World’s tallest jockey comes up short at Cheltenham Festival after horse pulls up halfway round course
THE world’s tallest jockey came up short today when his horse pulled up halfway round the course.
At 6ft 4in Jack Andrews towered above the rest of the field in the Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase.
But the 24-year-old’s 20-1 shot Anightinlambourn gave up early in the 5.30pm last race of the day.
Jack, who is more than a foot taller than the average jockey height of 5ft 3in, told The Sun: “We gave it a good shot but the ground was a bit too soft.
“We had our doubts going into the race.”
His two sisters Bridget, 29, and Gina, 31, who are 5ft7 were also in the same race but failed to place.
Jack from Dunchurch, Warks, said before the race: “I grew up thinking I would be a professional rider when I was older.
“When I had a growth spurt it was a bit of a kick in the teeth, but I always felt I could still ride.
“When I first started riding around the age of 15 or 16 I was tall but not as tall as I am now.
“I was probably 5ft 10ins when I had my first ride so I was okay and then when I got to about 17 I really shot up again and that is when I got quite tall.”
Jack often struggles to manage his weight to keep him competitive and lives on a diet of yoghurt and fruit.
He said: “It is tough with your weight but you get to a point where you have to suck it up and deal with it. That was the long and short of it.
“I told myself this is the situation that I’m in and I’ve got to deal with it the best I can.
“There is not a day that goes by when I don’t think about the scales.
“I would have a coffee when I come out in the morning on the way to the yard.
“I would then have breakfast and I would have yoghurt and fruit like bananas and blueberries with granola, and maybe a cup of tea.
“Then I would ride out for the rest of the morning then at lunch I would probably have a yoghurt bar and a banana.
“Then in the evenings I would have some protein like a bit of chicken or some prawns and maybe a yoghurt pot and maybe another yoghurt bar.
“I’m quite partial to a chocolate Hobnob when I come back in the evening.”