A CHAMPION amateur jockey has been nominated for three prestigious awards following a stellar maiden season.

Charlie Price, a former Brecon High pupil, won the novice Arabian Racing Organisation championship back in September. The starlet could now take home three accolades including ’race of the season’ at an awards ceremony in January.

The teenager had never ridden a horse until he attended Newmarket College, a specialist jockey school, in 2013. After leaving school at 15, Charlie began with Tim Vaughan as a stable boy before working up to amateur jockey.

Roy Price, Charlie’s father, said his son’s love of the sport was clear from a young age.

"He’s always been mad on horses. I bought him a motorbike and he did schoolboy scrambling from when he was nine to about 15.

"He always wanted to be a jockey but he’d never ridden a horse until he went to Newmarket. We phoned the college when he was 15 and the lady asked if he did much riding, I said ’he’s never been on a horse’ and she said ’good, keep it that way’.

"Since he was five years old heÕs said he wanted to be a jockey and he would watch the Grand National at home and do all the commentary with him riding in the race. He’d be saying, ’here comes Charlie Price’.

"For him, itÕs a dream come true!"