The pioneering women who stood out from the field to take on the Derby
In 1996 Alex Greaves, aboard Portuguese Lil, bucked 216 years of history to become the first female jockey to ride the Epsom Derby. Some 16 years later, in a season where she rode 92 winners, Hayley Turner followed her on Cavaleiro.
Horse racing remains a male-dominated arena at all levels, and it took outstanding talent and tenacity for Greaves to break through and forge a path for others to follow. A year after placing 20th in the Derby, Greaves became the first woman to win a Group 1 race in the UK when she dead-heated in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Ya Malak. Her success set an inspiring precedent for others to follow.
Reflections on the Derby: the first two female jockeys to ride in the Investec Derby remember their experiences, and the unique character that makes the Derby a race like no other.
Reflections on the Derby: the first two female jockeys to ride in the Investec Derby remember their experiences, and the unique character that makes the Derby a race like no other.
Turner has won three Group 1 races in a storied career that included 100 flat race victories in 2008. Her Derby experience attracted huge interest from the non-racing audience, but within the racing community, her outstanding talent was already widely recognised. “Trainers and jockeys thought it was quite normal, because we do it every day – they had accepted us as jockeys – but for everyone else looking in, it was a big deal,” she recalls.
‘The atmosphere is actually different on Derby day to any other day’Alex Greaves, First female jockey to ride in the Epsom Derby
Greaves agrees: “The atmosphere is actually different on Derby day to any other day. Usually, when you’re riding you don’t really notice the crowd, because you’re focused and your mind’s on your job, but at Epsom, even when I got to Tattenham Corner, I was still aware of the buzz and the crowds and everything else.”
Thanks to these pioneering female jockeys leading the way, the Investec Derby has proven to be a place where meritocracy rewards outstanding talent, regardless of gender. The world’s greatest flat race didn’t have to wait another 16 years from Hayley Turner’s entry to have another female rider: in 2017, Ana O’Brien rode 66-1 outsider The Anvil to 17th place, beating Pealer into 18th and becoming the first female rider to beat another horse to the line. As talented female jockeys continue to deliver Out of the Ordinary performances, it seems only a matter of time before Epsom sees a woman win the richest horse race in the UK.
Winners act fast, but think faster
More on the Investec Derby Festival
Lessons from Derby leaders
To win the Derby you must learn from your experiences and others around you, drawing on their expertise and knowledge to create something Out of the Ordinary. The greatest chance of success is when you adapt your approach to fit the situation you face.
Crucial Derby moments
Reputation takes years to build, but can be destroyed in an instant. The importance of grasping those moments of opportunity, when the good become the great and the also-rans become the success stories told for years to come, cannot be underestimated.
Stories of success
No one remembers who finishes second. The Investec Derby is all about winning. But it's not just about being bigger or stronger, it's how you use intelligence to find those tiny points of difference that help you rise above the competition.
Ladies’ day
Derby day
Epsom Downs
Ladies' Day sees exhilarating racing, open only to fillies, alongside glamour, high fashion and sumptuous hospitality.
This unique event in the sporting calendar culminates in Britain's richest horse race, the Investec Derby.
Epsom Downs racecourse is easy to access by road or rail. Find out how to arrive at the world's greatest flat race.