A 6ft 4in jockey from Rugby reflects on Cheltenham debut

At 6ft 4in, jockey Jack Andrews towers above the competition.

He is more than a foot taller than his rivals' average height of 5ft 2in (158cm).

On Thursday, he made his Cheltenham Festival debut on horse Anightinlambourn in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup.

The 24-year-old said being tall had presented challenges in a sport more closely associated with diminutive riders.

The resident of Dunchurch, near Rugby, Warwickshire, told BBC CWR: "Mainly it's the diet - being tall your natural weight is going to be heavier than everyone else.

"So I have to work pretty hard at what I eat and try and keep a constant diet through the week."

He said he had adapted his riding style and posture to account for his shape, and had learnt to tuck his legs and knees underneath to look "neat and tidy" while competing.

"One of the best compliments someone can give me is that I don't look tall on the horse," he explained.

"I'm trying to prove my point that I'm not just a good rider that is tall, I'm just a good rider in general."

Mr Andrews competed in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup, a handicap race for amateur riders, and open to horses aged five years or older.

He was given 20-1 odds and came up short when his horse pulled up in Thursday afternoon's race.

But it is not just the horseracing scene he has surprised with his height, his frame has proved a mystery to family too.

"Growing up as a kid, at school I was probably average height, I wasn't short and I wasn't tall," Mr Andrews explained.

But on leaving school at 16, he said, he shot up to more than 6ft.

"My family and my sisters aren't overly tall and my dad and mum aren't especially tall, I don't know where it's come from," he explained.

Speaking at the festival, Mr Andrews said his ambition was to "ride as many winners" as possible, adding that a win at the festival would have been "nice".

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