Young Achiever

Abdul Kareem Musa Adam. A name that up until recently probably wouldn't have rang any bells to any one of us. But recently Abdul has found himself firmly in the spotlight. The Sudanese native has proven himself to be wonderful advocate of hope and strength in the face of extreme adversity and was recently awarded the 'Young Achiever of the Year' award at the Pride of Sport Awards. As a young child, Abdul lost his entire family after their village was bombed and spent the remaining seven years beaten and homeless, desperately seeking refuge. Making his way across the Mediterranean ocean he arrived in France at the age of 14, sleeping on the streets for 18 months before making his way to England and being granted asylum. His life was nothing short of horrific, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Abdul was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Here is where horses stepped in to change his life. Greatwood are a marvellous charity that take in ex-racers and give them a home and a job educating disadvantaged children. Abdul flourished and with help from Greatwood applied for a place at the Northern Racing College. Abdul's dream is to become a jockey and considering what he has been through and the incredible resilience he has shown, this should be a walk in the park! He must be a tenaceous young man and with his determined strength of character, there's no reason why he can't achieve his dreams - sounds like a Hollywood block buster in the making!

At home four lots went out, cantering on either the round canter or the all-weather while Prairie Impulse had a pop over the line of hurdles and showed plenty of enthusiasm as we've come to expect from her. Dale breezed Birrafun ahead of Newcastle tomorrow, Issey worked away on her vet reports and Christmas Party plans were finalised. Things are certainly still busy, just how we like it, but when to find tome to buy Christmas presents....