- Hayley Turner reached the milestone with Tradesman, trained by David Simcock
- Tradesman came up with a quick late run to take the win in Chelmsford
- The 40-year-old was greeted in the winners room by family members
Hayley Turner felt a weight lifted from her shoulders on Tuesday after finally reaching 1,000 career winners.
Britain’s leading female jockey has long been assured of a place in history, but she was desperate to achieve the milestone and it felt fitting that she did so in the colors of Khalifa Dasmal for trainer David Simcock – two men who had a great influence on her. career.
The horse that powered her to victory was Tradesman, whose fast late run delivered a two-mile handicap at Chelmsford last night, justifying a 9-4 favoritism. The 40-year-old, who made her first ride in March 2000, was greeted by family members in the winners’ enclosure.
Tradesman is certainly not in the same league as Turner’s first Group 1 winner Dream Ahead, who Simcock trained for Dasmal in 2011, but he will certainly hold a special place in her affections from now on.
“I have had a lot of fun riding Khalifa’s horses over the years and David has been a supporter of mine since day one,” said a delighted Turner, whose last winner came on November 4.
Hayley Turner has become the first female jockey in Europe to ride 1,000 winners
‘It feels like a relief. I made a lot of it, made a mountain out of a molehill and put pressure on myself. It took a lot of time, but now I’m just happy!’
Turner has no plans to retire as she is riding as well as ever. She remains an inspiration to young female riders such as Hollie Doyle and Saffie Osborne.
Dale Gibson, interim chief executive of the Professional Jockeys Association, said: ‘Hayley’s achievements will encourage many more women to take up the sport.’