WiR Features – Women in Racing

Postcards from Burghley

A review of our annual Burghley Horse Trials Course Walk and Pol Roger Champagne Tasting.

We were elated to treat our WiR members with a prelude to Burghley Horse Trials, with one of the world’s finest riders to have ever graced the sport of three-day eventing: Lucinda Green MBE.

Defender Burghley Horse Trials is hailed the world over as one of the eminent three-day events, an affectionately-coined ‘Big B’ trial ( in tandem with Badminton Horse Trials) and one of the most widely streamed equestrian fixtures today.

The inclement weather did little to dampen an electric atmosphere of the morning on day 1 Dressage day. Upon admission into the Pol Roger marquee with a welcome speech and relaxed introductions, Lucinda delighted everyone with her insight and a meticulous breakdown of the cross-country phase.

Fitness was the motto for the day. Praising the Derek di Grazia-designed course, Lucinda, twice-winner of the championship, identified this edition as a predominant test of endurance and patience from the gate. It also rode in the opposite direction to last year.

This particular course in turn asked for optimum rider fitness, in order to set up the horse for repeated gear changes; riders would have to put on the brakes on approach and fasten the transitions between an increased number of combinations, to make up much-needed time.

At 570mpm (metres per minute), the 2026 test would ride slower than the average time for the Grand National, clocking in at a pace of 727 to 767mpm, subject to conditions.

In an era where cross-country times are at the front of the rider’s mind, di Grazia’s plan also demanded a horse-and-rider combination that respected the early uphill requirements.

Its energy-sapping design would cause some horses to run flat earlier in the sequence.

As is custom to ride a quick, free-running first minute in eventing, fences 3 and 4 (the latter being in the water) denied any freewheeling runs and would present a big ask with the presence of the international crowd, additionally to test the bravery of spookier horses.

During our course walk, Lucinda was completely attentive, walking backwards to face our members and had dealt questions frequently to the group already.

Though consistent in challenges from start to finish, Defender Burghley Horse Trials offers one of most challenging cross-country phases in the world, owing partly to its characteristically undulating going.

Standing at the near-vertical drop of the Leaf Pit (7), it was here that Lucinda stressed the need for soft hands on landing, crucially with more rein given to use his neck and head as his “balancing pole”. Part of Lucinda’s core teachings are that he may stabilise himself and the rider on recovery from this emphatic descent, with di Grazia already demanding a strict line on getaway over to the next skinny.

Those wishing to discover Lucinda’s key training principles are strongly recommended to join The Lucinda Green XC Academy, ( https://www.lucindagreenxcacademy.com), an indispensable and convenient hub with essential content from the six-time Badminton winner.

For £37 per month or £370 annually (savings of £74), riders can access video learning, live Q&As on Zoom with Lucinda, her expert guest speakers with breakout room discussions and much more.

Lucinda creates new content for members every week, so your XC skills are constantly improving. The next opening is on Autumn 2026. Sign up!

Pol Roger

Only a private Champagne tasting at the Pol Roger Marquee would be a propos for Lucinda and our WiR members.

George Prideaux explained the production methods of their two Pol Roger Champagne labels, Brut Réserve and black-labelled Brut Vintage in the sunshine, preceding an afternoon of world-class dressage.

Further, on Sunday Team GB would record a 1-2 to the delight of the home crowd. Gemma Stevens and Chilli Knight (“Alfie”) landed the Burghley 2026 trophy, with Katie Magee in second under Treworra (“Wilf”).

Our special thanks are extended to the wonderful Lucinda Green MBE, Defender Burghley Horse Trials, Pol Roger and our Partnerships Committee Sophie Chambers for an unforgettable weekend.

Women in Racing through time

Here we chart the progress of women in racing over time.

Please do let us know if we have missed anything by emailing info@womeninracing.co.uk.

