to start a new journey with the Racing Media Academy, especially her placement with Jockey Cam and seeing where this new journey takes her.
“The Racing Media Academy was a turning point in my career. Learning from industry experts was inspiring—many still say hi when I see them on course! I made lifelong friends, gained confidence, and picked up valuable skills during my JockeyCam placement, where I still freelance.
Those skills helped me land a full-time role managing social media for Noel Fehily Racing and David Crosse Hospitality. Without the Racing Media Academy, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am very grateful for everyone that makes this amazing course possible .”
Luca Brooks-Edwards
Luca is a 21-year-old sports journalism student, in his 2nd year at UCFB’s Wembley campus. His time at university, has provided him with the opportunity to have a placement at Dulwich Hamlet Football Club, one of the most exciting teams in non-league. You can often hear his voice on their radio commentary channel for both the men and women’s teams.
He was introduced to racing at a very young age by his father. He took him to many tracks around East Sussex, where he grew up, such as Goodwood, Brighton and Plumpton. More recently he has attended many of the top race days, such as the Cheltenham festival, York’s Ebor meeting and Champion’s Day at Ascot.
He is most looking forward to all the practical elements and workshops on the course, so he can develop skills such as interviewing, which he can transfer to his placement at Nick Luck Daily. He is also very excited to meet more people his age that are passionate about racing, and media and develop friendships throughout the process.
“It’s safe to say squeezing my time working for the Nick Luck Daily Podcast is impossible to fit into one paragraph, but here goes. Within the space of 6 weeks, I ticked off 8 new racecourses, made countless connections, and to top it off co-hosted a live episode of the podcast on the track at Royal Ascot! Working alongside Nick, as well as Charlotte Greenway, is relentless, but could not have been a more enjoyable experience, and to whoever undergoes the placement next year, count yourself very lucky.”
Rahul Gandhi
Born and raised in India, Rahul is an ambitious storyteller with a background in Media and Communication, English and Psychology, along with a Master’s in Filmmaking from Kingston University. He’s passionate about telling diverse stories with authenticity without making them a snoozefest. Articulate, witty and always up for a good conversation, Rahul brings curiosity and a fresh perspective to everything he does, both on and off the screen. He is looking forward to learning more on the Racing Media Academy.
“I was exploring roles in media when I came across the Racing Media Academy (RMA) application. It is an incredible initiative designed to give young people a foot in the door of racing-related media, but you don’t need to be a racing expert to apply. Just a bit of enthusiasm and a willingness to learn goes a long way.
The eight-day training programme at the British Racing School was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We were mentored by leading figures in news, attended race meetings as accredited press, toured studios, and got stuck into real newsroom environments. It was intense, but I came away with a solid understanding of both the racing world and how media teams operate within it.
The team (Lee, Cath, Abby, and Josh) were brilliant throughout – always supportive, encouraging, and great fun to be around. More than anything, the RMA gave me a strong network and media connections and that’s something I know will help me as I take the next steps in the industry.”
Imogen Webber
Imogen is a 22-year-old event rider based near Newbury. She has always been captivated by horses and learnt to ride on very cheeky Welsh ponies as a toddler. She was then lucky enough to compete and produce various horses alongside her education. Through the process of retraining her first ex racehorse, her interest was turned towards the racing industry which developed into an obsession. She decided to pursue a career in the industry and set about gaining varied experience, including riding out and yearling prep. She has an interest in presenting and gets a real buzz from communicating and sharing in the thrills of equestrian sport. Outside of horses, she has a biology degree from Exeter, enjoys conservation, travel and long-distance running. She is really looking forward to the course, particularly learning more about the ‘behind the scenes’ aspects of racing media, as well as meeting like-minded enthusiasts.
“My placement at Racing TV was an incredible experience. Over my five weeks in Ealing, I had the opportunity to shadow producers in the gallery, assist with editing, and sit in the studio during live broadcasts. I also joined the team on several This Racing Life shoots, which was a particular highlight. The producers were extremely generous with their time and insight, walking me through the creative and editorial decisions behind each programme.
