by 
On this Day:
June 19, 1987 Gay Kelleway rode 12-1 shot Sprowston Boy to win the two-mile, six-furlong Queen Alexandra Stakes; she becomes the first female jockey to ride a winner at England’s Royal Ascot Racecourse.
Gay rode her first winner on the flat for leading trainer Clive Brittain and at the tender age of 17 years old finished second in the ladies Amateur Championship, she then won it at 18, check to see if anyone else has won it that young!
After that she turned professional and became Champion Professional Lady Rider three years in a row. Gay was the first woman to ride in a Gold Cup at Ascot on Pretty Picture and the first woman to ride a winner at Royal Ascot when her horse Sprowston Boy won. In total, Gay rode some 60 winners, no mean feat in a country where racing is 95% male orientated.
Her passion for racing took her to New Zealand for the winter winning big races at both the Auckland tracks Ellerslie and Avondale as there were more opportunities for women jockeys, but a constant struggle with her weight made her ill so she decided to give up race riding and return to Britain.
Gay is presently a trainer in Newmarket, UK.
First, a Story:
George said to Fred, ‘I put $20 on a horse last week and he came in at twenty five to one.’, ‘Wow! you must be loaded’, said Fred. ‘Not really’ said George, ‘the rest of the field came in at twelve thirty.’
Second, a Song:
Courtesy of FlyingHorseEdits, here is “Whatever It Takes – Horse Racing Music Video”, a horse racing video set to music by ImagineDragons. We hope you enjoy this!
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO8bKC3lB6A)
Thought for the Day:
“The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business.” – John Steinbeck
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Have a great day!
Dave & Colleen
© 2022 David J. Bilinsky and Colleen E. Bilinsky
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