Joanna – Proud Rose Amongst The Thorns

With a Masters degree in Sports Nutrition, former amateur rider Joanna Mason could be doing a lot of other things to earn a living.

But she was born into the saddle, and on Saturday celebrated her first Ascot winner when claiming the Dubai Duty Free Ride Of The Day Award on Amanzoe in the opening Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Curtain Raiser Classified Stakes.

The ‘tough versus touch’ debate around female jockeys has been a hot topic since the National Horseracing Authority of South Africa decided to join the French and allocate a 1,5kg claim for the fairer sex.

It is 25 years ago last month since lady jockey Alex Greaves dead-heated in the five furlong Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Ya Malak, a sprinter trained at Sessay by her late husband David ‘Dandy’ Nicholls, to become the first woman in Europe to win a Gr1 race.

At that time, such a success by a female jockey was the exception rather than the rule, whereas the likes of Hayley Turner, Hollie Doyle, Bryony Frost and Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning rider Rachael Blackmore, are now making it the norm in both codes.

“Hayley was someone I looked up to, but there weren’t many others and I think that probably influenced me because it was a man’s world,” explains Joanna.

“With Hayley and Hollie it is getting to the point where there’s no real barrier for girls. Faye [McManoman] is doing well and it is nice to see a lot more female apprentices coming up through the ranks.”

She says facilities for female riders are improving all the time at UK racecourses, adding: “Things are moving with the times and losing the stereotype that ‘boys are stronger than girls’, because it is not all about strength; there’s fitness and race tactics, being able to get a feel off the horse and so on. So whether you are a girl or a boy – it doesn’t really matter.”

Mason, 32, granddaughter of legendary Sheriff Hutton trainer Mick Easterby, told The Yorkshire Post: “I didn’t start riding regularly on the Flat until about a year and a half ago. I rode as an amateur, so I rode a bit on the flat in the summer and did point-to-pointing in the winter. I was joint amateur champion twice and runner-up a couple of years and then Covid came and I was given a push in the right direction from fellow jockey Serena Brotherton.

“I had thought about turning professional a couple of times but probably didn’t have the self-confidence to back myself as I was in the comfort zone of being an amateur. But during Covid, amateurs weren’t allowed to ride so that gave me the push and Serena said I would be stupid if I didn’t.”

Joanna has held  a professional jockey’s licence riding for 14 seasons as one of the country’s top amateur riders. She rode her first winner as a professional when Marwari won at Newcastle on New Years’ Eve 2020.

The 2021 season saw her establish herself as one of the top riders in the north of England, recording 44 winners. Joanna rode out her claim in May 2022 and in June this year rode her 100th winner as a professional

The time was right for Joanna to switch as COVID restrictions had limited her rides somewhat in 2020.  As she says, it was now or never and she didn’t want to look back at a missed opportunity.

The Malton-based jockey had a very lucky escape back in 2016 when she broke her back in a pointing fall.

And although Mason has a professional qualification to lean on, like many with the ‘horse bug’, she had no intention of quitting and could not wait to get back in the saddle again.

“I sat on a horse after five weeks and could only walk and canter – five weeks is the longest I had never sat on a horse. I had eight pins and two rods in my back and had that in for a year. I was allowed to ride in it and it was three months and a week to the day that I was back raceriding.

“That was down to Jack Berry House [in Malton] – they helped massively, if they weren’t about would I have ridden again? I don’t know…

“After a year I had it all out – I was very lucky – as it was an unstable fracture and very close to my spinal cord, so I do count my blessings.”

Joanna says that the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup on Saturday was ‘amazing’ and the team morale ‘wonderful’.

“It’s an honour to be picked to represent the girls and we have given it our best shot. We thought we would have a really good chance and we have come second, so everyone has done themselves proud. We have won three races and done well. It was also an honour to ride for Mr [William] Haggas and a good horse makes it a lot easier. I just had to really steer Amanzoe to victory, all the hard work has been done at home. It was a thrill to ride a good filly like her.

She admitted that she was very apprehensive about the big day beforehand.

“I was not sure what to expect but it has been an absolutely brilliant day and I have loved every minute of it. I would love to do it again.I have loved the team side of it, too, it adds a different dimension. To get the chance to ride with some famous and well-known jockeys when you never would normally – Emma-Jayne Wilson, who is a sensation in Canada, Kerrin McEvoy, Christophe Lemaire. And to get my first winner at Ascot, on a Saturday – I am loving it!”