Hollie Doyle

What Are Hollie Doyle’s Strengths as a jockey?

Hollie Doyle is a positive rider, a lightweight jockey with a strong drive who, like all top jockeys, has a great sense of timing and pace. She has proven time and again at the highest level that she is an astute front-runner, enabling her horse to find a relaxed rhythm while harnessing its energy, as she did when she sent her old ally Trueshan to the lead in the 2023 Prix du Cadran, made all and kicked for home before the turn into the Longchamp straight.

But she is equally adept whatever the tactics require, be that Bradsell sitting handily to win the 2023 G1 King’s Stand Stakes over five-furlongs at Ascot or the last-to-first ride she gave Nashwa to win the 2022 G1 Nassau Stakes over 10-furlongs at Goodwood.  

Hollie Doyle’s Origin Story

Hollie Doyle has a deep family background in horse racing and an upbringing around horses. Her father, Mark, was an apprentice jockey, and her mother, Caroline, was an amateur who rode in Purebred Arabian races.

Doyle was born and raised in Herefordshire and was a member of her local pony club. She progressed to ride in pony races from age nine and joined the David Evans stable as an amateur when she was 16.

She made her name as an apprentice for the powerful Richard Hannon stable, a route taken previously by Ryan Moore. 

Which horse is Hollie Doyle most famous for riding?

Trueshan is Hollie Doyle’s most famous association. The Alan King-trained stayer has been a big part of her success and she has ridden the gelding in 20 of his 30 races, winning 10. Their first big win together was the 2020 G2 British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot, and they have since won that race a total of three times, the G1 Goodwood Cup, the G1 Prix du Cadran twice and the G2 Doncaster Cup.

But perhaps their most popular win came at Newcastle in June 2022 when Trueshan carried top-weight of 10st 8lb (148 lbs or 67kg) in the historic Northumberland Plate Handicap, led all the way under Doyle, and won by half a length, conceding 28lb to the runner-up.   

What is Hollie Doyle’s best ever ride?

They say you don’t forget the first time and while Doyle’s first Group 1 on Glen Shiel will never be forgotten, her first Classic win in the Prix de Diane, on Nashwa, stands out as her most memorable ride. Doyle was perfectly at ease on such an occasion and gave her mount a superb ride that showcased her abilities.

Nashwa raced in the front rank, staying off the inside fence on the good-to-soft going, and held a narrow lead when Doyle began driving her forward just inside the 400m mark. That gave her first run on the fast-chasing La Parisienne and Doyle’s strength saw her push her mount to victory by a short-neck, making history as the first woman to ride a winner of a French Classic.

What is Hollie Doyle’s greatest achievement?

Doyle’s greatest achievement is helping to further dismiss the traditional stereotypes and prejudices female jockeys have faced through the years, to the extent that she is considered an elite rider, first and foremost, rather than a top female rider. Of course, she arrived at the start of her career after a long line of important female trailblazers who knocked down barriers, like Gay Kelleway, Emma O’Gorman, Alex Greaves, Lisa Smith, Hayley Turner, Amy Ryan and Josephine Gordon.

In 2019 she set a record tally of wins for a female jockey in Britain of 116 in a calendar year. She is a regular Group 1 participant and has established herself as an international star with victories across Europe, in Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Hong Kong, where she is a popular visitor.  

Hollie Doyle’s Husband

It’s well-known that Hollie Doyle is married to fellow elite jockey Tom Marquand. They first met at age 14 and were married in Herefordshire in March 2022.

But do you know the first time Doyle won a race in which Marquand also rode? It came in a Class 6 Seller at Leicester on September 19, 2016: Doyle took the spoils on the Hannon-trained Walking In Rhythm, while Marquand was a well-beaten third on Just Fab.