Jockey Hollie Doyle set a new record for the number of victories by a female jockey in a calendar year in Great Britain when riding her 107th win at Southwell Racecourse on 5th December 2019.
The 23-year-old Lambourn-based jockey reached the milestone riding Class Clown, trained by David Barron, when the pair stormed home to win the Ladbrokes Where The Nation Plays Nursery Handicap, surpassing the previous record held by 2016 Champion Apprentice Josephine Gordon, who totalled 106 wins in 2017.
Doyle has had a phenomenal year, just last week she became only the third female jockey in history to reach 100 wins in a calendar year alongside Gordon and Hayley Turner.
On breaking the record, Doyle, said: “I set out to ride as many winners as I could this year, so to achieve a new British record for female jockeys is very satisfying and a wonderful way to end 2019.
“The fact that it was only two years ago that Josie set the last record is really positive and goes to show women are being given more rides every year.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky this year to avoid injury and to work for amazing trainers and owners, so I’d like that to continue and to have even more winners in 2020.”
Doyle’s 107th win puts her 10th in the Annual Flat Jockeys’ Championships with a strike rate of 14% – see table here.
The majority of her wins this year have been for Berkshire-based trainer Archie Watson, for whom she has thus far secured 42 victories, including a notable success with Gorgeous Noora in the listed Betway Hever Sprint Stakes at Lingfield Park in February.
No other jockey has provided more triumphs for Watson, who said of her achievement: “She’s a great rider with good instincts and an incredibly strong work ethic. She’s been a huge asset to my yard and it’s great to see her reach this wonderful milestone.”
Another momentous victory for Doyle in 2019 was winning the Ric And Mary Hambro Aphrodite Fillies’ Stakes at Newmarket aboard the Ed Vaughan-trained Dame Malliot.
Her most successful track of the year so far is Kempton Park where the jockey has enjoyed 20 wins.
Hayley Turner, who earlier this year became the first female jockey to win at Royal Ascot in 32 years, said: “Hollie has a great attitude, she’s worked really hard all year so it’s great to see her break the record, she thoroughly deserves it and I’m sure this will be the first of many milestones in her career.
“It’s great for the sport and I’m just really pleased to see many female jockeys doing well. The standard seems to be raised higher every year and hopefully that continues.”
Credit: Great British Racing
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