article_snippet: The 34-year-old, who is Britain's most successful female Olympian after winning sprint gold at Beijing in 2008 and the keirin at London 2012, hopes to compete in the Foxhunter Chase at next year's Cheltenham Festival.
article_snippet: The change of career has been funded by online bookmakers Betfair, and the former cyclist hopes to obtain her Category A amateur license which would allow her to ride in amateur races on the Flat and over jumps, as well as compete in the point-to-point field.
article_snippet: her told the Daily Mirror: 'I've been looking for a new and exciting challenge, and when they approached me about the opportunity to become a licensed amateur jockey, the Daily Mirror: ' captured my imagination. 
article_snippet: I'm motivated by the scale of the challenge and the opportunity to combine my love of horses with learning a new skill under the guidance of racing experts put together for me.'
article_snippet: My team and I have identified the ambitious target of riding competitively in the Foxhunters Chase at Cheltenham Festival next year, but the initial focus will be on getting me to a level whereby I am granted an amateur jockey licence, which is a significant challenge in itself given that I had never even sat on a horse until a week ago.'
article_snippet: While no one under estimates the scale of the challenge ahead, Victoria's undoubted mental and physical strength, coupled with the team Betfair have put together to help Victoria with the challenge, means we are in a fantastic position for Victoria to achieve the ambitious goal of riding at Cheltenham Festival in 2016'.
highlights_snippet: The 34-year-old hopes to compete at next year's Cheltenham Festival .
  