Sophie Doyle Riding a Winning Race

SOPHIE DOYLE

Riding a Winning Race

WRITTEN BY KATEY FREEMAN HOLMES | PHOTOS PROVIDED

If you were to look down from high above the stratosphere over the southern part of England, you’d see a special place a bit east of Wiltshire and a bit south of Oxfordshire that, over time, has come to be known as The Valley of the Racehorse. Today it is England’s second most notable racing and training site, next to Newmarket. Roughly 1,500 Thoroughbreds reside at 50 different stables in the area. Located here is the village of Lambourn with about 4,000+ residents which can trace its association with racehorses and jumpers, back to the 1700s. The surrounding land was perfect for conditioning horses, and stables began to spring up quickly. It is fitting then that a young female jockey should emerge from that location to come to America and quickly establish herself as one of the up-and-coming bright stars of the sport, male or female. Sophie Doyle was born here in 1987 and spent her childhood around the horses that her mother, the successful Thoroughbred trainer, Jacqui Doyle. Sophie and her brother James, a very successful jockey in his own right, were immersed in the world of ponies and later horses, beginning when they were about 3 or 4 years of age. Sophie began riding show ponies in county shows with her mother’s guidance and advice. The strong work ethic and sense of responsibility taught to her by her mother was a key factor to her later success.

By the age of 11 she was put on Thoroughbreds to walk the trails with them to the track then back to the barn. By the age of about 14, she was riding for leading trainer Mick Channon, starting with some of his quieter horses. During the next year, she progressed to riding for a majority of the trainers around the Village of Lambourn with her mother driving her from place to place. In the evening, she and her brother would get calls from trainers to help break their yearlings. They were also expected to help with barn work including mucking out stalls. During her later teen years she struggled, as most teens do, with figuring out exactly what she wanted to do with her life. Her lifelong close association with horses won out and by 19 she was the leading female apprentice in the U.K. recording 28 victories, working for trainer Jamie Osborne and her mother. Deciding to try her luck in the United States, she spent a couple of years riding and made the decision to move to the U.S. full time in 2013. After riding at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Golden Gate, she decided to go to Kentucky where there were more opportunities to advance her career. Adapting to the American style of riding which involves learning to ride in a position on top of the horse and forward, not hitting the saddle and being more still in the saddle. She says that to ride in America, your legs must be super strong, as you’re not moving at all. Her first U.S. victory came on Jaz n Tap, a son of Jazil, in 2014 at Churchill Downs. Her first stakes and graded stakes wins were on a dark mare named Fioretti. The mare was known to be hard to deal with, but Sophie had breezed her in the past and developed a special connection with her that enabled her to get her first stakes victory. Other victories followed, including Fioretti’s first Graded Stakes win in the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (GII) at Keeneland. Sophie is quick to give the people who support her and work with the horse daily the credit they deserve in achieving her success. The year 2016 brought Doyle more than 30 wins but also included a serious injury she suffered on May 27 at Churchill Downs. She broke her collar bone in four places and was left with a plate and six screws holding it all in place. To stay in the public’s eye while she rehabilitated, and through a friend, she got involved in the horse shampoo business selling something called “Dapple Up.” Going out and seeing everybody, and keeping in contact, kept her busy and in the forefront of people’s thoughts. With her recovery, came a second place finish in the Groupie Doll Stakes (GIII) on a filly called Emmajestic. This year saw her achieve her second graded-stakes victory with Street Band in the $400,000 Twinspiers Fair Ground Oaks which allow her to advance to the Kentucky Oaks, the signature race for three year old fillies. Street Band was another horse who sometimes had a fiery disposition. In the Oaks she became quite worked up in the paddock and during the long post parade. While generally able to quiet the most restless of racers, that day saw Street Band getting up for a sixth-place finish. Sophie Doyle and Street Band gave it their all. Mike Smith, one of the many jockeys who have helped Sophie, gave her some sage advice by asking her, “When you look back at a race, do you think you rode a winning race?” She believes she did and looks forward to more races on this promising filly.