Hayley Turner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hayley TurnerOBE |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 3 January 1983 |
| Major racing wins | |
| Major races July Cup (2011) Nunthorpe Stakes (2011) |
|
| Racing awards | |
| British flat racing Champion Apprentice (joint) (2005) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Dream Ahead, Margot Did | |
Hayley Turner OBE (born 3 January 1983) is a famous retired English jockey. She competed in flat racing, which is a type of horse racing where horses gallop over a flat track. Hayley was based in Newmarket for most of her career.
In 2008, Hayley made history. She became the first woman to ride 100 winners in UK flat races in one year! She won eight Group races, including two very important Group 1 races. She also won a Grade 1 race. Hayley retired from racing in April 2025. Before that, she was a regular expert on ITV Racing. She came out of retirement for a while in 2018. During this time, she won four races at the famous Royal Ascot event. She achieved her 1,000th win in Great Britain in July 2024.
Contents
Hayley's Early Life and Training
Hayley Turner was born near Nottingham Racecourse in north Nottinghamshire. She was one of six daughters. Her mother was a riding instructor, so Hayley learned to ride horses when she was very young.
Learning to Be a Jockey
Hayley rode horses for a local trainer named Mark Polglase. She also went to a special course at the Northern Racing College. After that, she became an apprentice to Michael Bell in Newmarket, Suffolk. An apprentice jockey is like a trainee who learns from an experienced trainer.
First Races and Wins
Hayley's first race was on March 27, 2000, at Southwell. Her first winning ride happened on June 4, 2000. This was her eighth race, and she won on a horse named Generate at Pontefract. Michael Bell also sent her to New Orleans for three months of training. She even spent a winter riding for Godolphin in Dubai.
Becoming a Champion Apprentice
In 2005, Hayley Turner became a joint Champion Apprentice. She shared this title with Saleem Golam. They both had 44 winners that year. When she rode her 95th winner in September 2005, she "rode out her claim." This means she had won enough races that she no longer got a special weight allowance. She was only the fourth woman in Britain to achieve this.
Hayley's Racing Career Highlights
Hayley Turner had many exciting moments in her racing career. She broke records and won major races.
Making History in 2008
In 2008, Hayley became the first female jockey to ride 100 winners in a single year in Britain. This happened when she won on Mullitovermaurice at Wolverhampton. That year, she also won important handicap races. She won on Furnace at Chester and Ascot. She also won on The Betchworth Kid at Doncaster. Her first Group race win was on Lady Deauville in Germany. People voted her as Channel 4's Racing Personality for 2008.
Overcoming Injuries
In March 2009, Hayley had a bad accident. She got a head injury while riding at Newmarket. This injury could have stopped her from racing for the rest of the year. But new medical information allowed her to return in the summer. She still finished the year with 60 winners. While she was recovering, she appeared on Channel 4 Racing as an expert.
Big Wins in 2010 and 2011
The year 2010 was also very good for Hayley. She rode Barshiba in her first Group 1 race, the Nassau Stakes. She had already won the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks on the same horse. She also had a great partnership with a young horse named Margot Did. They won two races and came second in several Group races.
In January 2011, Hayley raced for the first time at the Meydan in Dubai. In July 2011, she won her first Group 1 race on Dream Ahead in the July Cup at Newmarket. The next month, she won another Group 1 race. This was the Nunthorpe Stakes on Margot Did at York. A few weeks later, she broke her ankle in a fall at Bath. She received an award for 'Most Inspirational Sportswoman' in 2011.
International Success
In 2012, Hayley rode 92 winners. This was her second-best season ever. On May 31, 2012, she became the first female jockey to ride on the Dubai World Cup night. She rode Margot Did in a race there. On June 2, 2012, she became the second female jockey to ride in the famous Epsom Derby. In August 2012, Hayley won the Beverly D. Stakes in the United States. She rode a horse called I'm a Dreamer. This made her the first UK-based woman to win a Grade 1 race internationally.
More Challenges and Comebacks
Hayley faced more injuries in 2013. She broke an ankle in July. Then, in September, she hurt her pelvis and three bones in her back in a fall at Doncaster.
At the end of 2015, Hayley retired from racing. She started working in broadcasting for At The Races. However, she got her jockey's license back to ride in the Shergar Cup in August 2016. In January 2017, she joined the new ITV Racing team. Later that year, she raced often in France. Female jockeys there got a special weight allowance.
In December 2017, Hayley had a hearing with the British Horseracing Authority. She had placed small bets online after she retired, but she still had her jockey's license. This was against the rules. The panel suspended her license for three months. They agreed that her betting did not harm the sport's fairness. After her suspension, Hayley returned to regular racing. She had 44 winners in Britain in 2018.
Royal Ascot Wins
In June 2019, Hayley won her first race at Royal Ascot. She won the Sandringham Handicap on a horse called Thanks Be. This was only the second time a female jockey had won at this important event. The first was Gay Kelleway in 1987. Hayley won the same race again in 2020 on Onassis. In 2022, she won the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes. In 2023, she achieved her fourth win at Royal Ascot on Docklands in the Britannia Stakes.
Reaching 1,000 Wins
In November 2023, Hayley Turner rode her 1,000th winner worldwide. She was the first female jockey in Europe to do this! She then achieved her 1,000th win in Great Britain in July 2024.
Hayley competed in the Shergar Cup a record sixteen times by 2023. She won the Silver Saddle award twice (in 2018 and 2019) for being the best jockey at the meeting. In 2024, she led the Ladies team to victory and won the Silver Saddle again.
Hayley announced her retirement in April 2025.
Honours and Awards
Hayley Turner was given the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 2016. This was for her great contributions to horse racing.
Personal Life
Hayley Turner lives near Newmarket. She has coeliac disease, which means she cannot eat gluten. So, she follows a gluten-free diet.
Winners Each Year
Here is a list of how many winners Hayley had each calendar year:
- 2025: 10 (from January 1 until her retirement on April 2)
- 2024: 31
- 2023: 38
- 2022: 37
- 2021: 48
- 2020: 20
- 2019: 28
- 2018: 45
- 2017: 16 (including 10 in France and 1 in Mauritius)
- 2016: 1
- 2015: 44
- 2014: 40
- 2013: 60
- 2012: 92
- 2011: 88 (her season ended early due to injury)
- 2010: 73
- 2009: 60 (she missed several months due to injury)
- 2008: 100
- 2007: 56
- 2006: 36
- 2005: 53
- 2004: 34 (including her Apprentice Championship with 27 wins during the Turf season)
- 2003: 14
- 2002: 9
- 2000: 1
Major Race Wins
Hayley Turner won some very important races:
Wins in Great Britain
- July Cup - (1) - on Dream Ahead (2011)
- Nunthorpe Stakes - (1) - on Margot Did (2011)
Wins in the United States
- Beverly D. Stakes – (1) – on I'm A Dreamer (2012)
