Hollie Doyle: Jockey claims historic Hong Kong race win
- Published
Hollie Doyle became the first woman to ride a winner at the International Jockeys' Championship in Hong Kong.
The 24-year-old capped a landmark year with victory in the final race of the competition aboard Harmony N Blessed.
Doyle was joint third overall in the event, won by Australia's Zac Purton.
In 2020, Doyle has broken her own British record for winners ridden in a year by a woman and was the first female rider to have five winners at one meeting.
"It's absolutely unbelievable. I knew I had a good chance on this horse, but you need a lot of things to go right," she said after her Hong Kong win.
The four-race event sees 12 of the world's top jockeys competing.
Two women had previously taken part - Emma-Jayne Wilson in 2007 and Chantal Sutherland two years later - but neither won a race.
Harmony N Blessed, trained by David Hayes, was the 11-10 favourite. Doyle finished ahead of the Ryan Moore-ridden Grateful Heart in second, with her boyfriend Tom Marquand third on Wind N Grass.
"It's a huge privilege for Tom and I to be asked to ride here after a great season and it's the icing on the cake," she said.
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