Hollie Doyle etched her name into horse racing folklore when riding her 1000th career winner at Goodwood on Tuesday. After taking an early backseat during the 4th race on the card, a 6-furlong contest, she made smooth and steady progress aboard David Simcock’s 2-year-old, Leyhaimur. The saddle starlet, who had recorded her 999th success earlier in the day, pushed the filly clear in the final furlong to claim a cosy and famous victory.
It was a momentous moment for the 27-year-old jockey, who has been a major force in helping promote the rise of women riders in the traditional ‘Sport of Kings’, as well as becoming one of horse racing’s leading figures in her own right.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Hollie Doyle Story – Born Into The Equine Life
It came as no real surprise that Hollie Doyle chose an equine career path. Her father, Mark Doyle, was a former jockey and her mother, Caroline, rode regularly too. Hollie was also brought up in the family home in Herefordshire, where she was surrounded by horses and ponies and her love for riding blossomed on the pony club scene. It’s where she also first met her now husband, and star jockey, Tom Marquand. Her big breakthrough came in May 2013, when only 17 years of age. Prior to taking her GCSE exams, she tucked her saddle under her arm and headed to Salisbury for her first ever ride under rules as an amateur rider.
Hollie Doyle showed nerves of steel from the get-go on David Evans’ 5-year-old, The Mongoose, grabbing a prominent position and leading from 3 furlongs out. Despite some late challenges, she dug deep and knuckled down to grind out victory by half a length. It was a precursor of things to come, as the determined Doyle would often defy her diminutive frame to claim dogged and nail-biting wins.
Embed from Getty ImagesBreaking Records And Hitting The Headlines
Following her maiden saddle success, Hollie Doyle joined David Evans’ yard in Wales to further hone her riding talents. In 2014 (the following year), she headed to Richard Hannon’s yard in Wiltshire, where she remained for several years, eventually riding out her apprentice claim in November 2017.
Hollie clocked up another 50+ wins in 2018, but 2019 proved to be a stellar year as she topped the 100-winners mark (116 in total), setting a new yearly record for a female jockey in the process. However, it would only be the start of Hollie’s success, as she began to pick up more notable rides and with that came the big race wins.
The Hollie Doyle Story – The Cheers Ring Out At Royal Ascot
Hollie Doyle continued to churn out the winners, but her maiden Royal Ascot success (Scarlet Dragon in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes) at the 2020 Festival propelled her into the limelight and further expanded her riding options. Hollie’s first big race success followed shortly after, in the Group 2, Princess of Wales’s Stakes, at Newmarket in July 2020, where she rode Ed Vaughan’s Dame Malliot.
Hollie Doyle had ridden Dame Malliot to a storming 5-length success the previous year at Newmarket and she worked wonders on the daughter of Champs Elysees once again. Despite losing the lead in the run-in, Doyle worked hard to get Dame Maillot’s head back in front and she stayed on magnificently to win by 2 ¼ lengths.
Embed from Getty ImagesHigh-Fives All Round At Royal Windsor
On a memorable summer’s day at Windsor Racecourse in August 2020, Hollie Doyle once again rewrote the history books and got the tongues wagging around the equine world. She would enter the winner’s enclosure not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, but FIVE times in one afternoon. The first time ever a female rider had achieved that feat on a British racetrack.
It came as no surprise, in October of 2020, when Hollie Doyle surpassed the female jockey’s yearly winners record, the one she had set herself only a year earlier. It meant she was buzzing and in high spirits when heading to Ascot’s Champions Day meeting a few days later, where further success awaited.
The Hollie Doyle Story – Delivering The Goods On Champions Day
Doyle delivered on not only one Group winner, but two on a sizzling afternoon in the saddle. First up, was Trueshan in the British Champions Long Distance Cup. Hollie had won on him in minor events early in the previous year, but the Alan King runner had come on leaps and bounds since then. Trueshan thrived in the soft going and blazed clear down the Ascot straight, when given the go-ahead by Doyle, eventually putting 7 ½ lengths between himself and his nearest rival.
Half an hour later, Hollie Doyle would receive another raucous reception, as she guided Archie Watson’s Glen Shiel into the Ascot winner’s enclosure following his victory in the British Champions Sprint Stakes. This time, Doyle, had to show her gritty determined side to get the job done, as Glen Shiel rallied to claim victory by just a nose. It was the first ever Group 1 success for Hollie, but it definitely wouldn’t be her last.