I was also very fortunate to shadow presenters on course. From smaller race days to Glorious Goodwood, I found it both hugely enjoyable and insightful. Not only was watching the presenters ‘in action’ fascinating, but I was also able to discuss logistics with the camera men and practice coping with talkback from the gallery. Whilst at Salisbury, Anthony Dunkley generously gave me the chance to interview several jockeys on camera — a brilliant opportunity for hands-on practice and great fun
I feel I have developed a huge amount of practical knowledge, as well as forging valuable industry connections and friendships. The entire team at Racing TV were incredibly friendly, welcoming and generous with their time and expertise and I feel very, very fortunate to have had this experience.”
George Wells
George is 32 years old, from Brighton. His love for horses started when his friend took him to a riding stable, where he volunteered. The two riding schools he went to were Chestnuts and Three Greys. At college, he studied horse care management levels one to three. Part of the course was to do work experience; he did his work experience at Gary Moore Racing. He also did the transition to the racing course at a British Racing School. Whilst at college, he worked as a groundsman at Plumpton Racecourse.
His university course has allowed him to combine his love for horses and television studies for a career. Whilst at Southampton Solent University he won a couple of National Student Television awards, as part of a team of 50 + students. He also produced an NHS video and a documentary about boxing. Currently, he is working as a freelance runner for IMG (Premier League Productions). And is also a freelance runner for Gravity Media.
From Racing Media Academy, he is looking to learn about new roles, which he may not be aware of and to expand his knowledge of horse racing. He is also interested in learning about graphics and VT operations.
“I was placed with RaceTech. Whilst at the British Racing School, we were learning about different careers in racing. My favourites was Frankie Foster, who taught us techniques for making compelling social media posts. Jockey Cam, to experience what it is like to be a jockey on a horse with Virtual Reality. Interviewing on Camera with Lydia Hislop and Lee Mottershed, from this I learnt what it is like to be in front of the camera instead of behind the camera. And getting to experience how to film a live race at the racing school before my placement.
When on placement with RaceTech, I got an overview of what they do by shadowing the photofinish, cameras, Press position, engineering, rigging and de-rigging, public address system, director, Replay operator and commentator. I learnt how a director also vision mixes. Engineering taught me a new way to coil cables.
The area which I chose to specialise in was Cameras. The team taught me how to rig a box lens and how to take horses to post, how to operate a paddock camera. In my last few placement days, I was fully operating the paddock camera independently on Sky Sports Racing. Overall, I have enjoyed my placement and would recommend The Racing Media Academy to anyone looking to work in horse racing.”
Oliver Barnard
Oliver is a 23-year-old journalism graduate from Nottingham Trent University with a passion for sports media, particularly horse racing and football. He lives in Lichfield, and his local track is Uttoxeter, where he’s enjoyed many fantastic race days. His favourite racing memory is standing in the crowd as Galopin Des Champs stormed up the Cheltenham hill to win his first Gold Cup. He’s also a big Norwich City fan and a member of the England Supporters Travel Club.
During university, he was part of the sports news team, and he writes his own blog covering Norwich City. After graduating, he completed work experience with Runner’s World magazine, which reinforced his determination to pursue a career in sports journalism.
Through his time with the Racing Media Academy and the Racing Post, he’s eager to develop as a sports journalist and learn from the best in the industry. He’s excited to broaden his knowledge of the horse racing media landscape and build skills that will support his future career. Most of all, he can’t wait to create content about the best sport in the world every day.
“During my eight-week internship with the Racing Post, I was able to get involved in all aspects of their content production. In my first week, I shadowed news editors, audience editors and digital managers before beginning to produce my own work. I wrote race reports, opinion columns, news stories and digital content, and in my final week I conducted a feature interview with a jockey. I also assisted with podcast production, transactional content and the ANZ Bloodstock newsletter. “
Milly Maxwell
Milly Maxwell is 21 years old, from Southern Scotland. She is currently studying Equine Business Management at Hartpury University in Gloucestershire. When she is not studying at university, she work’s full time as a Racing Secretary at Iain Jardine Racing in Scotland, where she completes administrative duties, as well as accompanying the horses to the races. She is really looking forward to the Racing Media Academy and is excited to expand her knowledge within a new side of the racing industry, learning more about media and presenting.
