Corinthian spirit still alive and well among amateur ranks

Amateur riders are sometimes stereotyped as wannabe professionals or blessed with a bloodline that means there is rarely a need to check a buoyant bank balance. But while the grassroots level of riding is inevitably different now from where it started, the age of the corinthian is not quite dead and buried.

Serena Brotherton, an eight-time champion female amateur rider, proved that when reaching the cherished milestone of 100 winners on the Flat recently – a rare and notable achievement given the small number of races available to amateurs.

While it may have taken the best part of two decades to reach her landmark, for the past eight years Brotherton has juggled her much-loved unpaid vocation in the saddle with her career as a solicitor.