Female riders predict Royal Ascot success will flow despite lack of rides

The wait for a female jockey to ride a second winner at Royal Ascot now stretches back 32 years but Hayley Turner has predicted women will soon make a breakthrough despite a paucity of riding opportunities at the Flat's premier meeting.

Bryony Frost, Lizzie Kelly and Rachael Blackmore stole the show with winners at March's Cheltenham Festival, but that top-level success over jumps has not yet been replicated on the Flat.

Nowhere has that been more evident than at Royal Ascot where Gay Kelleway's Queen Alexandra win on Sprowston Boy in 1987 remains the only one by a female rider.

Just nine rides at an average SP of 41-1 were given to women at last year's royal meeting, but Turner, who has recorded three placed efforts from 36 rides at the meeting, said: "Since I came back to riding it's been great to see the standard of female jockeys rising massively and I think that's making things easier for all of us.

"Rides at big meetings will come in time, but it's not going to happen overnight and we should be grateful for how far it's come already and certainly not panic. There will be opportunities in the future without doubt because the standard is always increasing."

Almost a 20-year veteran of the weighing room, Turner is encouraged by the further emergence of young apprentices and conditionals whose development, she believes, is critical to widening the pool of top-tier female riders.

She said: "The numbers are getting bigger and the opportunities are coming. It's happening now, but it does take time for these things to change.

"I don't think the girls are getting restless about it and we need to remember it's hard for all the guys as well. It's difficult for anyone to get rides at Royal Ascot."

Hollie Doyle, who partnered Ortiz to finish runner-up in the Sandringham Stakes last season, is one of two female Flat riders in the top 20 on wins in Britain this year, along with Nicola Currie.

Doyle said: "It's going the right way. Ascot is the top level with only the best jockeys in the world riding there and female riders are working their way up the list to get into that top bracket.

By the numbers: female riders at Royal Ascot since 1989

10 placed finishes since 1989
9-2 best SP for any female-ridden runner
21 rides for female riders in 2012
1 ride for female riders in 2016
36 rides for Hayley Turner
2 placed finishes in Group races

"I don't think there is any negative feelings towards female jockeys now, it all feels very normal and we're all riding on a daily basis with the guys."

Since Kelleway's success in 1989, only ten women have managed to finish in the places at the royal meeting, but in 2012 a sharp spike led to 21 rides by female jockeys.

That figure is now something of an outlier, and while asserting that no bias exists against female riders, Kelleway is puzzled as to why racing was not able to build on that landmark season.

"We seemed to hit a sweet spot where a lot of girls were getting fantastic chances, but that seems to have died a death a bit," the trainer said.

"I can see that they don't seem to get the same rides anymore, it almost seems like female riders have gone out of fashion a bit and I'm not sure why, but I don't think there is any bias against them from trainers.

"However, what is sad is that you can still count the top female riders on one hand. You just have to hope that they keep coming through and eventually getting the chances."

Like Kelleway, Royal Ascot-winning trainer Eve Johnson Houghton sees no bias against female riders at big Flat meetings, and said: "They have to come through and establish themselves, it's all about riding for the right people who have the right horses at the meetings.

"Hopefully in ten years time we won't be worrying about whether they are male or female, they'll just be jockeys. It's getting there, I think people will soon worry less on this issue and just about whether the jockey gets on with the horses."

Joanna Morgan, the first woman to ride at Royal Ascot when she partnered Gallowshill Boy in the 1978 Queen's Vase, is surprised by the lack of success of female riders on the Flat.

Joanna Morgan: the first woman to ride at the royal meetingCredit: Caroline Norris

She said: "It is a surprise that more women aren't enjoying success on the Flat because they should in theory be able to do those light weights. It was a totally different ball game in my era, but the opportunities are much better these days.

"I've a huge amount of respect for the female jockeys who have made it as they had to work twice as hard to get noticed, but I'm surprised more haven't made it on the Flat."

In 2017 the BHA established the Diversity in Racing Steering Group to encourage the proliferation of female riders in both codes.

Chaired by Rose Grissell, the group has looked to build on a positive period of growth with 8.2 per cent of all rides being taken up by female jockeys in 2018 compared to 5.1 per cent in 2009.

Speaking on Monday, Grissell said: "If taken as a whole there are some positive trends in terms of the number of females holding a professional licence as well as an increase in the number of rides going to females.

"However we want to see these trends replicated across all levels of the race programme including our flagship events. Instigating long-term change of this nature will take time, but we are committed to improving the gender equality across the sport and we hope the industry will continue to work together to achieve this."

For the freshest betting advice, based on latest going and market conditions, don't miss the Live Tipster every afternoon. Just click Raceday Live at racingpost.com or the mobile app