Event	Date	Name
First female trainer granted a permit	1886	Ellen Chaloner
First Female Champion Owner in Britain	1918	Lady Jane Douglas
First female trainer of a British Classic (unofficial)	1956	Helen Johnson Houghton
First female trainers granted a licence to train	1966	Florence Nagle and Norah Wilmot
First female trainer to train a Royal Ascot winner	1969	Rosemary Lomax
First female jockey to ride in a race under Rules	1967	Val Greaves
First female jockey to win under Rules (amateur ladies race)	1972	Meriel Tufnell
First female jockey to win a mixed race under Rules (amateur)	1974	Linda Goodwill
Women allowed to become Jockey Club Members	1977	Helen Johnson Houghton, Priscilla Hastings & Ruth Wood, Countess of Halifax
First female jockey to win (Flat, Professional)	1978	Karen Wiltshire
First female jockey to win (Jumps, Professional)	1978	Val Greaves
First female trainer to win Grand National	1983	Jenny Pitman
First female trainer of a British Classic winner	1983	Criquette Head-Maarek (1,000 Guineas)
First female jockey to ride in a British Classic (Oaks)	1986	Gay Kelleway
First female jockey to ride a Royal Ascot winner	1987	Gay Kelleway
First female jockey to ride in Derby	1996	Alex Greaves
First Female jockey to ride a Flat G1 winner (dead heat)	1997	Alex Greaves
First female jockey to ride 100 winners in a season	2008	Hayley Turner
Women in Racing established	2009
First female jockey to ride a Flat G1 winner (outright)	2011	Hayley Turner
First female jockey to ride a Jumps Gr1 winner	2015	Lizzie Kelly
First female trainer of a St Leger winner	2016	Laura Mongan
First female Chair of BHA	2019	Annamarie Phelps
First female jockey to win a Gr1 at Cheltenham Festival	2019	Bryony Frost
First female CEO of BHA	2020	Julie Harrington
First female jockey to win the Grand National	2021	Rachel Blackmore
First female jockey to ride 1,000 winners	2023	Hayley Turner
First female judge to adjuticate an Epsom Classic	2024	Jane Green
First female Senior Steward of JC	2024	Dido Harding
2nd female jockey to ride 1,000 winners	2024	Hollie Doyle
First female jockey to ride a British Classic winner	2026	Saffie Osborne

We’d like to make a special mention to Florence Nagle. In the inaugural ‘Directory of the Turf’, published in 1961, the ‘Trainers’ section contains a unique entry. It is Florence Nagle’s. Under the heading ‘Date of first trainer’s licence’, she has answered, “Probably never”.

Under ‘Any other details’, she writes: “I should not be in this book as like several other women I am only a ghost, unrecognised, without responsibility, but the fact remains that I train the horses and the mistakes and failures are mine, ditto the rare triumphs. One day perhaps the powers that be will grow up and recognise it is possible for a woman to train a horse.”

Mrs Nagle, then aged 66, trained a string of about 20 at Petworth, in Sussex, but the licence was held by her head man, William Stickley. She had been a racehorse owner since 1920 and a trainer since the early 1930s. Her best horse was Sandsprite, 100-1 runner-up to Mid-day Sun in the 1937 Derby when ridden by the King’s jockey, Jackie Crouch.

With Mid-day Sun being owned by a woman, Lettice Miller (officially Mrs G. B.Miller), and the second being owned and trained by a woman, it struck a chord with both the public and the newspapers, receiving extensive front-page coverage in the press.

Mrs Nagle, along with another woman trainer, Norah Wilmot, had been campaigning for more than 20 years for women to be issued with training licences. Their requests were repeatedly refused, effectively forcing them into the subterfuge of having a male employee to hold the licence.

Miss Wilmot, 72, had been training for 30 years, based at Binfield, in Berkshire. The licence was held on her behalf by Robert Greenhill. Her horses included Night Watch, owned by the Queen.

In February 1965 Mrs Nagle had written to the Jockey Club in support of her case. She pointed out that there was no rule forbidding the granting of a trainer’s licence to women; that suitable women had been granted licences in other parts of the world; that Madame du Bois, a leading trainer in Belgium, has entered and run horses in major races at Ascot; and that many male trainers acknowledged that they would be unable to run their stables without girl grooms.

She added that everybody knew and recognised that in certain stables the horses were trained by women and that it was only official recognition that was being denied them.

