Josie Gordon won Champion Apprentice Flat jockey in 2016 and a year later she became the second female jockey to ever ride 100 winners in a season. She took time out of her busy schedule to speak to me.
Josie didn't grow up in the racing industry but her mother was a riding instructor and this began her love for the animal. Gordon wanted to be a jockey since she was 12-years-old and had a little bit of a background in the pony racing circuit before she followed the route of attending the British Racing School in Newmarket for a nine weeks course. They then gave her a placement in a yard to be an apprentice. “I’ve been into horses and ponies since I was little that got me into racing. There are lots of things I love about being a jockey, you get to ride horses, I love the speed and going quick on them. I like the racing community too as everybody who works in racing does it because they love the horses.
“The racing course is good because it takes you back to basics, so many people on my course hadn’t even ridden a horse. I’d only ever done show jumping, eventing and cross country. I think race riding is the complete opposite of that.” The tone of her voice you can hear a smile thinking back to the early stages of her riding career, she believes if you want to be a jockey, racing schools are the best things to do because once you’ve got that basic knowledge, they then put you into a yard. She believes this practical experience is vital.
“I think in the back of my head because I was so young and naïve, I thought because I could ride a horse it’ll be easy but you’ve got to be working hard.” Being an apprentice jockey is tough due to the highly competitive nature, there can be multiple apprentice’s in one yard all fighting for the same rides. “You’ve got to be the one who’s working the hardest to get the most rides.”
Commenting on the weights Josie doesn't struggle with hers, naturally riding light, in the last 12-months her lightest has been eight stone one. “I’m lucky, I don’t struggle. Girls are naturally lighter than boys. It's something to do with the bones being lighter. If I had an eight stone I'd probably have a little sweat and watch what I eat for a few days - I normally go for a run too.” She doesn't have to check everything she eats but doesn't believe she'd be a jockey if she had to because she loves food.
The racing industry has changed a huge amount since Gordon began riding, her among some other female jockeys like Hayley Turner and Hollie Doyle have put women on an equal playing field to their male counterparts. When she first started out, there were times when she was the only female jockey in the weigh-in room. Now, this has changed and she believes that in another ten years the genders will be equal and the weigh-in rooms will have to keep making room for more women.
When asked if she had faced any sexism in the industry, she had a long think before responding, only one memory came into her mind. She said: “Years and years ago, I was on the way to the races, it was a three hour journey and I was about one hour away and my agent rang me and said the horse wasn’t running. It had won the past two races and I asked why. He told me it was because the owners found out I was a girl. I thought he was joking.” There's still a bit of disbelief in her voice. This was the only time she could think her gender had impacted her.
Gordon has proved gender has no impact on the ability or capability to win as she won the Champion flat apprentice of the Year, this means she rode more winners than any other apprentice and she was crowned at her favourite track Ascot. “I think when I was 16 in my head I thought I was going to be the best jockey”, she giggles reflecting on her youthful foolishness. She added: “I think you have to kind of have that in your head but I realised how hard it was then I was like I’m kind of getting knocked down a few steps here. I think you have to have some ambition to aim at.” Her aim to win Champion Flat Apprentice of the year came after her agent said they should give the All-weather apprentice championship a try. When she won this, she thought she could have a chance at the turf title. She said: “It was brilliant but if you want to do it you have to throw everything at it. I was knackered, it was chaos but it took dedication and hardwork but it worked.”
In the racing industry, there are a few jockeys who are admired by many like Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore. Gordon said: “Ryan Moore is a very respected person and jockey. Ryan keeps himself to himself but if you want advice you can ask him.
“I look up to lots of jockeys for different reasons- when I was a kid I remembered watching the racing and Hayley Turner was the only female jockey on the uprise. I used to think wow I’m going to be like her one day and then when I started to compete against her, I was like wow this is amazing.”
Gordon has ridden over 350 winners in her career, but it hasn't always been easy. When she started riding she struggled; there were 18 months between her first and second wins which made her contemplate quitting. Despite, her multiple big race wins, the win she’s most proud of is her first winner Chester’slittlegem at Bath, she said: “It was a little filly that I rode every day at home she was a little tricky but I knew her inside out and she knew me.” Gordon talks about how she wrote notes of things that she wanted to achieve, these included having a race ride, having a winner, riding against Frankie Dettori and riding on Channel Four. Her ambition has paid off as she achieved many of these things and 2022 looks bright for Josie Gordon as the start of the flat begins.
