Hollie Doyle landed Exclusive Times a short-priced winning favourite on Wolverhampton tapeta Monday, her 160th success of 2021 in the United Kingdom from just over 1000 rides which gives the 25-year-old ‘pocket rocket’ a 16% strike rate; please digest this paragraph, it’s nothing short of sensational!
In the first part of this century Hayley Turner was a ‘game changer’ for female jockeys when on a cold December night, very last day of the racing year, also at the Dunstall Park circuit, ‘Daily Earner’ achieved 100 winners exactly; unbelievable statistic and yet given that momentum her fierce rival Josephine Gordon went on to better the total two years later, winding up with 105. Both chased all over the country, afternoons and evenings, in pursuit of those centuries, it was completely different then compared to now.
Last year, while ravaged with Coronavirus, the BHA decreed that such movement was unsustainable, given wholesale lockdown, and prevented jockeys from riding at more than one meeting day; a magnificent decision by the beleaguered governing body which has been welcomed by the Professional Jockeys’ Association.
In 2019 I personally achieved an eighth Press Naps Table Championship victory in the Racing Post, which indeed was memorable but not comparable to the staggering total of Hollie who swept to more than 150 winners!
Ms Doyle attributes her success to Tom Marquand!
Twelve years ago both were ‘minor’ teenagers who met at a pony club; love abounded, they became besotted, totally inseparable, and subsequently served apprenticeships with Richard Hannon’s stable in Marlborough, where they now live close by.
Which one will be champion jockey first?
Today the ‘lovers’, who apparently are due to be married during the next few weeks, will be at the obligatory Kempton polytrack ‘Wednesday-nighter’ where Hollie’s mount Nazimova could be a ‘fly in the ointment’ for my twice-raced fancy Tamarama in division two of the twelve-runner Fillies’ Novice Stakes over a mile.
Nazimova shaped well on debut at Newbury last month and is sure to improve but Charles Hills’ charge, beaten only three lengths at Nottingham six weeks ago, comes out clear ‘best-in’ and justifies support.
Division two looks difficult but veteran jockey Joe Fanning could well be on the mark for Mark Johnston on Ripon winner Rainbow Colours in the six furlongs Nursery Handicap.
Plenty of star jockeys on parade, surely a good crowd will attend what promises to be a tremendous fixture under floodlights!
Selections, Exter, 1.10 Luttrell Lad; Kempton, 5.30 Tamarama (e.w); 6.30 Rainbow Colours (e.w).
Jeffrey Ross, horse-racing correspondent for WMN since 1983 when winning the most prestigious racing journalist award, Sporting Life Naps Table, before winning it a record number of six times collectively in the Racing Post, the current ‘trade’ paper, including 2019