Staking a claim: Five female jockeys to watch out for

Leading the way on the Flat is Josephine Gordon, who a fortnight ago at Wolverhampton became just the second female rider to achieve 100 UK winners in a calendar year. It proved to be a momentous day all-round, as Hollie Doyle also rode out her claim at Lingfield, just over a year after Gordon. Meanwhile over jumps, Bryony Frost has been making waves, the daughter of former jockey Jimmy Frost gaining plenty of column inches thanks to a run of big Saturday winners for champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

These riders, along with Lizzie Kelly who became the first female jockey to win a Grade 1 when winning the Feltham two years ago this month, join Hayley Turner at the forefront of the racing conscience. For several years, Turner was a lone flag-bearer for her gender in the saddle, particularly on the Flat, having risen to prominence when becoming the first woman to ride a Group 1 winner back in 2011. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Turner, though, who has cited a lack of opportunities, even after rising to the top of the sport.

Racing has regularly and repeatedly faced accusations of prejudice in that sense, particularly on the biggest stages in both codes; Gay Kelleway remains the only female rider to have won at Royal Ascot, way back in 1987, while Lizzie Kelly’s ride in the Cheltenham Gold Cup back in March was the first for a female jockey in 33 years.

The contentious new 4.5 lb weight allowance for female riders in France has seemingly made a difference and is opening new doors, particularly for Turner who has ridden 10 winners there in 2017, but stigmas such as the thought that women simply aren’t as strong in a close finish remain – though Gordon is helping to prove that wrong. She sits in an exclusive club of just 13 riders to have achieved 100 winners in the UK in 2017, illustrating that given the opportunities, she can certainly deliver.

With that in mind, we’ve looked at Timeform’s run to form (RTF) metric – often more useful when assessing the merits of a jockey than mere win/place strike-rates - and have picked out five female jockeys with over 50 rides either on the Flat (2017) or over the jumps this season (2017/18) who are making a big impression.

Ana O’Brien – Rides: 177, Wins: 22 RTF: 60.2%

Joseph O’Brien may have retired from riding and started to master the arts of the training game, but his younger siblings Donnacha (71.7%) and Ana both recorded high run to form ratios this year, sitting 1st and 25th respectively in the 205-strong list. Of the women, only the experienced amateur Serena Brotherton (62.7%) has a higher RTF figure than Ana, who was on course to have her most productive year before suffering a horrific fall at Killarney back in July. All of the drama surrounding Diore Lia and Gina Mangan meant that it rather slipped under the radar that O’Brien became just the third woman ever to ride in the Derby this year, finishing 17th of 18 aboard The Anvil. O’Brien has shown that she is more than capable in the saddle, riding particularly well at Dundalk, and should find plenty more opportunities from both her father and older brother when she returns from injury.

Lisa O’Neill – Rides: 54, Wins: 9, RTF: 59.3%

Lisa O’Neill is further into her career than the other four in this list, but she has proven that given the opportunity she can deliver, winning back-to-back renewals of the Kerry National for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown Stud. A member of Elliott’s team for several years, she grabbed the opportunity aboard the lightly-weighted Wrath of Titans in 2016 and hasn’t looked back since, returning a year later to double up aboard Potters Point. She also won the National Hunt Chase on Tiger Roll at the Cheltenham Festival back in March. Her RTF figure this season (59.3%, 18th overall) shows that she deserves a second look when given a chance, particularly in big handicaps.

Jockey @Lisa_0_Neill lands the big race once again! Potters Point wins the Guinness Kerry National for @gelliott_racing at @ListowelRaces: pic.twitter.com/zlzxtYRQoM

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 13, 2017

Hollie Doyle – Rides: 427, Wins: 56, RTF: 52.8%

Hollie Doyle is mentioned above as having recently lost her claim, and with a similar RTF rate to Josephine Gordon (53.4%), it will be interesting to see how she fares over the next 12 months. Riders like Doyle traditionally struggle for opportunities upon losing their claim, but Gordon has been the exception to the rule – increasing her tally of 836 rides last year to 853-and-counting in 2017, having lost her claim around this time last year.
Gordon is very much the woman of the moment, and it remains to be seen if Doyle can replicate her success going forward. Like with most things, luck could well play a factor; Jim Crowley’s deal to become the retained rider for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum opened the door for Gordon to have more rides for Hugo Palmer than ever before, and she has more than quadrupled her number of rides for the yard this season. Doyle faces stiff competition for rides at Richard Hannon’s yard – including from partner Tom Marquand (47.9%) – and she may require some good fortune herself if she is to pick up more opportunities.

Georgia Cox – Rides: 146, Wins: 19, RTF: 50%

Few jockeys can claim the accolade of having outdone Ryan Moore on three consecutive occasions, but Georgia Cox managed exactly that in the summer, partnering the four-year-old gelding Theydon Grey to a hat-trick of wins at York – after Moore could only finish fourth on him back in May. Cox’s RTF ratio for 2017 stands at exactly 50%, a good return that puts her inside the top 100, and she rates as one to keep an eye on as an apprentice for William Haggas next season.

Megan Nicholls – Rides: 96, Wins: 10, RTF: 45.3%

Megan Nicholls has slowly progressed in terms of winners in each of her five seasons as a jockey so far, achieving a career best tally of 10 victories this year from a total of 96 rides, which included 13 for her father Paul. She has caught the eye on several occasions this year, striking up a strong association with the useful hurdler Zubayr on the all-weather, and Nicholls also won the first edition of the Silk Series – an initiative designed by ARC to provide female jockeys with more opportunities during the summer – thanks to wins at Bath and Brighton.