‘POCKET ROCKET’ Hollie Doyle barges her way through ten rivals – all men – to land the spoils on a huge 18-1 outsider.
The 24-year-old jockey is enjoying the season of her life and continues to rattle in winners left, right and centre.
And last night was no different as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year nominee delivered a massive upset on a horse totally unfancied in the betting.
Incredibly, Doyle, who is only 5ft tall, was sitting in dead last as the runners rounded the bend for the home straight in the 5.30 at Chelmsford.
She was aboard Strawbs, a Mike Murphy-trained four-year-old making its first start in the six furlong sprint.
And, approaching crunch time in the straight, it looked for all the world like punters’ reluctance to back the runner looked the smart move.
But never count out Doyle, who in August landed an incredible 899-1 five-timer at Windsor.
Seeking a way through, Doyle found a gap between two rivals and asked Strawbs for a big push down the straight.
With a furlong – roughly 200 yards – to go, she still had around seven runners to beat.
But one by one they were picked off, with those riders near the rail slowing down and Doyle bursting clear of those just to her inside.
Still, there was the small matter of Brunel’s Boy, the pre-race 5-4 favourite, to overcome.
Doyle took care of him by half a length with a rapid burst for the line.
One viewer said: “Put Hollie on a three-legged donkey and she’d romp in.”
Another said: “I’m running out of words to describe Hollie Doyle.”
While a fellow Twitter user posted: “There’s only one Hollie Doyle! Brilliant riding and an excellent training performance of this four year old by Mike Murphy. Well done!”
Doyle has enjoyed a breakthrough year – 12 months on from saying she thought racing was ‘stuck in the dark ages’.
Racing is one of the few sports where men compete against women on a level playing field.
Doyle previously told she thought the sport was a bit of a ‘man’s world’, but she has changed all that in 2020, reaching mainstream prominence when becoming the first jockey since AP McCoy in 2013 to be nominated for the BBC gong.
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to SE. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
