She may be young to be running her own business but that’s not the most unusual thing about Leonna Mayor.

For the lively 23-year-old has had a big change of career, hanging up jockey silks to concentrate on launching Bake & Shake tanning and Flabelos studio in Wantage.

“In some ways it’s a lot more relaxing but it’s stressful having a shop,” said Leonna, of East Challow. “You are your own boss but it’s not good if you’re not making money.”

But she feels she has spotted a gap in the market in the area and is bringing all the determination that saw her ride 32 winners to make sure she fills it.

“There’s nothing like this - young, funky and cool - anywhere around here,” said Leonna.

Bake & Shake opened in Mill Street in June offering tanning beds and vibrating plate machines. Since then she has added beauty treatments and spray tans.

The “bake” part of the business hasn’t taken off quite a quickly as Leonna hoped, perhaps due to the good weather in July and August.

She thinks there may be regional differences too.

“I’ve been going on sunbeds since I was 18, it’s a northern thing,” said Leonna, who is originally from Stoke on Trent. “There seems to be alot more up north as far as solariums and it is obviously cheaper up north than here so maybe that makes a difference.”

But now as well as the 0.3 UV lamp tanning machines - which conform to latest safety requirements – the shop has added fake to the bake and shake with Sienna X spray tans.

“Everyone feels better when they have a bit of a tan,” said Leonna.

She’d never had a fake tan, thinking them “streaky and patchy, with runs” and looking “a bit orange” until she tested the product and was pleased with the result.

“It looks natural, not like you’ve had a spray tan,” she said.

The “shake” is Leonna’s two Flabelos machines - vibrating plates which promise a whole body workout in 10 minutes.

“My mum dropped two dress sizes on a Flabelos machine which is how I heard about them,” said Leonna.

She is however in no need of them herself; she may not be racing at the moment but she’s up at 5.30am every day to exercise horses at a local stable – and get a strenuous workout herself – before opening Bake & Shake.

It’s open six days a week - “we’ll do seven if the demand is there” – and Leonna is also keen to start beauty and pampering parties.

She opened the business in partnership with Steve Jakes, whose Wellpool Building and Maintenance services company sponsored her as a jockey.

“It’s hard in business as a young women to be taken seriously and get things done, and I couldn’t do it without him,” she said. “He already knows a lot about the word of business . . . if not the beauty side!”

Bake & Shake is in Mill Street, Wantage. Tel: 01235 765803, bakeandshake.co.uk

 

MORE ABOUT LEONNA

 

Leonna caused a stir when she posed in her underwear for men’s magazine Zoo.

She’d been asked by Racing for Change, the organisation responsible for publicising the sport and making it more consumer-friendly, to do it for the sport to be seen in places it had never been before. Most of the reaction was positive but a couple of tabloid newspapers picked up on negative comments in a fellow female jockey’s blog.

“It was one person. A girl who hadn’t been asked to do it,” said Leonna simply.

And it hasn’t put her off appearing in saucy shots for a good cause. Leonna has been asked to feature on next year’s Foxy Hunters charity calendar, which has raised more than £25,000 for the air ambulance service by featuring scantily-clad women involved in riding.

All the more reason for Leonna to keep that tan topped up.

Leonna was a promising jockey before an ankle injury forced her into a spell on the sidelines and she decided instead to concentrate on building up her beauty business,.

She rode at last year’s Royal Ascot meeting and secured a memorable narrow victory over top jockey Silvestre de Sousa.

It all began with her riding out on weekends at 13, and after turning 16 she went to the racing school at Newmarket.

Then there was a spell as a stable lass before she moved to Phil McEntee’s yard and got her apprentice licence.

“I think my first winner was on my 51st ride, but once it happens it’s such a great feeling. It’s unbelievable,” she said.

Since then she’s ridden 32 winners and doesn’t discount there being more.

“My dream would be to get the shop going, have a nice business, earn a nice wage and not have to ride for the money.

“Then I already have a horse in mind that I can lease off an owner and ride him in races off my own back,” she said.

“I’d like to get back into racing for pleasure rather than because I have to.

“Horses will always be part of my life.”