John Smith's announces winners
Grand National sponsor John Smith's has announced the final 10 riders to compete in its charity horse race at Aintree on 5 April.
The John Smith's People's Race offers members of the public the chance to experience the thrill of competing in a race on Grand National day.
From thousands of applications, race organisers initially whittled the field down to 32 novice riders who attended gruelling assessment weekends in a bid to win a place in the starting line-up.
From there, 14 riders were selected for further training with each assigned a professional trainer.
With only 10 places on offer, the contenders faced their final challenge when an expert judging panel - including BBC racing presenter Clare Balding - put them through their paces at Southwell Racecourse.
Organisers hope to raise £500,000 for charities including Sport Relief (this year's official race charity) and other good causes nominated by the competitors.
Each of the jockeys will earn £5,000 for their chosen charity and while the winner will earn £50,000 (donated by Ladbrokes) plus a five-star trip for two to Dubai for racing's 2009 World Cup.
Scottish & Newcastle UK marketing director Sarah Warby said: "Over the past few weeks we have worked with some the very best racing professionals and we are confident that the final 10 will put on a race that will be a worthy addition to the John Smith's Grand National card. We look forward to welcoming them to Aintree and wish everyone the best of luck on Grand National Day."
The riders who will go forward and compete in the nine-furlong race on Grand National Day are: Jane Belcher, Jamie Plummer, Lynda Evans, Clare Twemlow, Stewart Bellas, Gary Lynch, Sheila Dickson, Amanda Craven, Johnny Ferguson and Jaclyn Jamieson.