She concluded: “There has never been a reason given for the refusal to grant licences to women. Surely it would only be fair to state the reason. Last year I was informed by the Acting Steward that I knew the reason. I can only categorically state that I have no idea what the reasons are, as the ones suggested to me by various people were too foolish to be possible.”

When Weatherbys, responding on the Jockey Club’s behalf, again refused her request, she replied: “Your letter, needless to say, does not surprise me. What a passing of the buck from one body to another.

“Naturally, as there is no good reason for the refusal of the Jockey Club, or none that would stand up to publicity, you have to make it confidential, but I shall fight this decision of the ruling body by every means in my power, publicly and privately. Somebody has got to try and drag the Jockey Club into the 20th Century.”

The next step came in January 1966 when Mrs Nagle served a writ against two Jockey Club stewards, Viscount Allendale and Sir Randle Feilden. They were sued individually and on behalf of other stewards and members of the Jockey Club. The writ alleged that Mrs Nagle’s applications for a trainer’s licence had been refused solely on the grounds that she was a woman, and that the stewards’ practice was unlawful, in restraint of trade and contrary to public policy.

The action was initially struck out by Mr Justice John Stephenson, but the following month the Court of Appeal ruled that Mrs Nagle should be allowed to continue her High Court challenge, stating that the Jockey Club stewards’ refusal to grant training licences to women was “arbitrary and entirely out of touch with the present state of society”.

The information relating to Florence Nagle is from the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame – you can read the article in full here.

Cut a Dash – Interview with Alex Greaves

Alex Greaves spoke to WiR Committee Member Kimberley Priori.

On the 30th anniversary of her Epsom Derby debut, trailblazing ex-professional flat jockey Alex Greaves talks making her mark the world over and that ever-important neck strap

“Nabbing the race from the favourite for the Concorde Cup in South Africa as the crowd chanted “Lady! lady! lady!” – astonished that it was a woman was on the back of the horse – that memory still really tickles me…”

Harare racetrack in Zimbabwe, 1992 sets the picture in a pre-Apartheid South Africa at an exorbitantly attended meeting.

That trailblazing jockey Alex Greaves crystallised her most encountered historical moment as the first female jockey to ride in the Epsom Derby may not arrive as news to some. Rather, it was prefaced by some of her more levelling appointments as a world-travelling professional rider.

South Africa, recalled then as the fruit bowl of the world, an agricultural powerhouse with its lush greenery and heady, feverish climate, held undertones of a tangibly tense atmosphere and fortress mentality.

But it proved alluring for Alex, as she became the first licensed female jockey in the territory with a booking in the Concorde Cup.

“You’d get changed in restrooms, the male showers, wherever was suitable. It was certainly not purpose-built for a female presence there. But I just remember the stands being absolutely packed to the rafters, as the South African racetracks were in those days. They really are and were all about their racing.”

Held to celebrate the racetrack’s centenary year, it provided the spotlight she would become accustomed to in time.

“I beat Muis (Michael, multiple champion South African jockey) Roberts a short head on my horse There’s Magic, and it was just this uproar – to top that, they then saw that I was a woman!” she laughs.

Alex Greaves, the first female rider in the Epsom Derby, the 1000 Guineas, the first female apprentice jockey to ride out her full 3-pound claim, recorded a brace of approximately 300 winners at close of her riding career.

Her principal feat was becoming the first woman to ride a Group One winner in Britain, when she dead-heated for first in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Ya Malak, trained by David Nicholls.

“There certainly wasn’t the professionalism and structure that there is now. But you just got on with it. I’ve always had that Yorkshire mentality, and I was simply doing my job” she instructs.

“In the end, you’re in a male-dominated sport and you have to fight your corner. I’m also totally stubborn and if I believed in something, I didn’t give an inch.”Back to Epsom.

Greaves made the international press when partnering resolute 500-1 outsider Portuguese Lil, the filly trained by husband David Nicholls in the 1996 edition of the Epsom Derby. Further, the pair had also campaigned in 1000 Guineas, adding to her series of firsts.

This feat led by example that the qualifying and very delight in participation of an Epsom Derby, would open the door for female representation across elite race-riding as we know it today.

