Aamilah Aswat: The Grand National is the dream of the first black British female jockey to win the jump race

Voices began riding when she was five years old at St James City Farm – a stables within the city of Gloucester – before joining trainers Kim Bailey and Matt Nicholls.

She became addicted to the sport after a pony race at Cheltenham.

Her win earlier this month came in only her fourth professional ride after earning her jockey’s license in the fall of 2025.

“The entire racing community has been very supportive and nothing has held me back,” Aswat said.

“Every time I went to Cheltenham, I didn’t see people of my colour, so it was scary in that sense.”

Billy could see Voices’ “natural talent” right away.

“I take pictures of horses studying all the time for my owners, and I’ve never taken a picture of them out of place, which is something unique,” Billy told BBC Sport.

“It’s very difficult [conditional jockeys] To start – 90% of jockeys now are either the sons of trainers or the sons of owners who invest a lot of money in the business.

“I call my owner and say, ‘I have a really good young black girl who wants to ride a horse. Would you let them ride your horse?’ Well, I mean, honestly, you pay her the same amount as you pay her [reigning champion jockey] Sean Bowen or anyone else. It’s very difficult.

“She has to be strong enough to withstand it all, and I’m pretty confident she’ll be able to handle the extra attention, including potential social media abuse.

“You will always be a role model.”