“Ascot is not an easy track, but Rachel rode it like a pro. She carried all the advice out to perfection and she made us all proud today. She also received some very nice accolades from my friends in the UK.”
The words to the Sporting Post on Saturday evening of multiple SA and UK champion jockey Michael Roberts after his protégé and stable jockey Rachel Venniker had ridden a winner at her first opportunity at Ascot, a track at which the legendary ‘Muis’ rode many winners, and the scene of his meeting the Queen after winning the King George and Q.E. Stakes on Mtoto, a moment he describes as the greatest honour in his career.
Michael Roberts and Rachel Venniker – powerful team and a proud moment on Saturday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The Roberts-Venniker partnership has been a fairytale from the get go, and on 1 May this year they celebrated a century of winners together just under four years after she rode her first winner as a work-rider in August 2020 when steering Enjoy The View to victory at Hollywoodbets Scottsville for owner, and sponsor, Nic Jonsson.
Throw in two SA Champion Apprentice titles, a third in the Cape Town Met, the first SA born female jockey to win in Saudi Arabia, when winning the US$400 000 Invest Saudi International Jockeys Challenge Stakes in February this year, a maiden ride in Africa’s greatest race, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, and now tying with the vastly experienced Hayley Turner in the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle on Saturday after booting Holkham Bay home for trainer William Knight, and one realizes that Rachel is going places, fast!
“It was so exciting to watch,” added Michael Roberts, who has been a force only equalled by Rachel’s own passion and love of the horse, in her success.
Rachel’s memorable first winner at Ascot (Pic – Megan Coggin)
Despite Rachel riding a winner, a second, third, fifth and sixth and tying with Hayley Turner on 35 points, she had to play second fiddle to her multiple Grade 1 winning English counterpart, who rode two winners, a fourth, sixth and tenth.
Hayley Turner thus claimed the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle for a record third time.
Turner’s two winners on the day saw the Ladies captain receive the leading jockey award on countback, adding to her successes in 2018 and 2019.
The most successful jockey in the history of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup has now ridden 11 winners at the meeting, three more than her nearest rival, and amassed 357 points during her 17 appearances.
Turner said: “It’s so nice. I’ve got three Silver Saddles now and Alistair Haggis was a big inspiration for getting the girls involved in the Shergar Cup, so it means a lot.
“Alistair Haggis was actually the reason that the girls started on the Shergar Cup teams. When I started there were two teams and Alistair suggested that each team had a girl, so Emma-Jayne represented the Rest of the World and I represented Great Britain and Ireland. Since then, it has just snowballed. Obviously, Alistair is not with us now but he played a key part in all the Shergar Cup victories I’ve had.
“It’s always such a fun event. It’s great as everyone gets involved and it’s a really light, fun atmosphere. It’s great and something a bit different. The team was so much fun. I really enjoyed their company and everyone rode so well. We’ve got wristbands for the concert as well – I probably won’t be getting home early tonight!”
Champions! Marie Velon, Hayley Turner and Joanna Mason (Pic – Megan Coggin)
The Ladies team produced a late charge to come from last to first in the final race, with Joanna Mason’s short-head second on Yantarni helping the team take the Dubai Free Shergar Cup for a fifth time since a female team was introduced in 2012.
Mason said: “It’s brilliant to be part of the winning team. Obviously, Hayley has had a fantastic day, riding two winners. It’s something a bit different, but the girls have come out on top and have actually won a lot of the races today, which just shows that stereotypes are going out the window and women jockeys are coming to the fore. It’s a brilliant day, and nice to be in a team and have such good camaraderie.”
Marie Velon, who also represented the Ladies, said: “It’s such an honour to be here on the Ladies team and I’m so happy that we have won again. It’s wonderful for me.”
This year’s Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup was the first to feature an all-female Rest of the World team, in addition to the Ladies team, and women jockeys rode a record-equalling four wins on the card, matching 2023’s total.
Rachel King, who captained the Rest of the World, received the Dubai Duty Free Ride Of The Day Award for her win on the Alan King-trained Insanity in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge.
King said: “It’s been a good, fun day and definitely a different kind of atmosphere. It’s been really good to compete and to get a winner made it even better as well.
“It was good to team up with Alan King, who is obviously my old boss from a few years ago, and he and the owners gave me a good bit of confidence before the race. It panned out perfectly, really. They did go pretty quick early, which probably suited my horse, and he had to be a little bit tough late. He probably doesn’t find a huge amount off the bridle, but he stuck his nose out when it counted.”