Embed from Getty ImagesAll Eyes On The Trueshan Show
Hollie Doyle claimed a fourth win aboard Trueshan at the Glorious Goodwood Festival in the summer of 2021. Like at Ascot, on Champions Day the Autumn previous, the going was soft underhoof and Alan King’s gelding sparkled over the 2 mile trip, as Doyle guided him to a cosy 3 ¾ length win in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup.
Hollie Doyle saddled up once again on Trueshan during Ascot Champions Day in October 2021, as the partnership looked to defend their Long Distance Cup crown. Trueshan may not have swept to victory as he done in the Group 2 contest twelve months previous, but he was always doing enough. Doyle never had to get too serious on the then 5-year-old, as he saw off Brian Ellison’s Tashkhan and Frankie Dettori on Stradivarius to reclaim his title.
Trueshan would claim a third Long Distance Cup success too at Ascot in October 2022 with Hollie Doyle at the reins once again. Amazingly, the jockey/horse partnership have won together on 11 occasions in total, the last time being just two months ago, when victorious in the Esher Stakes at Sandown.
The Hollie Doyle Story – Dreaming Of Classic Success
Hollie Doyle made a positive and high-profile connection with another top quality equine star during 2022. She had ridden John & Thady Gosden’s Nashwa on her 2-year-old debut at the back end of 2021 at Newmarket, but the daughter of Frankel had raced green and failed to justify favouritism. However, Nashwa was doing plenty of good late work when snatching a place. Imad Alsagar’s filly kicked off her 3-year-old campaign at Haydock in April 2022 and there no were signs of greenness on this occasion. Despite running a tad freely early on, Hollie Doyle was always in control. Nashwa took over the lead a furlong out and readily raced clear to win by an eye-catching 6 ½ lengths.
The Hollie Doyle Story – The Epsom Oaks Loom Large
Nashwa headed to Newbury in mid-May in fine fettle for a prominent fillies’ trial race and went to post with Doyle as the warm 5/6 favourite. She stepped up to 10-furlongs in style, taking over the lead 2-out before cantering clear. It was the perfect prep race before heading to Epsom for ‘The Oaks’.
Despite not going off favourite for the first time in her career (that was bestowed on another Gosden runner, Emily Upjohn), Nashwa was still well fancied to run a big race. She took a keen early hold in the hands of Hollie Doyle which seemed to hamper her chances and although she was in the mix and finished 3rd, she never threatened the front pair of Emily Upjohn and Aidan O’Brien’s eventual winner, Tuesday.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Hollie Doyle Story – The Classic Dream Lives On
Nashwa’s connections didn’t have too long to dwell on what might have been in the English Oaks, as two weeks later, their star 3-year-old would line up, with Hollie Doyle on top of course, at Chantilly for the French Oaks (Prix de Diane). Similar to her seasonal debut win at Haydock, despite running freely from the off, Doyle was always in control and in a prominent position. Unlike her Haydock performance however, this time she wasn’t allowed to cruise to victory.
Carlos & Yann Lerner’s La Parisienne was up for the fight at Chantilly and pushed Nashwa all the way to the line. Hollie Doyle’s steely saddle skills came to the fore and Nashwa held on gamely to see off the French challenger and claim her classic win. Hollie Doyle was a record breaker again, as she became the first female jockey to win a French Classic and the first British female jockey to win a European Classic.
Nashwa rounded off her 3-year-old campaign on British soil in the hands of Hollie, by clinching another Group 1 contest, the prestigious Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. Doyle has ridden Nashwa in all 16 of her racecourse appearances to date and who knows what still awaits the marvellous mare.
The Hollie Doyle Story – Here’s To the Future & More Winners
Congratulations again to Hollie Doyle for hitting the 1000-winner mark. She didn’t rest on her laurels, claiming win number 1001 aboard Marco Botti’s King David at Kempton on Wednesday evening. Who knows what else awaits flat racing’s saddle queen? A seven-timer at Ascot like Frankie? With Hollie Doyle, you can never say never !!! Catch her next in action at Haydock this Thursday, all races live on Racing TV.
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