Hayley Turner is an English professional jockey Turner is considered to be the first woman to achieve a sustained, day-in, day-out, successful career as a professional jockey in the UK. Hayley Turner's success has seen an enormous increase in the number of female apprentice jockeys riding in the UK in the second decade of the 21st century. She became the first woman to ride 100 UK Flat race winners during a calendar year, when winning on 'Mullitovermaurice' at Wolverhampton on 30 December 2008. In that year Turner rode in over 900 races in the UK - one of only five riders to achieve the milestone that year. On 31 August 2015 Turner announced that she would retire from riding at the end of the season. She came out of retirement in 2018. In between she was a regular contributor to ITV racing.
Racing career
Turner was born two miles from Nottingham Racecourse in north Nottinghamshire, daughter of Kate and Richard Turner. Her first ride in public was on Markellis at Southwell on 27 March 2000. Turner never finished the race; the horse broke a leg and died. Her first winning ride was her eighth, on Generate at Pontefract on 4 June 2000. She rode her first Group winner on Lady Deauville in the Lando-Trophy in Germany on 16 November 2008. Initially, she rode out for Mark Polglase at Southwell and then attended the Northern Racing College. Early support came from trainers such as Jeff King, but she is best known for her ongoing and successful association with Newmarket based Derby winning trainer Michael Bell, with whom she was apprenticed in 2005 when winning the Champion Apprentice title. She was joint Champion Apprentice with Saleem Golam with 44 winners in 2005. She rode her 95th winner in September of that year, thereby "riding out her claim", only the fourth woman to do so since Alex Greaves in 1991. Bell sent her to Tom Amoss, in New Orleans for three months of training. She also spent the winter of 2004 riding out for Godolphin in Dubai. High-profile handicap wins in 2008 on Furnace at Chester and Ascot raised Turner into the higher echelons of the weighing room, as did wins on The Betchworth Kid. She was voted as Channel 4's Racing Personality for 2008. In March 2009, Turner was badly injured in an accident putting a horse through starting stalls on the Newmarket gallops, which initially threatened to sideline her for the rest of the year. She made some guest appearances as a pundit on Channel 4 Racing during this time. However, when fresh medical evidence allowed her to return to race-riding in mid-summer she was instantly back to riding successfully. Turner ended the year on 60 winners, her second highest figure despite missing much of the season. The 2010 flat racing year continued to be successful for Turner; highlights included a first Group 1 ride on Barshiba in the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, and winning the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks on the same horse at Haydock a month earlier; and a successful partnership with classy two-year-old Margot Did, which included two winners and second places in two Group 3s and a Group 2. In January 2011, Turner had her first race-rides at the Meydan racecourse in Dubai, as part of the annual Dubai Racing Carnival. In July 2011 Turner rode her first Group 1 winner, Dream Ahead, in the July Cup at Newmarket, and repeated the trick the following month winning the Group OneNunthorpe Stakes on Margot Did during York racecourse's Ebor Meeting. 2012 saw Turner ride 92 winners, her second-best season, at a strike rate of 12%, also a career second-best. She ended the year early to have surgery on an ankle. On 31 May 2012 she became the first female jockey in history to ride on the Dubai World Cup night. She rode Margot Did in the Al Quoz Sprint where she finished well back in the field. On 2 June 2012 she became the second female jockey in history to ride in the Epsom Derby. She rode Cavaliero where she came last of the nine horses running. Most significantly in 2012, Turner won the Beverly D. Stakes in America, becoming the first UK-based girl to ride an international Grade One winner. At the end of the 2015 season Turner retired but raced at some invitation events.
Suspension
In 2017 Hayley Turner was suspended for three months after she breached BHA rules when she bet on races after she reapplied for her racing licence.
Return from suspension
In 2018 Turner came out of retirement after her suspension. Turner rode in France due to the female jockey weight allowance.
Turner, like many UK Flat jockeys is based in Newmarket, Suffolk. In 2011, she became a member of the Jaguar Academy of Sport and received the 'Most Inspirational Sportswoman' Award at the 2011 Jaguar Academy of Sport Annual Awards. Turner was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2016 Birthday Honours. In 2020, Turner became a racing brand ambassador.
