this is why john cobb is wrong.

​On Monday, November 2nd, in an article opposite a rather pointless feature dubbed ‘The Monday Column’, John Cobb wrote in praise of Holly Doyle. Nothing wrong there, of course. Yet he messed up his argument (or article as sometimes journalists write what they are instructed to write) with this final sentence: Celebrate Doyle’s achievement but don’t mistake it for progress.
Let me be clear; for more years than I care to remember I have advocated, championed, almost, that female jockeys should be given greater opportunities to prove themselves because half the world consists of females and that is a large demographic that might be persuaded toward horse racing if they were to see female jockeys achieving at the top level of our sport. And the gist of John Cobb’s argument does suggest a decline over the past two seasons in the number of winners female riders have won. Back in 2010, to use his research, Hayley Turner rode 73 winners, whilst this year she languishes on a lesser total, though she now has two Royal Ascot trophies on the mantlepiece. Josephine Gordon has also slipped from the heady heights of 106 winners, and apprentice champion, in 2017 to 23 this season. Nicola Currie has also slipped from 81 two seasons ago to 23 this season.
But, and this is a pretty big BUT, Mr.Cobb, overall female jockeys have never had a bigger profile than in 2020. What Holly Doyle has achieved this season is remarkable, not only upping her own record of wins for a female, verging on 100 winners in this truncated season, winning a clutch of Group races, headed, of course, by her first Group 1, gaining a retainer for a Derby winning owner/breeder, her first Royal Ascot winner, added to which, as reported in Monday’s Racing Post, she will be riding at the Breeders Cup in a few weeks and will ride the Japanese mare Deirdre in the International Trophy in Bahrain. That in itself is progress for the female of our species.
Over jumps, Rachel Blackmore continues to top the riders table in Ireland and is first jockey to one of the biggest stables over there. She has also ridden winners at the Cheltenham Festival and is regularly used by both Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliot.
In Britain, our brightest star is Bryony Frost. Unlike Blackmore, Bryony is unlikely to be champion jockey but she holds the position of second jockey to the powerhouse stables of Paul Nicholls, as well as being stable jockey to Neil King and is riding most of Lucy Wadham’s horses at the moment.
For the female jockey these are unprecedented times; progress that will very soon lead to a female riding the winner of a Gold Cup or Grand National or if Hollie Doyle keeps up her trajectory a classic winner. In our fathers time such a prospect would have been unheard-of, perhaps even ridiculed.
Only last Saturday, unheralded because it was hardly unique anymore, three of the races at Ascot were won by female jockeys and not one of them goes by the name of Rachel or Bryony, which is also amazing progress. Page Fuller, Bridget Andrews (ride of the day, perhaps) and Lily Pinchin did not get much of a write-up in the Racing Post, yet two of them are rising stars and the third is one of the most improved riders of the past few seasons. Yes, Bridget Andrews has the advantage of riding very good horses trained by her brother-in-law and that is why she is getting noticed. Good horses make good jockeys, to quote Richard Pitman. 
Nicola Currie’s star has faded this season due to the emergence of Saffie Osborne, daughter of trainer Jamie. Given the same opportunities as Holly Doyle she too would hold her own, as Josephine Gordon has proved in past seasons. Both these jockeys are being wasted and Saffie Osborne could easily be champion apprentice next season, she is that good.
Both on the flat and over jumps there is an increasing number of female jockeys who are riding out their claim and many more who ride winners on a daily basis.
Hayley Turner is right when she says female jockeys do not need an extra allowance to boost their profile, as is the situation in France, but what they are desperately in need of is opportunities at a higher level of the sport. Holly Doyle and Rachel Blackmore have proved that given the arrows they can achieve the bullseye over and over again.
Though it is not magic bullet, I would like to see an international female jockeys race run at Goodwood or York, boasting a substantial 6-figure prize-fund, to push top trainers into putting female jockeys on Group-type horses, allowing them an opportunity to prove their worth in a race of importance. If the B.H.A. were initiators with an entrepreneurial spirit and not go-with-the-flow pen-pushers they might see such a concept as a method of achieving new sponsorship (perfumiers, cosmetic companies, fashion houses, might be interested in sponsoring a race of importance restricted to female jockeys at one of our summer festivals) and focusing the racing world’s eye in our direction.
No, as fine a fellow as you undoubtedly are, Mr.Cobb, you are wrong; progress is not only being made but the evidence from both codes of our sport suggests it is being maintained. 2021 might even witness Holly Doyle being champion jockey on the flat over here and Rachel Blackmore champion jockey over jumps in Ireland. Doesn’t that possible scenario qualify as progress?