Bath Racecourse is set to hold a £10,000 race exclusively for female jockeys on Saturday 19th August, part of the Silk Series initiative from the Arena Racing Company.
The initiative will see professional and amateur female jockeys compete in races hosted at nine Ladies’ Days across ARC racecourses in 2017.
The nine races will have total prize money of £100,000. The first eight races in the series will be Class 4 Handicaps worth £10,000 each and the final race, on Ladies’ Day of the St Leger Festival at Doncaster Racecourse, will be a Class 3 Handicap worth £20,000.
Speaking about the meeting, Jo Hall, Executive Director at Bath Racecourse said: “This is a very exciting event for Bath Racecourse. As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, it is always worth remembering and celebrating the achievements of women in the sporting environment.
“It’s been 45 years since the first female only race, and since then women have more than proved their ability to compete on an equal footing. We all remember the excitement when Katie Walsh finished third on Seabass at the 2012 Grand National.
“We are sure the meeting will be a huge success and will attract both male and female race enthusiasts.”
Leading apprentice jockey Hollie Doyle is the official ambassador of The Silk Series and will be seeking to compete in the series over the summer. Hollie said: “The Silk Series is a wonderful opportunity for female jockeys to showcase their talents to a wide audience. In the long run, I hope it can help encourage owners and trainers to use female jockeys more often on their horses.
“I am really looking forward to taking part in The Silk Series.”
The leading female jockey at the end of The Silk Series will be awarded ‘The Tufnell Trophy’ in memory of Meriel Tufnell MBE who was Great Britain’s first Female Champion Jockey in 1972. In addition to her success on the racecourse she also founded the Lady Jockeys’ Association – the first such body in the world.
The presentation of The Tufnell Trophy will take place on the afternoon of Thursday 14th September at Doncaster Racecourse.
As part of hosting The Silk Series, ARC is partnering with Cancer Research UK to raise money for the charity’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
From the sale of each ticket sold for ARC’s 2017 Ladies Day series, 75p will be donated to the charity.
Cancer Research UK will have a presence at all nine Ladies’ Days fixtures with racegoers having the opportunity to engage with and support the charity.