“I was there to enjoy it, plain and simple. I thought “I’m gonna make the most of this experience” and I did. On paper, it was no different to any other race, other than it was over a distance I’d never ridden over and the build-up was obviously greater than anything I’d ever known in my career up to that point” admits Alex.

“If you hit the undulations right, it would be make things a lot easier for you. But of course, you didn’t make a big deal out of it just because of the anticipation surrounding the race. It was just the same scenario, as if the Southern lads were coming up North to ride at Ripon, who’d never ridden there before.”

In truth, she has perpetually charted new ground since she began as a horsewoman. The sheer capacity to hold a horse on the gallops as a tender 12-year-old riding out, would have set her apart.

“A real judge of a race and someone who I really learned from was (trainer) David Barron. I was his apprentice jockey and he really dealt me some great opportunities. You need that as a young person in the sport, male or female, so he really made a mark on my career.”

Greaves maintains it was her horsemanship that kept her on side with more precarious runners in the string.

A poster boy for the handler known for his campaigning of top-tier sprinters, the David Nicholls-trained Proud Native would consistently run over his assigned ability, including his win in the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes and a reserve in the coveted Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint. You might owe this to Alex’s rapport and perseverance with the plainly quirky individual.

“Proud Native was not a straightforward ride. He was a Peter Savill-owned horse, who was another great supporter of ours. The lads just didn’t want to get on him, but I had no qualms about riding him everyday and I really managed to get a tune out of him.”

“When we’d go racing, he needed a Chifney bit at the start and would do a lap after you tried to pull him up.”

His plight in keeping sound points to the fact he would have given everything to his racing owing to Alex.

“When I rode him at Goodwood, I just remember to keep on gripping my neck strap. But when he knew you had confidence in him, he would bounce off it and give it back to you in spades, and because of that, he was great fun.”

She is not pontifical when dealt with the question on her counsel to the new wave of professional lady jockeys. Her ‘straight as an arrow’ demeanour softens; Greaves is instead sympathetic in her view of the next generation.

“It’s a very underrated fact, but a race isn’t always won and lost in the last one hundred yards. People forget that, especially the armchair jockeys who see one tiny perspective from their television” opines Alex.

“There are the other jockeys’ manoeuvres, the other runners and so many more factors a jockey has to contend with, in order to position their horse from the break to that particular point in the race.”

It would be remiss not to touch on the meaning of her legacy.

“I miss the camaraderie of riding professionally, but I still ride out everyday. Keeping my weight down was an issue, so I don’t miss the lack of eating and drinking. And I never want to see a sweatsuit ever again.”

“It’s nice to see that professional female jockeys have more opportunities, that they are more accepted in the weighing room and that there is more structure in place like jockeys’ agents for example, so that you can get on with the riding. It’s great to have broken down some barriers in that sense.”

When people talk about her legacy, what does she hope they say?

In a super coolly coded retort. “The girl did good.”

Quite.

Alex was a guest on Luck on Sunday on 31st May. You can watch the interview here: Alex Greaves on Luck on Sunday

Women in Racing Welcomes First Male Mentors

Welcoming Our First Male Mentors

We are incredibly proud of the strength, diversity, and generosity of our mentoring community. While the Women in Racing Mentoring Programme is dedicated to supporting women across the racing industry, meaningful progress is achieved when everyone plays a role. That is why we are delighted to welcome a number of male mentors to the programme, whose experience, insight, and commitment will help us continue to support women at every stage of their careers.

We are thrilled to introduce our first male mentors: Brant Dunshea, David Letts, John Blake, Richard Wayman and Rishi Persad. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to each of them for supporting the programme and helping us create even more opportunities for women across the industry.

Brant Dunshea

Brant Dunshea was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in March 2026, having served as Acting Chief Executive Officer since January 2025. Prior to this, he held several senior regulatory roles within the BHA and has built an impressive career in both British and Australian racing administration.

As CEO, Brant leads the BHA, overseeing its strategic direction, governance, stakeholder engagement and operational delivery. He also represents British racing internationally through a number of senior positions, including within the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF), and the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC).

Brant is passionate about personal and professional development and has benefited from mentoring throughout his career, both as a mentee and mentor.

