'Being a pop star isn't too dissimilar to being a jockey' - meet the X Factor star who’s gone back to his racing roots in Newmarket

There are some things you cannot quite prepare for after 15 years out of the saddle.

No matter how much exercise you may do, there is nothing like riding a thoroughbred at speeds of more than 30mph up a Newmarket gallop, a lesson former jockey-turned-singer Jamie 'JJ' Hamblett has quickly learned over the past month. 

It is an experience he is finding both novel and familiar at the same time. Hamblett spent countless hours riding morning lots in his youth, but much has changed in the interim and, while he has crafted perhaps one of the most unique post-racing careers around over the last decade and a half, it is the change to his fitness regime that feels most stark after a busy Wednesday morning of work on Warren Hill. 

"I'm exhausted today," Hamblett explains, nursing a coffee. "Before I got back into racing, I was running, going to the gym, and I really didn't think it would be that bad. I obviously hadn't sat on a horse for 15 years. I'm still only 38, I keep fit, but you're using muscles you just don't ever use in day-to-day life.

"The first time I went up the gallops I couldn't walk for about two days afterwards. First it was my back and neck, and when I got used to that I did my first gallop on the Al Bahathri and my legs hurt. I've just been back on the gallops this morning and I'm shattered."

It is a tiredness which speaks to how seriously he is taking his return to the sport which he once called his own. Born and raised in Newmarket, Hamblett's first port of call was racing long before a career in entertainment was a possibility, thanks to a father (Paul) and brother (Ashley) who race-rode before him. 

At the age of 14, he joined Sir Michael Stoute's prestigious operation, where he cut his teeth as an apprentice jockey. Freemason Lodge was responsible for the bulk of Hamblett's 23 winners during his five years with a licence, a spell he looks back on fondly before struggles with weight put paid to his riding ambitions. 

JJ Hamblett: back riding out after 15 years away from racing

"Sir Michael was a genius," Hamblett says. "When I started he said I could have one horse to look after, and I wanted the very first horse I started riding out there. He was very lazy but I loved his character and no-one wanted him, so I said I'd take him and it was Notnowcato, who went on to win three Group 1s.

"I was very lucky to be at a yard like that. Sir Michael had a brilliant way of doing things, I'll always remember in the mornings he'd make a humming noise from when he left the house all the way to the barn, where we'd be walking around waiting for him. All the horses would go crazy because they heard the humming and knew he was on his way. It was such an amazing set-up and an honour to ride not just for Sir Michael, but I rode for the Queen a couple of times and some fantastic owners. 

"There were some amazing moments over those years but it got to the point where my weight was becoming an issue as I'm not the smallest, and unless you're riding a fair few times a week it's difficult to keep a handle on it. Eventually there came a moment where I knew it was just too tough to manage with only a ride here and there, and I had to stop."

Hamblett returned to an old passion, and two years after his last racecourse appearance, his life took an unexpected turn. 

"I've always loved singing," he says. "Growing up I was one of these sad children who had a karaoke in my bedroom and I'd be singing Westlife, and if there was a karaoke in the pub, my mum and dad would take me and I'd be the first one up singing Angels by Robbie Williams or something like that. 

"When I stopped race riding, I missed that rush, so I started going back and forth to London doing auditions. After a while, Jaymi [Hensley] contacted me and said, 'Can you sing?' and I sent him a really bad rendition of a Wanted song. It was awful, still to this day he says the only reason I was allowed in the band was because I had a six-pack at the time. We made a band and then X Factor came along."

With the band freshly dubbed Triple J, Hamblett found himself straddling two worlds – riding out for John Gosden in the mornings before spending the rest of his time undertaking an exhaustive X Factor process.

"Newmarket's a very small place," Hamblett says. "Everyone knows everyone. When they heard about me trying to be in a boy band of course I got the piss taken out of me, everyone was winding me up. We got to boot camp and I thought this is it, I'm going to be in a proper band, and then we got kicked out. So I went back to Gosden's and got ripped into, but two weeks later they asked us back, and that's when Triple J became Union J and things took off."

JJ Hamblett (right) with his Union J bandmates George Shelley, Josh Cuthbert and Jaymi HensleyCredit: Jo Hale (Getty Images)

From there, Hamblett moved a world away from racing. Albums, tours and four UK top ten singles followed his stint on X Factor before music gave way to acting opportunities, with the former jockey starring in several feature films. Yet, maybe surprisingly, the spheres of showbiz and racing overlap. 

"Adrenaline," Hamblett explains. "It's all about the adrenaline. For a lot of people who stop race-riding, that's what they're always chasing. It's the same for singers, when they stop performing they miss getting out in front of big crowds and singing. When I finished riding I knew I needed to kind of chase something, and that same buzz crossing the winning line makes you able to perform in stadiums.

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"For a long time, we were always on the road, so while I tried to keep track of racing as much as I could, it wasn't always easy. We rarely had days off. It's an amazing thing, but it's crazy too. We're here, there, and everywhere, which isn't too dissimilar to what jockeys do, I suppose. 

"I've always respected the job but since being back riding, wow, jockeys now are on another level. I recently did a fitness workout with Billy Loughnane and I couldn't breathe afterwards. I was nearly sick, yet Billy's in there with a sweat suit, and still has a smile on his face. It's incredible."

JJ Hamblett performs with Union J in London in 2018Credit: Jo Hale (Getty Images)

Hamblett's decision to return to his roots in racing is centred around next month's Leger Legends contest, in which he will be one of several racing alumni bidding for victory at Doncaster. He cites it as a full-circle moment, having had his first-ever ride for Stoute over the same mile two decades ago, and has found himself back in the familiar setting of Gosden's Clarehaven yard as he prepares for the big day.

"Gosden's was the last place I rode out for before X Factor, so it's an honour to be back there," he says. "They supported me so much when I was on that show, and they even stopped their Christmas party that year so they could watch the live show when it aired. There are still people there from when I rode out, so I just got straight back into it. They do say it's like riding a bike, although horses are a little more temperamental.

"I've been blown away by the support here. The racing community is incredible. I love being back in Newmarket, I love having a goal in racing again. I was living in Cornwall for many years, and it's beautiful, but it's so far from things, whereas here you're right among it and my family are here too."

Hamblett's family will be out in force at Doncaster on September 11 alongside his Union J bandmates and partner Hayley Turner, whose extensive racing expertise has proved vital to Hamblett during the build-up to his race. 

JJ Hamblett credits his partner Hayley Turner as being a huge help in his return to the saddleCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Hayley's been amazing, she's crafted a schedule for me and that's the plan I've been sticking to," he says. "She gives me a kick up the arse when I need it, but also has encouraged me to find a balance between riding work and training on the Equicizer or at the Injured Jockeys Fund, which has a brilliant facility. 

"She's lent me her saddle for the race too, which is amazing. I think she won the July Cup with it, so hopefully that'll bring me a bit of luck. Robert Havlin's been great too, as have all the lads at Gosden's. Hopefully they're not disappointed!" 

Hamblett may be gearing his grand return around Doncaster's charity showdown next month, but the decision to throw himself back into racing has only reignited his love of sport. 

He says: "I want to take every step as it comes. Next year will be the 15th anniversary of the band, so my concentration then will probably be festivals and things like that. But I can't help think if I do win at Doncaster, I'd want to defend the title again, and if I come close, I'd want a chance to go better too. This has given me the buzz again, that's for sure."

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