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Hayley is very good and improving all the time. It is a shame Lisa Jones left these shores because she was very good too. Kirsty has potential but it is a lot easier when they have a claim.
Notice, I do not go overboard. I would though rather back her than for example Eddie Ahern who to my mind has a clock stuck up his rear (the opposite to one in his head). And many other jockeys too. She is probably one of the best 15 riders around.
I do wish presenters and journalists would not go OTT about every time any girl jockey wins. "Oh, she gave that a fabulous ride", it seems patronising to me. Every winning ride is not fabulous (or any words to that effect). It only denegrates the ones that are excellent rides. We don’t get it after every male jockey wins so why women?
Hope Hayley gets some rides in some Group 1’s.
Speaking as a punter, I wish we could go back to the days when most men were prejudiced against lady jockeys. There was some outstanding value to be had backing them then, it’s harder to find now.
There may one day come a time when a girl is champion jockey, but she may need the stength of Diane Clay and style of Hayley to do so.
Mark
Value Is EverythingWe don’t get it after every male jockey wins so why women?
i don’t know about that ginge, one of the things that gets me shouting at the commentators is after almost every race it seems they say "there’s not a stronger jockey in a finish than so-and-so" – if that’s the feckin case how can they say it about anyone else?
note to any commentators reading – you can only say this about one jockey, not all of them after every race
I have mixed views on this one.
On the one hand some of the hype surrounding Hayley has been laughable – (closest jockey to Fallon etc), but on the other some of her recent rides have been very good.
There is no question that she is "as good" as most of the leading male jockeys and she is the only female jockey that has ever ridden in this country that you can say that about.
My hope would be that she continues to get the rides she deserves. That means, on current form at least, that she should be riding at the big meetings and getting the occasional Group ride.
It doesn’t mean that either a) she should fade into obscurity as soon as she has a lean spell due to sexist trainers and connections not giving her opportunities or b) she should be given rides on the very best G1 horses on the back of some stupid media-fuelled campaign to make her champion jockey.
I cringe every time Thommo refers to her in commentary as the ‘pin up girl’,there’s no need for it.
She is deservedly on the verge of making the real breakthrough for lady jockeys in this country as is due to ride Art Princess for Barry Hills in tomorrows Cheveley Park Stakes.
Not much shabby about Hayley’s ride on Viper in the 14f maiden at Goodwood today, I thought – I expect Reg Hollinshead will have told her that the gelding likes to see the front soon enough, but she made sure he didn’t get there too soon and having expended too much energy in the process.
Sure, the partnership beat an estimable bunch, but having been on Viper when he won Hereford’s feature handicap hurdle of the summer last time out, I’m hopping that I missed this engagement completely – only seeing the race on RUK’s playback an hour ago – and hopping some more about the 12-1 price I missed. Arsington Sodmonster.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
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