Brant Dunshea: On Mentoring

What Mentoring Means to Me

My first memory of mentoring was informal but changed the course of my life. The horse trainer who I learned much from as a young person during my teenage years, supported me through a period where I took the decision to move from working hands on with the horses, to getting involved in the administrative side of the sport. That was how my professional career started, and over the years I’ve worked with various different formal and informal mentors.

Why I Got Involved

Mentoring has helped me make important decisions throughout my career. It has helped me build tools and skills to goal set and break down big problems into small ones in order to achieve longer term objectives. It’s helped me grow and learn, and reflect on my own successes and mistakes in a constructive way. I enjoy sharing my experiences with others to help them grow both professionally and personally.

A Fun Fact

After winning my qualifying round, I made the final of my age category in the 800m Track event at the 2009 World Masters Games. I really enjoy running and still do so every other day.

David Letts

Known for his clarity, empathy and collaborative style, David supports mentees to build confidence, navigate career challenges and identify meaningful next steps. He currently serves as Shared Ownership Lead at the Racehorse Owners Association, where he oversees a range of strategic initiatives and stakeholder engagement activities.

Alongside his professional role, David is deeply involved in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within racing. He chairs Racing With Pride and is a member of the sport’s Diversity Advisory Group. His academic achievements include a PhD exploring organisational culture and masculinities within British horseracing, as well as an MBA focused on the experiences of sexual minorities in racing.

David Letts: On Mentoring

What Mentoring Means to Me

I set up a reciprocal mentoring scheme in a previous role and saw the direct benefits of building relationships in this way across the organisation. Not only did it foster positive career conversations, but it also increased feelings of inclusion and greater sense of openness amongst colleagues.

I have previously mentored individuals and have taken great satisfaction in seeing their development, whether personal- or career-focused.

Why I Got Involved

I have personally seen the value that mentoring can provide to both mentee and mentor. I enjoy taking the time to build a rapport with any mentee to understand their motivations and aspirations, and collectively build a plan to help them reach their aims.

Women in Racing’s Mentoring Programme has added huge value to the racing industry over many years and it is a pleasure to be involved in this progression of the scheme to include male mentors for the first time.

John Blake

John Blake is Chief Executive of Racing to School, the education and community engagement charity that works across the horseracing industry. His career has spanned broadcasting, journalism, sports governance and the charitable sector, giving him a unique perspective on leadership and career development.

John has also held a variety of voluntary and trustee positions, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to supporting others both within and beyond racing.

John Blake: On Mentoring

What Mentoring Means to Me

I see Mentoring as a two-way process – of mutual value and learning. Such support is not about solving someone’s challenges but creating ideas and maybe re-framing through listening and asking questions. A Mentor’s contribution needs not to be limited to talking to someone but at times talking about them to help with visibility and progression.

I’ve been fortunate to have been asked to support a range of people during my career, often for specific things and at key times in their lives connected with their careers.

Why I Got Involved

I’ve always enjoyed a range of voluntary roles – as Trustee of a charity supporting those with Gambling-related harm; a Metropolitan Police Custody Suite Visitor that supported the rights of detainees, and my own career roles have provided insight and helped shape and improve my approach to mentoring, which I am keen to develop further.

A Fun Fact

As early jobs go, my time during student holidays as a gravedigger forms an indelible memory. Not a glamorous role for sure! But on my last day – of two summer stints – I was told by my boss that ‘one day you could be running this place’. A man can receive no greater compliment than that, as the intervening years have proved!

Richard Wayman

Richard Wayman rejoined the BHA in 2016 and currently serves as Director of Racing. In this role, he oversees the Racing Department, Participant Services team and the Handicappers, while also representing racing on the Levy Board and the industry’s Commercial Committee.

A lifelong racing enthusiast, Richard’s career has included roles with William Hill, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the British Racing School, the Racehorse Owners Association and the British Horseracing Board. He remains actively involved in racehorse ownership and brings extensive leadership and industry experience to the mentoring programme.

Rishi Persad

Rishi Persad is one of the UK’s most recognised and respected sports broadcasters. Since beginning his racing broadcasting career with Attheraces in 2002, he has gone on to work with Channel 4 Racing, the BBC, ITV Racing and Racing TV.