“The week at the British Racing School for the Racing Media Academy course was easily the best week of my life. We met and had talks from some of the greatest professionals in the sport, who taught us the most valuable skills that we all were able to use later on in the week, and again in our placements. The course was intense, but I got so much out of it and would do it all again in a heartbeat. I thoroughly enjoyed putting everything I had learnt through the week to the test for the Mock Raceday on the Friday, and it was great to see everything come together, as we were all allocated roles that suited our skill set. The other 14 people on the course were all amazing, and we have made friendships to last a lifetime.
I had the most amazing time at my six-week placement with Sky Sports Racing. Throughout my time at Sky, I spent each week working with different teams, from producers, researchers, their social media team, the assistant producers and on-course presenters; all of which were so welcoming and helpful.
My final week was spent at Royal Ascot, which was the most incredible experience. I spent the Tuesday shadowing Alex Hammond and Mick Fitzgerald and then spent the remainder of the week with their social media team, capturing engaging footage for the At The Races social media channels.
From start to finish, the Racing Media Academy and my placement with Sky Sports Racing has been an opportunity of a lifetime and I am so grateful for this experience. I can’t thank Josh Apiafi, Abby Appiafi, Lee Moulson, Catherine Goff and the team at Sky enough for everything.”
Kandra Obeng
Kandra Obeng has grown up in an African household in Tottenham. Growing up in a deprived area she faced a lot of barriers such as schools not being good enough and people around her rebelling. As a member of the community, she witnessed a lot of people she knew being excluded from school and getting involved with gangs. However, she couldn’t just be a bystander so in 2023 she decided to join the peer action collective as a young peer researcher. Within her time there she joined an amazing team of young people aiming to find causes and solutions for knife crime and youth violence in London. During her time as a researcher, she enjoyed analysing and coding data that she collected. Also, the opportunities her work gave her to be creative on the team, such as allowing her to use her spoken word and poetry skills to communicate the findings to fascinate a younger audience.
When she came across the Racing Media Academy’s opportunity, she knew it was something she wanted to do. Doing a media course in school has inspired her to pursue a future career in media. She is excited to be part of a team and exposed to other people aspiring to be involved in media. She thinks this will be a great stepping stone for her future and will be able to exercise her skills and gain new skills and experiences on top.
“The RMA opened my eyes to an industry that I would have never imagined myself entering. It took just one week with them to realise how exciting the horse racing industry is. I had once thought it was only about the presenters, race goers, jockeys and horses but I discovered there are so many layers to horse racing. I’ve always been curious about the media world, marketing, social media and sharing creativity online. Then found that horse racing is also about that.
I joined The Jockey Club on a social media placement which was an experience I wouldn’t have had without the RMA. During my month with The Jockey Club, I gained insight to how the marketing team operates. I got to bring in new ideas to the social media team, learn how to create a competition page on the jockey club website, create posters and even write an article. Learning about how things are done is great but getting to experience the process of creating content sparked a feeling of joy in me.
I had an unforgettable time with both the RMA and The Jockey Club.”
Fung N Yip
Fung is originally from Hong Kong but has lived in Spain for the last 4 years, before recently moving to the UK. Currently based in Newcastle, he is obsessed with storytelling, constantly forging different projects to tell stories from football, politics, social issues and more. To reach the target audience, he has found different platforms to tell different stories, such as Media of Hong Kong Students and Play Your Own Style. He is looking forward to the course to enhance his storytelling skills and connect with different amazing people.
“Those four weeks were magical, with the kind Jockey club staff helping along the way. The plan that they planned out are wonderful. I got to experience almost every part of the horseracing industry. From internal communication, external communication, marketing to social media content creation. Huge shout out to Tom to pull the strings together inside the Jockey club. I had the time of my life.”