Eddie Partridge’s sporting ambitions have taken an unexpected turn. The former Manchester City and Chelsea youth player will swap memories of football for a demanding ride on horseback when he lines up in Saturday’s Newmarket Town Plate, a race that carries more than three centuries of local history.
Newmarket Town Plate 2026.
The 60-year-old grandfather of two will partner Honneur De Sivola, trained by Clare Hobson, in the 355th running of the historic contest on August 22. The race, first established in 1666 during the reign of King Charles II, has become one of Newmarket’s most distinctive sporting traditions.
For Partridge, however, preparation has been far from ceremonial. He has spent months building his fitness and riding regularly at Hobson’s yard near Royston, while also working with jockey coaches Michael Tebbutt and Tim Wilson at the British Racing School.
Since mid-May, Partridge has ridden Honneur De Sivola three times a week, giving him the opportunity to develop a partnership with the horse before the big day. Strength and conditioning work has also formed part of the preparation.
The race itself will be shortened to two miles and one furlong this year because of the dry conditions, but the challenge remains considerable for someone preparing to compete under race-riding conditions for the first time.
Partridge’s sporting background is rooted in football. He was with Manchester City until the age of 15 before spending two years at Chelsea and later playing for clubs including Oldham Athletic and Macclesfield Town.
His connection with Newmarket, though, gradually drew him towards horses.
He moved to the town 34 years ago and quickly became fascinated by its racing culture. His early understanding of the sport was limited, but friendships formed through local football eventually opened the door to the racing yards.
A key moment came when Partridge and four friends bought Bold Phoenix, a horse acquired from Barney Curley and placed with trainer Amy Weaver. When the horse retired from racing, Weaver offered Partridge the chance to ride him.
Following the string up Warren Hill proved to be the turning point.
From there, riding became a serious part of his life. Partridge has since ridden out for trainers including Julia Feilden and has kept two former racehorses at Slade Farm in Burwell.
One of them, Tariq Too, has even appeared alongside actress Kate Winslet in advertising campaigns for Longines. The other, Whotsit, was also trained by Weaver.
Partridge’s interests have extended beyond riding out. Three years ago, he took up dressage after becoming intrigued by the discipline and went on to compete with a horse known at the yard as Ollie.
The partnership has produced 13 dressage victories, adding another chapter to a sporting life that began on the football pitch.
His football memories remain vivid, particularly from his time at Chelsea. Training sessions were occasionally interrupted by Concorde taking off from nearby Heathrow, while life as a young player also exposed him to the colourful characters of English football in that era.
Now, though, his attention is firmly fixed on the Town Plate.
The event will also carry a deeply personal significance. Partridge is using his participation to raise money for Breast Cancer UK after losing his mother, Carole, to the disease three years ago. A close friend has also been affected by breast cancer, giving the fundraising effort an added importance.
His original target was £750, but the response has already taken the total beyond £1,500.
That support is likely to be visible around Newmarket on Saturday. Friends from Slade Farm, staff and family from Hobson’s yard, and people connected with Feilden and jockey Shelley Birkett’s yard are all expected to attend.
Among those supporting Partridge will be former Grand National-winning rider Maurice Barnes, who partnered Rubstic to victory at Aintree in 1979.
The occasion will therefore be about more than one race for Partridge. It brings together his football past, his long association with Newmarket, his growing experience with horses and a fundraising cause close to his family.
The Newmarket Town Plate will provide the defining test of his preparation, but whatever the result, Partridge has already built a remarkable sporting second act.
For a man who arrived in Newmarket with little knowledge of the difference between Flat and National Hunt racing, Saturday’s appearance represents quite a journey.
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