From the Grand National to 500km across Patagonia - Gold Cup-winning rider to take on challenge dubbed 'ultimate test of horse and jockey'

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He conquered the Grand National fences on several occasions, but Sam Waley-Cohen is raring to take on an even more extreme test of stamina for both horse and rider as he attempts to add the Gaucho Derby to his impressive list of triumphs.

Waley-Cohen was one of Britain's most successful amateur jockeys, winning a Gold Cup and two King George VI Chases before retiring with victory on Noble Yeats in the 2022 Aintree showpiece. Now he is set to get back in the saddle for a 500km challenge across Patagonia in South America.

The race is similar to another famous ultra-endurance test, the Mongol Derby, and Waley-Cohen flies out on Wednesday ahead of some pre-race training days, with the event proper beginning on February 18.

He said: "It's completely different from the racing we're used to across a brilliant area of country – it's like the old western pioneers. It's going to be a new adventure, and a proper test, but it should be great fun.

Sam Waley-Cohen: won the Gold Cup on Long Run in 2011Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"Like the Mongol Derby, it's the ultimate test of horse and jockey. What could be better than finding a willing partner in a horse and taking on something that really stretches you?"

There will be no heading back into the weighing room once the day's proceedings have finished as Waley-Cohen will have to camp in the wilderness every night during the race.

He will also have to use GPS navigation and maps to find the route to the finish. The Gaucho Derby starts in El Calafate and ends in El Chalten, both in Argentina, across ten days.

One of Sam Waley-Cohen's possible routes in the Gaucho Derby

Waley-Cohen said: "I've spent plenty of time on the back of a horse, as much as I needed, and I've got myself fit by running and exercising in the gym. I feel fit enough now. However, I haven't slept many nights outside so I've been putting up my tent and taking it down in strong gales to be as ready as I can for conditions.

"You have to take all of your own food with you, so I've been trialling eating rations in pots, as it's like what we'll eat. I'll be giving it the full experience."

He added: "It's all about going through relatively unmarked territory and finding your own route, while trusting your horse that it knows where its feet need to be. It's working together in a true experience of being out in the wilderness, camping out for ten days and covering some incredible terrain – and the jockey hopefully not navigating anywhere too stupid."

Sam Waley-Cohen: 'It's working together in a true experience of being out in the wilderness'Credit: Christopher Furlong

Waley-Cohen, a seven-time winner over the Grand National fences, is taking part in the Gaucho Derby for Oxford Children's Hospital, and the racing community has rallied around him to already donate nearly £75,000. All funds raised will be match-funded up to £25,000 taking his total to £100,000.

The days of riding Noble Yeats and Long Run on jump racing's biggest and most daunting stages are behind Waley-Cohen, but he will channel his race-riding skills to tick off another historic achievement.

He said: "It's very different to your Grand Nationals and Gold Cups, but what makes all races the same is that, in the end, it relies on an amazing horse and creating a great partnership. It links it all together.

"The racing community has been incredibly generous already, and I'm thrilled by that."

• Find out more about how to donate to Sam Waley-Cohen's Gaucho Derby challenge for Oxford Children's Hospital

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'It's been such a whirlwind' - Sam Waley-Cohen revels in Grand National glory 

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