There are few more increasingly inclusive sports in the world than horse eventing, show jumping and racing, with women more and more able to compete alongside and against their male counterparts. That has helped produce some of the most famous moments in the sport’s esteemed history, and has also helped pave the way for future stars to emerge.
Legends of yesteryear have allowed young and aspiring females to dare to dream that they could reach the top, while the female stars in the sport today are breaking through glass ceilings more than ever before. There are more and more female jockeys in top races, and we are likely to soon see them in ones such as the Preakness Stakes winners, among others.
But, who are some of the inspirational women in the world of horse racing that have created their legend in the sport?
Meriel Tufnell
While female riders are now breaking down doors in terms of graded stakes wins, none of that may have been possible without the influence of Meriel Tufnell. The jockey made history at Kempton Park in May 1972, as she became the first woman to ride a winner under Jockey Club Rules when riding Scorched Earth.
The victory made international headlines, and put flat racing in the spotlight once again in the United Kingdom. To make matters even more impressive, it was Tufnell’s first race under rules. Tufnell continued to ride professionally in 1974, which included a star in the first mixed race at Nottingham in 1974.
She continued in the sport following her retirement and opened an equestrian school alongside her husband Glenn Humphrey, which focused on training point-to-pointers and chasers.
Queen Elizabeth II
While many female stars have achieved success in the saddle, there have been perhaps few more pioneering women in ensuring that the sport also stayed in the limelight than Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty owned many horses throughout her life, and picked up the reigns from her father King George VI when it came to breeding.
Up until 2013, the Queen owned over 1,600 winners, which included victories in all Classics aside from the Epsom Derby. Her Majesty would also achieve success further afield, including in French classic, the Prix de Diane.
She also became the first reigning monarch to win the British Flat Racing Champion Owner, achieving the feat on two occasions. Her closest finisher in the Derby came with second-place Auerole in 1953, just two years after her coronation.
Dunfermline was one of the Queen’s most successful horses, winning the Epsom Oaks and St Leger. Meanwhile, Estimate was one her famous final horses in training, landing the Ascot Gold Cup in 2013.
Hayley Turner
Hayley Turner is largely responsible for ensuring that there is a clear route into the sport for women in the modern day. The Newmarket-based jockey became the first woman to ride over 100 flat winners in a single season in 2008, while she would also achieved major group victories on eight occasions. She would also win two Group Ones, and a Grade One.
Her talent on track was straightforward to see from a young age, as she was awarded the British Flat Racing Champion Apprentice in 2005. Her success within the sport remains vital to this day, as she is regularly seen on media duties on terrestrial television in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Turner remains a prominent rider on the all-weather to this day, clocking up 38 victories during 2023. As well as achieving British success, Turner has also one graded race in the U.S., as she was aboard I’m A Dreamer in the Beverly D. Stakes in 2012.
Khadijah Mellah
While being a women in racing has been challenging throughout history, it has also been testing for riders of colour to make their breakthrough within the sport. However, one of the pioneering women in breaking down these barriers has been Khadijah Mellah.
Back in 2019, the Muslim women had sat on a horse just months before the Magnolia Cup at the Goodwood Festival. However, she would create a fairytale story by winning the illustrious race at one of the biggest meetings of the year. During the event, she was in the midst of completing her A-Levels, and taking in horse riding lessons in her free time.
However, the success at Goodwood captured the imagination of fans across the world, and that led to the development of The Riding A Dream Academy. The scheme gives young people between 14 and 18 the opportunity to take up a year-long scholarship at leading yards, creating a clear breakthrough into the sport for women from diverse communities into horse racing. Not only has her ride on track opened the door for young riders, but she has offered a path into the sport.
Rachael Blackmore
There are few more talented jumps jockeys in the world than Rachael Blackmore, as the Irish star has engaged a whole new fan base to the sport throughout her career. Blackmore would ride her first winner in February 2011, before taking a ride in the Grand National for the first time in 2018. However, her success on track would reach new heights since becoming the stable jockey for Henry De Bromhead.
Blackmore would make history in 2021 after becoming the first female winning rider in the 182-year history of the Grand National. She would achieve further history in 2021, becoming the first woman to end the Cheltenham Festival as the top jockey.
Blackmore would later break through another glass ceiling after becoming the first female to ride the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Her performances on track would capture the attention of the UK and Ireland, and that would see her pick up a number of prestigious individual awards. That included being named the RTE Sports Person of the Year, and beating off huge competition to be named the BBC World Sport Star of the Year.
Further big race victories have followed throughout 2024 at the Cheltenham Festival. Blackmore rode the winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase when delivering Captain Guinness late, before also scoring on Slade Steel in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle to kick off the Festival with a massive Grade One success.
