Two Best Female Jockeys in Australian Horse Racing

Australians have a great passion for horse racing and in keeping with their huge interest in the sport, the country also hosts some of the best horse racing events in the world. Top among them is the prestigious Melbourne Cup which is the richest “two-mile” handicap in the world and is run every year on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. The prestigious racing event is especially popular among punters who get the best online horse betting opportunities during that time of the year. These betting enthusiasts also look for the best offers and promotions from the leading bookmakers and also follow all the news updates as a preparation for their wagering.

1- Clare Lindop

Clare Lindop had a passion for horse racing from an early age and learned to ride when she was only ten. Beginning her career in the early 1990s, she went on to garner prodigious success in horse racing, riding over 1400 winners, including four at Group 1 level. It was a historic moment for women horse racing when Clare Lindop rode Debben in the 2003 Melbourne Cup. That way, she became the first Australian woman (and third female) to take part in the race-that-stops-a-nation.

She also claimed the distinction of being the first female jockey to ride more than a hundred winners in a racing season in 2004, a record that was only matched in 2018 by another rider.

In 2006, Lindop won the Group 1 Adelaide Cup, a feat which hadn’t been achieved by any other Australian female rider then. However, her biggest triumph came in 2008 when she rode Rebel Raider to victory in the Victoria Derby. Notable jockeys Craig Williams, Damien Oliver, and Glen Boss were all competing that day but Lindop got the best of them all, proving that women can also excel in this sport.

Her other notable achievements include winning the G1 Goodwood Handicap (2011) and the G1 SA Derby (2009).

2- Kathy O’Hara Kathy O’Hara is also quite a popular name in the female horse racing world. She registered her first Group 1 win when she rode Ofcourseican in the Coolmore Classic in 2012. This victory was all the more incredible because notable jockeys Hugh Bowman, Tim Clark, and Tommy Berry had failed to get much from the horse.

O’Hara’s successes didn’t stop there and she went on to win her second Group 1 race when she steered Single Gaze to victory in the 2016 Vinery Stud Stakes.