After a team of female jockeys won the Shergar Cup at Ascot yesterday, who do you think is the best British or Irish female jockey on the flat in history? Hayley Turner would have to be in the top 10. As for National Hunt, Katie Walsh and Nina Carberry are in my top 10. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/horse-racing/33836219
One of the very few sports where women face men on equal terms. I could be wrong but I think the only others are equestrian events also (show jumping, eventing, dressage). Well done the girls, especially Sammy Jo. One day we may even have a female champion jockey
I must say Hayley Turner is shocking at present and riding like an amateur. What I mean by this is that there is no finish to her riding at all at times and just like some of the female amateurs their body is doing the same in the first and last furlong and the horse wins if it itself decided to race but there is no assistance, no drive from the saddle. I feel she will fall off the radar soon which is a shame as she was a great ambassador for female jockeys and could actually ride a few years back as well as probably all but the top jocks. I think she has never been the same since her second spell on the sidelines due to the head injury. Happier days Sammy Jo Bell was riding out of her skin before Saturday and will go on to establish herself I feel.
I must give my vote to the Canadian lady from Brampton, Ontario, Emma-Jayne Wilson. She really is a fine flat-race jockey, no slouch intellectually either; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma-Jayne_Wilson
Nina Carberry is by far and away the best female jockey I have seen. She has the ability to ride at the top of the game, and the one thing she has that many other jockeys don't is a racing brain. She knows when to sit still and when to go for full effort. Her record is superb at the Festival, and the way she conducts herself is also exemplary. I am a fan of Sammy Jo Bell, she seems to be another who doesn't rush things in races, and her timing on Saturday was very impressive. I think she is another who should go far in the sport, and I can see her getting more rides from outside sources in the future when her claim goes. I hope she goes far too, as she seems to be driven and is relishing her opportunity (many do not). Throw in Katie Walsh and those are probably the top three in my book. Throw in Lizzie Kelly as well. It says a lot about the longevity of Hayley Turner, that she is still riding and getting opportunities. I'd agree that she is a waning star for female jockeys though, ever since her horrible accident. Despite all the melancholy on the morning line, I think female jockeys are still doing well, and if they were given more support by yards, they can and do perform on the top stages.
On the Flat the lovely, and I do mean lovely, Amy Ryan stands out for me. A brilliant jockey who won the apprentices title outright and then has gone on to have a splendid career as a full fledged pilot. She has though been somewhat unlucky with the old injuries this past couple of terms. Over the sticks Nina Carberry for me. Exceptional with a capital ‘E’. A wonderful Corinthian. On the subject of the ‘Shergar Cup’ incidentally were there 3 more patronised people in this EU member state on Saturday then Emma-Jayne Wilson, the Turner filly and the lovely, and I do mean lovely, Sammy-Jo Bell. Some of it was truly astounding and you did have to wonder if some commentators or pundits were close to congratulating all 3 for not falling off in the paddock. What those old girl feminists, who used to burn their bras, or the suffragettes who chained themselves to railings felt I would shudder to think. But I guess they were either on the verge of committing mass murder or spinning in their bally graves. Meanwhile, why a team with 2 members in their 30s was called ‘the girls’ I’ve no idea! In fact their whole inclusion seems like something someone dreamed up after consuming a few GnT’s too many at the end a long meeting! Surely, Emma-Jayne could have been in the ‘Rest of the World’ team or the Turner filly in the ‘GB and Ireland’ one if they really wanted to promote equality.
Positive discrimination old boy. I am a bit disappointed with you this morning, I had been planning to play the Barney drinking game, with Amy Ryan being a sip of coffee, "beautiful name for a filly" a half cup. Alas, it turned out to be just a sip.
Firstly, let me assure my regular readers that I haven’t suddenly been reincarnated as a hormonal feminist. But positive discrimination?!? Are you sure?!? At times on Saturday the ‘Shergar Cup’ resembled an episode of ‘On The Buses’ or a bad ‘Carry On’ film. I half expected the ghost of old boy Sid James to suddenly appear and start chasing dear old Barbara Windsor down the home straight with her giggling uncontrollably and squealing ‘Saucy’ every half dozen seconds! By the way, I had intended to insert a few ‘what a lovely name for a filly’ but didn’t as didn’t want you sozzled too early.
An oxymoron if ever there was one? The only more obvious one would be "Mr Henderson's runner was not race fit".
Doesn't that support my claim that the horse does most of the work in these sports, hence why it's the only sport where women can compete and beat men. Women can't beat men in any other sport, even skill based sports that don't involve physical power, yet they can in equestrian sports. Because like I say the horse does most of the work, the rider only has a small influence on the outcome
Ron: I seem to remember having this debate with a particularly dim equestrienne about fifty years ago, so I'm open to correction. In against-the-clock show jumping, don't the horses, effectively, carry the natural weight of the rider plus the saddle - i.e. there's no concept of level weights. So when (the adjectives were compulsory) plucky little Marian Coakes rode the diminutive Stroller against - say -Ted Edgar, she effectively received about six stone in a time-trial. HTF is that a level playing field ?
Reminds me of his famous quote after West Wizard had got beat, first time up, last term at 2/9, ‘Well, he was only 5% fit.’ That one still eligible for the ‘Supreme Novices’ by the way....
Seana Hogan is an ultra bike rider who has in the past done some serious stuff against men. Most of what she did was against women, but she did win against men. She also set a record for the ride between Los Angles and San Francisco in 1996, clocking 19 hours 11 minutes, a time no man or woman has achieved before or since.
Because both were diminutive, you big bully. Fully entitled to get a six stone allowance from those big fat male riders. Didn't work against that big fat burger-eating Yank, Steinkraus, however, who beat them in the Olympics, I think it was?
At the risk of sounding like one of those whiny women <wink> I have to agree that it was incredibly patronising to have the "Girls" team. Why on earth they couldn't be the "Ladies", if a separate team needed to exist at all. Whilst I agree that the horse does an awful lot of the work, I do take exception to your comments Shergar. You hop up on Valegro and ride an Olympic winning dressage test, or get on board one of Sammy-Jo's winners from the weekend and show us how it's done if we women-folk can't possibly do better than men. In all seriousness though, it's so important that we don't pigeon-hole 50% of the world's population by telling them they're not good enough. Since having my daughter I feel like I've had my eyes opened up to the shocking amount of misogyny that still exists out there. I will not let my daughter grow up believing she's not good enough just because she has a uterus. I doubt many of you will have seen it, but I urge you to watch these two videos produced by Always (yes the sanitary towel people, snigger snigger), and just ponder the message in relation to your own mothers/sisters/daughters. Sermon over
Alright, PNkt, I've changed my post to "the Canadian lady from Brampton, Ontario". This is all a very tricky business.
We're truly blessed with the standard of jockey riding here in Ireland today with Messrs Walsh, Carberry, Townend et al doing battle day in, day out. We're absolutely second to none in the standard of jockeys we have. And that's how I'd describe Nina Carberry in respect to other female riders. There are several very good riders, who happen to be female, but none are as good as Nina. She's simply different league
