7 minute read
Doyle's Royal Ascot Ascent
THE SPECTACULAR STORY OF HOLLIE’S GROUNDBREAKING GROUP 1 VICTORY
Every year, Royal Ascot creates extraordinary memories, delivers captivating moments, and pushes the boundaries of both human and equine achievement. In 2023, Hollie Doyle took triumph at the Royal Meeting to an unprecedented level. Bradsell’s victory in the King’s Stand Stakes saw Doyle become the first female jockey to ride a Group 1 winner at the summer showpiece. A memory treasured, a glass ceiling shattered – and a dream fulfilled.
In an exclusive interview with Ascot ahead of the Royal Meeting, Hollie shared just how much she treasures that triumph.
“We ride at Ascot all year round but there’s nothing like Royal Ascot week. It’s our Olympics, that equivalent for jockeys and trainers. We’re always looking for the next superstar to bring us here, it’s the place we all want to be really. It’s a big occasion, not only does the jockey feel the atmosphere but the horse does as well.
“Bradsell loves it here at Ascot, he won here as a two-year old. He just travelled so amazingly. I asked him the question a long way out and he did it well. He’s such a talented horse. When you get a horse that loves it here, they are so effective on this track.
“On the day I was just delighted as a jockey to ride a Group 1 winner. The female thing didn’t really play on my mind at all, in ten or twenty years nobody can take that away from me, but as a jockey, a Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot is pretty high on the list.”
It’s been a long time coming for Doyle, who was born into a racing family with both parents having ridden for a living. Pony riding soon turned to horse riding for Hollie, who started as an amateur jockey before becoming an apprentice in 2014. But the path to greatness was not an easy one.
“From as far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a jockey, thankfully it worked out okay! I wasn’t ever pushed towards anything, or told ‘you can’t do that, you can’t do this’, I was left to my own accord to make my own decisions or mistakes. I had no interest in school, I just wanted to get home and get on the back of a horse!
“There were times when I struggled, I went three years only riding six winners, then I made the move to Richard Hannon’s and I was at a point where I thought ‘if I don’t make it here, I’m not good enough’. That was tough. If I hadn’t had that chance then I wouldn’t be anywhere.”
Doyle is one half of racing’s ‘power couple’, being married to fellow star jockey Tom Marquand – the pair met in their early teens and married two years ago. And whilst Doyle’s breakthrough success led to rapturous scenes on the Tuesday of Royal Ascot 2023, it was Marquand’s victory on Desert Hero, owned by Their Majesties The King and The Queen, which really brought the house down two days later.
“Tom was so happy, it was The King’s first winner at Royal Ascot, it was really special. I remember a few weeks later he received a handwritten letter from The King, he was so scared that he had to write back and it took him weeks and weeks to think of what to say! They wrote a few letters to each other. We are going to get it framed! It was nice to see The King have such a thrill out of it as well.
“Cantering up to post, you always have a peek at the Royal Box, you know they’re up there! When you’ve had a winner, the whole world is watching Royal Ascot, it’s the biggest event of the year so it’s extra special. We are so lucky to have support from the Royal Family, they are so passionate about it, so as a sport to have been supported by the Royal Family for so long is pretty significant.”
It’s not just at the Royal Meeting that Doyle has shone at Ascot. The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup offers a unique team-based competition with one team composed entirely of female jockeys. The Ladies team have won the competition in three of the last five years, with Doyle winning the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle award for top jockey in 2023.
“The Shergar Cup is really popular, I’ve been lucky enough to do it a few times now and won the Silver Saddle last year. It’s a very chilled atmosphere, it’s really good fun and nice to have a bit of competition as a team.”
But Doyle isn’t resting on her laurels, seeing plenty more opportunities to shine whilst in the prime of her career.
“I don’t think it will sink in until the end of my career, what I’ve done, because at the moment it’s insignificant to me, because I’m still going forward, I’ve got so many more goals. I’m still improving as a rider, I’m always trying to be better, I know I can compete at the top level with the other jockeys, which is satisfying. You just have to keep looking for the opportunities.
“A few years ago, if you had asked me if I saw myself as a role model, I would have said no. But over the last year or two, I’ve been noticing that a lot of young girls or kids in the pony club have been taking a liking to me, sending me loads of messages or following me on social media, so I do see it as a responsibility to set a good example. Our sport is so open and anyone can get involved, so I feel a bit of responsibility to sell the sport as a whole.”
It hasn’t always been this way for Doyle, or other female jockeys. But in recent years, records have tumbled and the opportunities have continued to come – with countless achievements on the track justifying the continued push for equality within the sport.
“I think the vision of female jockeys has changed thanks to the likes of Hayley Turner, Gay Kelleway, Rachael Blackmore, Nina Carberry, those girls riding over jumps have proven it. For me, the moment Rachael crossed the line in the Grand National I thought ‘conversation over’, but it’s alright for me to say because I’ve had a pretty easy go of things. People like Hayley, Cathy Gannon, and others before me have had it a lot tougher.”
A trail blazer and a record breaker, just like the countless other women that have come before her and continue to fly the flag for female success. Long live the Queens of the Turf.
