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Anna McGuinness rides Jump Allen in the Martin Pipe, currently at a single figure price.
Looking back through old results I see that Bridget Andrews, Bryony Frost and Lizzie Kelly all rode in the race in 2018, but since then the only female jockeys in it were Bryony and Alice Stevens pulling up in different years, and Page Fuller finishing well down the field on a couple of 50-1 shots.
Good luck Anna this afternoon.
What should we make of this situation? Are there young women in racing who are not being given opportunities? Or do not many young women want to be jump jockeys, particularly in Ireland?
Rachael Blackmore smashed through the glass ceiling for women jockeys. It is now five years since her Grand National victory put her on the front pages. Any girl just entering her teens and who might have watched and been inspired by her will be 18 now. Perhaps we need to wait another two or three years to see more young women jockeys coming through the ranks?
I would like to think we will see more female jockeys following in her footsteps but it won’t be easy. I still think men are at an advantage in a sport that is physically demanding and where falls inevitably happen. Blackmore herself didn’t ride a Grade 1 winner until her late 20s.
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