Hayley Turner was a television pundit and a jockey here , finishing a close second in a handicap at the end of the card, and confirmed that riding will be a more regular part of her schedule once again this winter, when she plans take advantage of a weight concession on offer to female jockeys in France.
Turner is the only female rider to have won a British Group One race outright, having taken the July Cup on Dream Ahead and the Nunthorpe Stakes on Margot Did in the space of a few weeks in 2011. She announced her retirement in the autumn of 2015, citing the demands of travelling around Britain’s tracks as a major factor in her decision. She rode in the all-female team in last season’s Shergar Cup at Ascot, but has otherwise had just a handful of rides since.
Turner intends to base herself in France once the British Flat season on turf has started to draw to a close, feeling that the 2kg (4.4lb) allowance for female jockeys introduced there from 1 March cannot be ignored.
“It’s a no-brainer really because I’m going to be claiming 2kg off some jockeys that haven’t had as many winners as I have,” Turner said. “It’s been planned for a while but I wanted to make sure that ITV were all happy with what I’m doing, because that’s what I’ve been doing this year and I want to keep on doing it. I don’t over the jumps racing, so I just thought it would be an opportunity and a new challenge.”
Turner could also be a more familiar sight on British tracks in the weeks ahead as she prepares for a return to regular race-riding. “Obviously, I need to get tuned back in,” she said, “I can’t just rock up over there, not having ridden for such a long time.
“I can come and go between now and Champions Day [in October] probably, then I’ll try and base myself over there more for the winter. I’ve got nothing to lose really by going over there, I’m still enjoying riding and Michael Bell and James Fanshawe have known about it, that’s why I’ve been getting a couple of rides off Michael Bell [recently].”
The French decision to allow female riders a significant weight allowance prompted debate about the possibility that British racing might follow suit, although Josephine Gordon, currently the country’s most successful female jockey, suggested that she found the idea offensive since she had won the 2015 apprentice championship against male jockeys without an additional claim.
“A lot of girls are turning their noses up at it through pride almost,” Turner said, “but I’ve done it [succeeded] without that, so it doesn’t really make any difference to me. I didn’t think that it was needed, but if someone gives you a £20 note, you take it don’t you, so that’s what I’m doing.
“The number of rides for girls has increased, as has the number of winners. It seems to be working and France Galop [the sport’s ruling body] seems quite positive and happy about it.”
Frankie Dettori took the Stewards’ Cup, the biggest betting race of the week, for the second time in three years, but his front-running success on Lancelot Du Lac, a 25-1 chance, was a rare winner for the jockey that the bookies could celebrate.
Dettori did well to get across towards the favoured far rail from a draw in stall 15 and Dean Ivory’s gelding held off every challenge to win quite cosily by three-quarters of length. The ride cost Dettori a four-day ban, however, as he was found guilty of careless riding, causing interference to two opponents, about a quarter of a mile out. His ban, from 19-22 August, ends the day before the start of the Ebor meeting at York.
“Dean was sweet on the horse, he said that he had ability but he boiled over at Ascot [last time out] and he put a hood on him today,” Dettori said.
“I was there to be shot at but in fairness he put his head down and galloped to the line, so I didn’t have to do much.”
Crystal Ocean, who was prominent in the Derby betting earlier in the season, emerged as a contender for the St Leger with an impressive success in the Group Three Gordon Stakes.
“We’ve loved him from early days,” Sir Michael Stoute, Crystal Ocean’s trainer, said. “You had to be concerned about this ground, but he’s gone and handled it really well.
“I said before he ran in the Dante [at York in May] that I didn’t consider him to be a Derby horse, they’ve got to be more mature than that to go to Epsom. We will look at the Leger but I wouldn’t say definitely. He’s pretty good at this [12-furlong] trip, but we may do a Conduit [the 2008 Leger winner] and have a one-off fling.”
GREG WOOD’S SUNDAY SELECTIONS
CHESTER
2.05 Red Force One 2.35 Haddaf 3.10 Tor (nap) 3.40 Breakable 4.15 Cotai Glory (nb) 4.50 Demons Rock 5.20 Golden Wolf
MARKET RASEN
1.55 Kereman 2.25 McGroarty 3.00 Innocent Girl 3.30 Washed Ashore 4.05 Supreme Steel 4.40 Beau Bay 5.10 Get Ready Freddy 5.40 Soleglad
