Let’s hear it for the (Grand National) Girls!

With the Aintree Grand National fast approaching let’s take a moment to appreciate women’s hard won achievements in the event. In the world of horse trainers it was none other than the determined Jenny Pitman who broke through, with a win by Corbiere in 1983. Success breeds success and she repeated this feat in 1995 with Royal Athlete. Training two Cheltenham Gold Cup winners didn’t hurt her credentials either. She paved the way for the two other female trainer winners of the Grand National, Venetia Williams and Sue Smith.

As Katie Walsh explains in her Betway ‘animated history’ piece, women were handed nothing in the sport and had to earn their stripes and then some. Shamefully, it took changes in law to bring about the first female jockey in the Grand National – Charlotte Brew, in 1977. Though she didn’t finish, Geraldine Rees did in 1982, before Rosemary Henderson and Carrie Ford both placed 5th in 1994 and 2005 respectively. Walsh herself put the cherry on the cake in placing an impressive third on Seabass in 2012. I think we see where the trajectory is going. Before long much like female trainers, we will have our first female jockey Grand National winner. A sum of all who came before and an inspiration to every little girl with a love of racing.

Tune in on 10th April to see how the three female jockeys taking part in the 2021 Grand National get on. Best of luck if you’ve placed a bet!