Hayley Turner, Britain’s most successful female jockey, said on Monday that she is now a fully licensed jockey once again and hopes to take “a few rides” at low‑key meetings in advance of the Shergar Cup at Ascot in early August, where she is due to ride as part of the women’s team which won the Cup for the first time last season. A return to full-time race-riding still seems unlikely, however, as Turner continues to pursue opportunities in media and promotional work.
Turner, who was awarded an OBE in June for services to horse racing, announced two weeks ago that she had agreed to come out of retirement to ride in the Shergar Cup after Michelle Payne, who became the first woman to ride the Melbourne Cup winner last November, was forced to withdraw from the event because of injury.
“I think I owe it to any of the trainers and owners that are using me to have a few rides [before Ascot] to get mentally tuned in,” Turner said. “They don’t have to be fast, as long as I can have a good blowout.
“I’m not trying to get on a really flash certainty, I need to be on something that’s going to get my lungs open. I’m getting as fit as I can, so over the next week or so I’ll hopefully have one or two.
“It’s really hard to know how fit I am. I’ve been working hard in the gym, I’ve been running and cycling and weight-lifting, doing every thing I can as well as riding out, but I need to get back in a race to see how much more I’ve got to do. Then I can either ease off or try a bit harder.”
Turner, 33, took racing by surprise last autumn when she announced that she would be retiring at the end of the season. She was the first British woman to ride a Group One winner outright when she steered Dream Ahead to victory in the 2011 July Cup, and also recorded top‑level successes on Margot Did, in the 2011 Nunthorpe Stakes, and I’m A Dreamer in the 2012 Beverley D Stakes at Arlington Park in Chicago.
Turner cited the long hours on the road and the constant demands of a professional jockey’s life as reasons for her decision, as well as a desire to do something different after 15 seasons in the saddle. She said on Monday that she is “very excited” about riding in the Shergar Cup on 6 August, but does not expect to return to full-time riding afterwards.
“The Shergar Cup is going to be fun,” Turner said. “I like being fit and I don’t want to let anyone down, and I feel I’ve got an aim and a challenge now.
“But I don’t think it’s going to be a permanent comeback. I’m missing it when the big meetings are on, those are the best days, but you forget about driving to Chester and Haydock and then back down for Goodwood.
“If you want to be a jockey, you’ve got to be all-in, and you don’t have the time or the energy for anything else.
“It’s a way of life rather than an actual job. If I wanted to come back I’d have to be full on, all out and not picking and choosing. I’m not in a position to do that.”
