'It's great to get that monkey off my back' - Josephine Gordon has first winner since hearing operation

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Josephine Gordon was able to hear the applause of the crowd for the first time in many years after partnering her first winner since having a recent hearing operation at Bath on Friday.

The former champion apprentice was also registering her first winner of 2026 when steering the David Flood-trained Man Is King to victory in the finale on the evening card.

In January Gordon had an operation to reverse hearing loss in her right ear, a condition she had suffered from for seven years. That process took her more than four months to recover from and, after much rehabilitation, she returned to action on May 12, having originally hoped to be back in time for the start of the Flat season.

She said: “It was a busy night at Bath and it was great to be back in that winner’s enclosure. I don’t know if it’s a jockey thing, but you don’t pick up on the crowd much usually. It was good to get the monkey off my back and get my first winner of the year.“

Gordon regularly rides out for Keiran Burke and Simon and Ed Crisford, and added: “It’s been a long year already and I’ve only been riding three weeks. I thought I would have got a winner on my first ride back on Zoffandia for Keiran at Lingfield last month, but he was second and I’ve had a few places since.”

She added: “To be fair they’ve all been running well and I’m pleased it was for David Flood, who has been a long-time supporter of mine. I also rode a 66-1 shot of his to be third in the first race so they’ve all been running well.“

At the start of this year the 32-year-old Gordon revealed she had spent the last seven years battling increasing deafness in both ears which had affected her riding career.

Gordon had an operation to replace a bone in her right ear which has boosted her hearing. Before then she had to use hearing aids on a regular basis, but they were not permitted during races.

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