Rider with her feet on the turf
Today’s Turf Talk Questionnaire guest is Shelley Birkett, who has been based at David O’Meara’s North Yorkshire yard for around two and a half years.
Shelley, 23, has ridden 77 winners on the Flat and has been granted a Racecourse Media Group traineeship, which she hopes will stand her in good stead when she hangs up her riding boots.
In her first year as an apprentice rider, she rode out her 7lb claiming allowance and was also the first female jockey to win two Racing Excellence Series in one season.
She’s ridden for leading trainers such as David Simcock, John Hills, Gaye Kelleway and, of course, her mother Julia Feildon. On one famous occasion she and her brother, amateur rider Ross Birkett, both rode winners for their mother on the same day, with Shelley scoring on Honeymoon Express at Yarmouth and Ross winning on Automotive at Goodwood.
Shelley, never at a loss for words when being interviewed, has her feet firmly on the turf. She’s a great admirer of Flat jockeys Ryan Moore, Richard Hughes and Mick Kinnane. She weighs out at 7st 13lb and one of her favourite horses is The Ducking Stool, which she has ridden to successs on three occasions.
She’s really looking forward to the 10-week RMG-JETS traineeship course and it’s my guess that when her race-riding days are behind her, we will still be hearing a lot more from her in one way or another. Q: Where were you born? A: I was born in Newmarket, Suffolk.
Q: How did you become involved in horse-racing?
A: I was born into a racing family, my mum trains and pretty much everyone else in the family is involved in the yard. I was very lucky to learn to ride at a young age and haven’t looked back since.
Q: Apart from horse-racing, what is your favourite sport?
A: I am a big cycling fan. My interest started a couple of years ago when I first moved to North Yorkshire and the Tour de Yorkshire came right past my door. I go out as often as I can on my bike, as it’s a great way to keep the legs strong for race-riding.
Q: What was your most exciting racing moment?
A: My most exciting moment so far was winning my first Listed race at Newmarket July course on July 19, 2014 on Noble Protector. It’s my biggest win to date and to do it on my home track was very special, as I grew up following mum around when she had runners and a lot of my friends and family were there to watch.
Q: What are your favourite racecourses?
A: There aren’t many racecourses that look after jockeys as well as York and Ascot. Everything from the racetrack itself to the food in the weighing room is exceptional and the atmosphere is always incredible, with both racecourses always drawing in big crowds with good prize money. The facilities for female jockeys at many tracks are dated and some don’t even have working showers, so it’s nice to see the bigger tracks making an effort for us. Q: Have you any pet racing hates? A: It is becoming more of a problem in recent years but getting abuse on social media has become an everyday occurrence, not just for jockeys but anyone they can get a message to. I know of commentators who have been tweeted abuse because people think they have announced the wrong result on purpose when the horse they’ve backed hasn’t won. Horses aren’t machines, there are a lot of factors that affect their performance and the public need to understand that.
Q: Which two people would you like to be seated next to at a dinner party?
A: For obvious reasons, I wouldn’t mind being seated next to Sheikh Mohammed and Prince Khalid Abdullah, two of the most powerful owners in British racing.
Q: What is your favourite television programme?
A: I have watched every episode of The Big Bang Theory – you can put it on any time of the day and it will always make you laugh.
Q: Who do you most admire in horse racing?
A: The person I admire most would have to be my mum, trainer Julia Feilden. I have seen her struggles and successes in the last 17 years she has been training and it takes a very strong woman to put up with the stresses and disappointments that come with training racehorses. Along with raising a young family and trying to keep a small business afloat, it can’t have been easy in the early days.
Q: What is the best advice you have ever received?
A: I was always taught that good manners cost nothing. Q: What is your favourite drink? A: Nothing beats a nice fruity Pimm’s on a warm summer’s day!
Q: Who is your favourite author or racing writer?
A: My favourite racing writer would be Alistair Down, he writes really engaging articles in the Racing Post and I have enjoyed his broadcasting and journalistic contributions over the years. Q: Do you have a favourite singer? A: I listen to whatever is on the radio in the car, but I am a big Bruno Mars fan.
Q: Finally, tell us something we probably wouldn’t know.
A: People probably wouldn’t know that my great-grandad was a neurosurgeon and operated on Winston Churchill’s wife.
Where are they now? David Neale Doughty, from Kenfig Hill near Bridgend, who was born in 1957, quit his academic studies at the age of 17 to join legendary trainer Fulke Walwyn at Lambourn.
Then, after a period with Wilf Crawford and Bill Marshall, he went to Cumbrian trainer Gordon Richards and it was when he was with Richards that he won the 1984 Grand National on Hallo Dandy.
A graduate of the Llangeinor Hunt Pony Club, Doughty had a remarkable record in the world’s greatest steeplechase. Only once in his 10 National rides did he fail to complete the course.
Prior to his great success he had finished fifth, then fourth, then 12th, sixth, seventh, third and fifth. And in the void Grand National of 1993 he came home in sixth place aboard The Other Hand.
He rode his first winner at Perth in 1977 and some of his big race winners included Must be Magic, Clever Folly, Lord Greystoke, Current Gold, Noddy’s Ryde and Pounentes.
Email your racing news and views to brianlee4@virginmedia.com or telephone 029 2073 6438.