Hayley Turner reinforced her position as one of the leading riders in the land after Margot Did swooped to conquer in the Nunthorpe Stakes.
Not content with claiming an unprecedented outright first Group One victory for a British lady in the July Cup, the 28-year-old repeated the dose at York for her guv’nor, Michael Bell.
It has, especially this season, become a rather trite cliche to label Turner as the top female jockey in the country, when surely her prowess in the saddle must now deserve to rank alongside her male counterparts.
After all, the Nottinghamshire-born jockey could easily have succumbed to a fit of panic when Margot Did appeared to be travelling by far the best in a six-horse group along the stands side.
Instead, Turner possessed the sangfroid judgment to bide her time until early inside the final furlong (200m), when her willing companion skipped clear of Hamish McGonagall, who was also in the sextet close to the grandstand, by three-quarters of a length.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Turner said.
“I can’t believe it, it’s the best season ever.
“It just goes to show if you work hard and are dedicated it can be done.”
Bell’s unflinching bravery to run Margot Did at York was also highlighted by Turner as being the defining factor behind this highly-decorated success.
Although, as a three-year-old, Margot Did was in receipt of weight from all but two of her rivals, no filly belonging to the Classic generation has won Britain’s premier sprint since Habibti in 1983.
Turner, who has ridden Margot Did in all 13 of her starts, continued: “I thought maybe a Group One would be stretching her ability-wise, but obviously not.
“She’s always been special to me, but I’ve only really just figured how to get the best out of her.
“She loves plenty of daylight. She has one gear for the end and you have to save it for as long as you can.
“The longer you can wait on her, the better.”
PA AAP TURF
