Wednesday’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Just a last little bit of context for the decision to retire announced by Hayley Turner this week. As we endlessly repeat, she is the most successful female jockey in British racing history and below we’ve got some numbers to illustrate that point.
According to the British Horseracing Authority, these are the seven women who have ridden most Flat winners in Britain, with their totals taken from statistics on the Racing Post site:
Hayley Turner 756
Cathy Gannon 319
Alex Greaves 287
Kirsty Milczarek 236
Kim Tinkler 209
Amy Ryan 145
Emma O’Gorman 138
Some pundits hold the view that women, taken as a group, cannot be as effective in the saddle as men. But the list above is just one of the bits of evidence which, for me, shows how rash it is to be forming conclusions about the general ability of female jockeys at a time when hardly any of them have been given a serious chance in the game.
Capable as they were, Tinkler, Greaves and O’Gorman had to rely on family connections to provide many of their opportunities, a point that also applies to Ryan, who is still riding. Most useful female jockeys are popular for so long as they are able to claim but immediately struggle for fancied mounts once they’re through that stage.
Of course, many male jockeys also hit that wall after showing early promise. But how many male jockeys have gone on to enjoy long and productive careers after losing their claims? Hundreds and hundreds. In the entire history of British racing, Turner and Gannon are the only women who have been given that chance.
If you want to form a view of the general capability of female Flat jockeys on the basis of a sample of two, that’s your choice. My view is that Turner’s greatest achievement was getting to that kind of career total in a sport that has shown remarkably little enthusiasm for employing female riders.
Turning to today’s action, one jockey booking that interests me is Silvestre de Sousa on King Crimson (2.20), a 7-2 shot for Bath’s opener. De Sousa is always interesting when riding a horse for the first time, as was noted in a really good interview by my colleague Don McRae the other day.
It’s a point that has not been lost on King Crimson’s trainer, Mick Channon, who has a 26% strike-rate when using De Sousa (11 from 42) this season. King Crimson faded after perhaps going a shade too strongly in front at Windsor last time under Charles Bishop but had made all at Newcastle on his previous start and remains fairly treated if De Sousa can judge things right today.
Ferngrove (5.20) at 11-4 is another one with an interesting jockey booking. This gelding was well backed on his first start since leaving Jonny Portman for Warren Greatrex, but he could only keep on into second in that Catterick handicap under the trainer’s son, Tom, who has only had a handful of rides and has yet to get a winner.
However good Tom becomes one day, Jamie Spencer counts as an upgrade for today’s race and I think Ferngrove is going to leave his current rating behind at some point.
Tipping competition, day two
Our winners so far:
Tuesday
Khelman 9-2
Dawaa 7-2
Fast And Furious 5-1
And our leaders are …
after mon
goofs +8.50
chris1623 +8.50
… who both had the best possible double on Day One, pairing Fast And Furious with Khelman. Erifder (+7) had Khelman and Dawaa.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 4.00 Lingfield, 4.10 Southwell, 4.50 Bath.
This week’s prize is a pair of County enclosure tickets to Doncaster for the St Leger a week on Saturday, on 12 September, kindly offered by the racecourse. If you don’t win, you can buy tickets to any of the four days of the Leger festival here.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -3.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
