Hayley Turner closing in on landmark 1,000 winners but has no immediate plans for second retirement

Hayley Turner says she has no plans for a second retirement from the saddle as she closes in on her landmark 1,000th winner. 

The former champion apprentice and ITV pundit is on 981 winners, including 22 she has racked up abroad during her 23-year stint in the saddle.

The 40-year-old, who rode her first winner in 2000, became the first female to ride 100 winners in a year in 2008 and has won three times at the top level, including when landing the July Cup in 2011 on Dream Ahead.

Joint champion apprentice in 2005, she retired from the sport at the end of 2015 due to injury, but resumed racing the following year when she was also awarded the OBE for services to the sport. 

She said: "I reckon that including my overseas winners I need another 19 to get to the 1,000 which will be great, but I've no plans to retire if I get there. It's been on my radar for a while now but I'll just keep going and hopefully I'll get over line sooner rather than later."

Turner was busy riding work for David Simcock and Harry Eustace in Newmarket last week. She has partnered 15 winners in Britain this year and has rides at Leicester and Brighton this week as she edges closer to the 1,000 winner mark.

Turner has some way to go to match the exploits of US jockey Julie Krone, who is the leading female rider of all time and racked up 3,704 winners in a career that ended in 2004. The Hall Of Fame rider later rode Invincible Hero to victory in the Leger Legends race at Doncaster in 2011.

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