On Monday, Hollie Doyle became the second female jockey ever to ride 1,000 winners in Britain. This is not the first major milestone the 28-year-old has secured during her 11-year career and it is unlikely to be the last. The Herefordshire born jockey hopes to eventually double her tally – and then some – but rather than focussing on what the future holds, we wanted to take a closer look at Doyle’s career so far.
First Win
Doyle bagged her first winner under Rules in a lady amateur rider’s handicap at Salisbury on May 5th 2013.
Salisbury 5:20 Result (5/5/2013)
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | SP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | The Mongoose | Hollie Doyle | David Evans | 8/1 |
| 2nd | Byrd In Hand | Alyson Deniel | John Bridger | 14/1 |
| 3rd | Takitwo | Katy Lyons | Geoffrey Deacon | 12/1 |
Riding a five-year-old horse called The Mongoose, Doyle got into a prominent position early on in the seven-furlong event and narrowly managed to fend off the competition. It was a good result for a horse who had failed to place across his previous seven starts. The two combined forces again just six days at another Class 6 event, this time at Warwick, but despite being the bookies’ favourite, the pair had to settle for 5th place.
Career Highlights
From starting off as an amateur in 2013, Doyle has been able to build a reputation as a talented jockey who is regularly booked for decent rides. In 2020 she managed to gain more recognition outside of racing as she was not only named as the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year, but was one of the six shortlisted names for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.
Absolutely delighted to have been nominated for BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Award! Thank you all AGAIN for the lovely messages & support!#SPOTY @BBCSport @SkySportsRacing pic.twitter.com/y2fXRJ3W7K
— Hollie Doyle (@HollieDoyle1) December 1, 2020
She did this following a fine year which saw her land an 899/1 quintuple at Windsor Racecourse plus her first victory at Royal Ascot when riding on 33/1 outsider Scarlet Dragon. She also set another record for most wins by a female jockey in a year (120). Although Doyle had little chance of winning the 2020 SPOTY award, as Lewis Hamilton had recently become Formula 1’s most successful driver, she managed to finish ahead of Stuard Broad, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Tyson Fury to claim third place.
Following on from her SPOTY appearance, Doyle enjoyed another fine year in 2021, securing 172 winners across the calendar. This remains her personal best effort but she still has plenty of opportunities left to surpass it. Among the 172 was a double on British Champions Day at Ascot, first guiding Trueshan home in the Long Distance Cup before a surprise win aboard Glen Sheil in the Champion Sprint Stakes – Doyle’s first Group 1 win.
Any hopes of setting a new record in 2023 were dashed following a heavy fall at Wolverhampton which dislocated her elbow and ruptured two ligaments. This ruled Doyle out from racing for over two months, but she reemerged seemingly unaffected by the incident as she landed a winner on her first race back.
1000th British Winner
Doyle had already reached 1,000 career wins in September 2024 but some of these had come abroad in places like Japan and France. This meant she was still a little short of 1,000 British winners mark, but this milestone was reached in March 2025 during a meeting at Lingfield. Riding Marco Botti’s Handle With Care, Doyle guided the 4/1 second favourite to her first career win.
Lingfield 1:47 Result (24/3/2025)
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | SP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Handle With Care | Hollie Doyle | Marco Botti | 4/1 |
| 2nd | Toughly | Trevor Whelan | Ollie Sangster | 6/1 |
| 3rd | So Sassy | Oisin Murphy | James Fanshawe | 10/11 |
Speaking after the win, Doyle said:
“I’m delighted to have got that done, it’s another milestone and hopefully there’s another 1,000 under the bonnet somewhere!”
She also gave thanks to trainers Archie Watson and Marco Botti who have regularly given her opportunities to ride.
Turner’s Record In Sight
Hayley Turner is currently the most successful female jockey in British racing. She reached 1,000 wins globally in November 2023, becoming the first female jockey on the continent to do so, and then bagged her 1,000th British winner in July 2024. With Doyle matching both records just months later, she is hot on Turner’s tails.
What an achievement for Hayley Turner!
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 21, 2023
It seems inevitable that Doyle will overtake Turner as she is both younger and riding more frequently. At the time of writing, Turner had been involved in 59 British races in 2025 (winning 9) whereas Doyle has been in the saddle 153 times (winning 16). To maintain her advantage while riding less, Turner would need to maintain a much superior win percentage but this seems unlikely to happen. Over the past five British seasons, Doyle has a 14% strike rate while Turner is on 10%.
The only real question is if Doyle can leapfrog Turner while the latter is still active. Turner is currently 42, so surely it will not be too long before she hangs up her boots (for a second time). Nonetheless, we suspect she will be happy for Doyle, as and when the younger rider overtak
