From the football pitch to the racecourse – galloping grandfather Eddie Partridge can’t wait for Saturday’s Newmarket Town Plate

Dreams of scoring the winning goal for his beloved Manchester City might be over Eddie Partridge, but the grandfather-of-two admits he would be in ‘floods of tears’ if he tasted victory in this year’s Newmarket Town Plate.

The former footballer, who had spells with City and Chelsea in his youth, will gear up for the ride of his life on Saturday (August 22nd) when partnering the Clare Hobson-trained Honneur De Sivola in the 355th running of the historic prize, which was established by King Charles II in 1666.

And the super-fit 60-year-old from Newmarket has ensured that no stone has been left unturned after putting in the hours on both the gallops at Hobson’s base near Royston, along with honing his skills in the saddle with jockey coaches Michael Tebbutt and Tim Wilson.

Partridge said: “Every year I tend to do a marathon, or something like that, so this year it was very much a case of let’s get ourselves prepared and do the Town Plate.

“I’ve ridden Honneur De Sivola every week, three times a week, since mid-May.

“I’ve been having jockey coaching lessons with Michael Tebbut and Tim Wilson, who I’ve also done strength and conditioning training with, up at the British Racing School.

“I’m really looking forward to it, but it is a mixture of nerves and excitement. I’m as well equipped as I can be to take on the challenge as I’ve got to make a good showing as I’ve got plenty of people watching me.

“If I was to get walked back across the parade ring, and into the winner’s enclosure, on the back of a horse, the drought will soon be over as there will be floods of tears everywhere.”

However, while Partridge is well prepared for the race, which has been shortened to two miles and one furlong this year due to the dry conditions, he admits his participation marks a complete turnaround with the sport when he first moved to the Home of Horseracing 34 years ago

Partridge, who first watched City play on Boxing Day in 1973, said: “I came to Newmarket and the minute I drove down the high street I fell in love with the place.

“To give you an idea of my knowledge of horse racing back then I could never work out why some started with a tape and some with stalls.

“I didn’t know the difference between National Hunt and Flat racing. I was completely and utterly naive to it.

“I started playing football for The Five Bells, when that was a pub, and a lot of the lads there worked for Sir Michael Stoute.

“I fell in love with the area and met some other people, so we decided to buy a horse with Amy Weaver and that is how it all took off.

“There were five of us and we purchased a horse called Bold Phoenix, who we got off Barney Curley. We put the horse with Amy and had a bit of fun with him.

“When he was due to be retired, he became Amy’s hack and she asked me one day if I wanted to ride him.

“I followed the string up Warren Hill, and that was it, that was me hooked on riding.”

However, while the Town Plate will be the first time that Partridge, who is a regional business manager for Vaillant Group UK, has competed under race riding conditions, he does have previous form when it comes to participating on horseback.

He added: “I’ve done some riding out with Julia Feilden and Shelley Birkett and I’ve got two ex-racehorses that are stabled at Slade Farm in Burwell.

“One of them is Tariq Too, who was the horse that appeared with Kate Winslet in adverts for Longines watches, and the other is called Whotsit, both who were trained by Amy Weaver.

“Slade Farm is run by a lovely lady called Frances White, who is an accomplished dressage rider.

“Three years ago, I decided I thought dressage looked easy so I ended up doing some dressage on the most beautiful horse, whose stable name was Ollie.

“He had a very generous owner who had a young family, and she didn’t have the time to ride him, so she suggested I learn some dressage on him, and if I liked it to then have a go at competing in dressage on him. We’ve actually won thirteen dressage competitions now!”

And while his sporting focus is now very much centred around horses, Partridge, whose late dad Derek worked on the staff at Manchester City for 50 years, has vivid memories of his time on the football pitch.

He said: “I was with Man City until the age of fifteen. Then I spent two years at Chelsea before going back up north where I spent a few years at Oldham Athletic, and Macclesfield Town, as they used to be.

“It was an education at Chelsea. Ken Bates (chairman) would often come to the training ground once a week, which in those days was next to Heathrow Airport.

“We used to have to stop training at 10.55 each morning as Concorde was taking off and we couldn’t hear ourselves think.

“While I was at Chelsea, I was a boot boy to the infamous Clive Walker. It was Clive’s responsibility to drop me, and a lad called Howard Roberts, back at the digs.

“I can count on one hand the amount of times he dropped us back at the digs as we would often end up down the King’s Road in a bar.

“He would have the fur coat on, and all the rest of it, and he would have a posse of women around him.

“Me and Howard would be sat at a table just minding our own business and told to shut up and speak when we are spoken to!”

Not only will Partridge be looking to try and secure some personal pride at the weekend, but he will also be raising vital funds for Breast Cancer UK, after his mum, Carole Partridge, died from the disease three years ago.

He added: “I’m raising money for Breast Cancer UK because I lost my mum and a close friend to breast cancer.

“My mum had had a double mastectomy, but it got her again and she was advanced in years by then and her body wasn’t able to cope with it.

“Clare has also been through breast cancer herself. She has shown me some pictures of her going through it, and every time I have a moment, I just think of that photograph, and it really spurs me on.

“I think of my late mum, and all the rest of it, and every penny that I can earn for that charity I know it’s going to do some good to some woman or man.

“I set myself a target of seventy hundred and fifty pounds, but there is already over fifteen hundred pounds in there as people have just been so generous.”

And although his late mum and dad will not be there to cheer him during Saturday’s race, Partridge admits he expects to have plenty of supporters willing him on to victory, including a Grand National-winning rider.

He added: “The amount of people that are coming on the day is ridiculous.

“There are some coming from Slade Farm, where my livery horses are. All the staff from Clare’s are coming, as are her mum and dad.

“I’ve got people from Julia and Shelley’s yard, along with lots of friends, and Grand National-winning rider Maurice Barnes (who won at Aintree on Rubstic in 1979) is coming too.

“It has been a really lovely experience and the girls at Clare Hobson’s yard have made me feel just like one of the family.

“I’m definitely going to continue riding out there after the race and, if by some minor miracle I win, I suppose I will have to go back and defend my crown!”

To sponsor Eddie, plea visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/eddiestownplateride