Beyond horseracing, Rishi has covered a wide range of sports including golf, tennis, cricket, eventing, snooker and bowls. He has also been part of the BBC’s coverage of the last six Olympic Games, highlighting his versatility and breadth of experience across the sporting world.

The Value of Diverse Perspectives

Our male mentors bring a wealth of experience from across the racing industry and beyond, offering valuable insight, guidance and support to mentees. Their willingness to share knowledge, champion development and invest their time reflects a collective commitment to supporting the progression of women in racing.

Mentoring is built on perspective, encouragement and opportunity. By bringing together mentors from different backgrounds and experiences, we can provide our mentees with access to a broader range of viewpoints, advice and professional networks.

We are extremely grateful to our male mentors for their support and contribution to the programme. Their involvement plays an important role in helping us build a more inclusive, supportive and progressive racing industry.

If you are considering the next step in your career, why not explore our mentor profiles on the mentoring page? We would love to help you find the right mentor to support your professional journey.

WiR “Bringing Your A Game to Work” Panel & Tour of Weatherbys

On 22 May 2026, WiR were hosted by Weatherbys at their Wellingborough HQ for a panel discussion themed “Bringing Your A Game to Work”.

The panel featured Georgia Cox, Lilly Sahla, Sharon O’Regan, Dena Merson and Claire Taylor, who joined host and WiR Events Lead Kimberley Priori to talk about what “Bringing Your A Game” means to them.

WiR Members can view the panel discussion in full via the link in the Members’ Area.

WiR Partnership with ARC

WiR are pleased to announce a partnership with Arena Racing Company (ARC).

As part of the partnership, all female members of ARC staff are entitled to free WiR membership. In return all WiR members have access to two exclusive race ticket offers:

Exclusive Women In Racing ARC annual membership – just £149!

Annual Membership across Arena Racing Company offers entry to over 500 fixtures across all 16 ARC racecourses. Plus, additional discounts on drinks and restaurants, guest passes, free racecards and some extra perks along the way.

25% off racing tickets

If a one-off day at the races is more appealing, then save 25% off tickets across ARC fixtures. Simply visit the racecourse website, select your fixture and enter the promotional code (which you will find in the Members Area) and your exclusive ticket will appear!

T&Cs: 25% offer on tickets will be based on the “advance” price rate and will be available right up until 24 hours prior to the day. Maximum of 4 tickets per booking. Subject to availability. Excludes certain fixtures. Full T&Cs available in the package description.

Visit the Members Area of this site to get your exclusive discount codes.

History Made at Churchill Downs

On 2nd May 2026 barriers were broken at Churchill Downs when Golden Tempo, under Jose Ortiz, produced a stunning last to first run to take the 152nd Kentucky Derby by a neck, securing trainer Cherie DeVaux’s place in history as the first female trainer to win the “Run for the Roses”.

A former assistant to Chad Brown, Cherie has trained under her own name since 2018.

Reflecting on the significance of the occasion, she said: “I’m glad I can be a representative of women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to.”

She is the second female trainer to win a leg of the US Triple Crown, following on from Jena Antonuccui’s win in the 2023 Belmont Stakes with Arcangelo.

Watch the race here

Chasing History – Female Trainers & Jockeys in the English Guineas

For many racing fans, Guineas weekend signals the true beginning of the Flat season, as the best three-year-old colts and fillies line up in pursuit of Classic glory in the 2000 and 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

2,000 Guineas

Since the inaugural running in April 1809, there have been no officially recorded female-trained winners of the 2,000 Guineas.

That said, history adds an important footnote. The 1956 winner Giles de Retz was trained by Helen Johnson Houghton, but at the time women were not permitted to hold licences under Jockey Club rules. Officially, the credit went to her assistant, Charles Jerdein. Her achievement was belatedly recognised in 1977 after she became one of the first women admitted to the Jockey Club alongside Priscilla Hastings and Ruth Wood, Countess of Halifax.

Fast forward seventy years, and there was a sense that history could repeat itself with her granddaughter, Eve Johnson Houghton, aiming the talented Zavateri at the race. Unfortunately, the colt was ruled out of the race last week due to a setback.

When it comes to the saddle, the record is just as striking.

