From patronising headlines to a place in history: the first step for women in a race still far from run
Chris Cook looks back at the 1972 Goya Stakes - a race that drew huge interest for one major reason
From the perspective of 2025, the racing scheduled for the first Saturday of May in 1972 looks completely unremarkable.
It was the week after High Top's success in the Guineas, Roberto's war with Rheingold up the Epsom straight was a month away, and the sport seemed in a natural lull between the two, with three TV races of modest quality being fixed for lunchtime so that the BBC could then devote itself to Leeds v Arsenal in the FA Cup Final.
A sleepy day for the great game, one might think. In reality, one of the races on Kempton's card had been the subject of discussion for months and been keenly anticipated in the news pages as well as in sports sections. The nine-furlong Goya Stakes, worth £949 to the winner, was the very first race run under rules in Britain which was open to female riders.
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Published on inThe Story Of Horseracing In 20 Races
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