Despite the race’s long history, a female jockey has never ridden the winner of the 2,000 Guineas. This statistic is put into stark relief when we consider the fact that there has only ever been one female rider in the race itself:

Saffie Osborne, who finished 8th aboard Ten Bob Tony in 2024.

It’s a remarkable statistic for the modern sporting era, considering how many talented female riders are available, and one that underlines just how slowly representation has filtered into racing’s most traditional spaces.

1000 Guineas

First run in April 1814, there have been four female-trained winners of the 1,000 Guineas with the first coming in 1983.

Three of those came from one of the most accomplished modern day trainers, Criquette Head-Maarek, who struck with:

Ma Biche (1983)
Ravinella (1988)
Special Duty (2010)

The fourth was Pam Sly, who produced Speciosa to win in 2006 at 10-1.

While female trainers have made their mark sporadically, opportunities for female jockeys in the 1,000 Guineas have remained limited.

To date, only three have ridden in the race:

Josephine Gordon – 14th in 2017
Hollie Doyle – 6th in 2024
Hollie Doyle – 9th in 2025

In the 2026 renewal, Saffie Osborne became the 3rd individual female jockey to ride in the race aboard Touleen, owned by Shadwell and trained by Owen Burrows, finishing 6th.

The history books show that progress has been made, but only in small steps. As more opportunities emerge at the highest level, we hope to see that racing continues to broaden the range of names we see competing at the very top of the sport.

International Women’s Day 2026

In recognition of International Women’s Day 2026, Women in Racing invited women working across the British racing industry – spanning a variety of roles, backgrounds and experiences – to share their thoughts on a topic important to them, or their aspirations for the year ahead.

Their responses form a collection of engaging and thought-provoking perspectives, reflecting the diversity of voices within our sport and the remarkable talent that drives it forward. Our sincere thanks go to everyone who contributed their time and insights. We hope you find their reflections both inspiring and enjoyable as we celebrate the women making a difference in British racing.

Read their comments here:

Women in Racing International Women’s Day Article

Racing Foundation Conference Report from WiR Member Linda

I had the privilege of attending the Racing Foundation Conference on 2nd October at York Racecourse. I attended along with representatives from Women in Racing (WiR), thanks to funded tickets made available to WiR members by the Racing Foundation.
It was an inspiring day focused on themes close to my heart — engaging the next generation while embracing fresh perspectives from outside the traditional racing industry to safeguard the sport’s future.

The energy in the room was vibrant. Conversations centred around digital innovation and initiatives such as the brilliant National Racehorse Week. This highlighted how powerful storytelling of the ‘behind-the-scenes’, which is so unique to racing, can be in connecting people to the sport.

This conference reinforced how important it is to connect with a new digital generation that values equine welfare, sustainability, and transparency. Sharing the heartbeat of the sport — from the stable to the saddle — is what will sustain its relevance in this new era.

I’m deeply grateful to WiR for the opportunity to attend and for everything this group has done to support and guide me in navigating a world that was recently new to me. From the moment I joined WiR as a member, I’ve found the community welcoming, empowering, and exceptional at creating opportunities and connections I might never have otherwise found.

Events like this remind me why openness and collaboration are essential. The future of equestrian sport lies in innovation, inclusivity, and in inspiring those who will carry it forward.

About Linda
Linda Nguyenova is the Co-founder & CEO of KONEKTT, an equine care management platform which aims to digitise and connect the entire equine ecosystem, enabling transparent, data-driven care to enhance welfare and improve traceability of global equine records. A passionate horse owner who has competed at novice levels in dressage and showjumping, Linda brings together her lifelong love of horses with over a decade of experience in business and investments, strengthened by Amardeep’s (Co-founder & CTO) extensive experience in data and technology.

Linda has worked at Endless, a leading transformational private equity house with investments including Hovis and American Golf, and BGF, the UK’s leading non-controlling growth capital investor, where she helped support BGF’s recent £300+ million pledge to female-powered businesses. Linda is recognised as a diversity and inclusion champion and one of Real Deals’ Future 40 D&I Leaders. She continues to advocate for innovation, collaboration while placing welfare at the heart of equestrian sport.