As the 2021 horse-racing calendar draws to a close, it’s as important for bettors to spot potential gaps in the market when it comes to picking possible winners.
Female Jockeys - Rachael Blackmore
This year has been another of surging growth for the female jockey contingent presiding at the elite level of the sport, a reminder that you don’t have to be male to reign among the best.
Hollie Doyle and Rachael Blackmore are two such names who have stormed the circuit once again in 2021, although the jump season traditionally tends to be a more male-dominated period. The being said, Female First has picked out a selection of must-watch steeds who are set to race before the year is out, each of which look likely to have female jockeys aboard.
Our selections are either favourites or look as though they could yield a lot of bang for one’s buck, with odds provided according to Horse.bet.
Eklat De Rire, 6/1 - Ladbrokes Trophy Chase (November 27)
Potential Jockey: Rachael Blackmore
What more is there left to say that hasn’t already been said about the prolific Blackmore, who earlier this year became the first female jockey to win the Grand National aboard Minella Times.
It would of course be a Henry de Bromhead charge she rode that day, and as the trainer’s stable jockey in Knockeen, Blackmore will have a few more outings at good odds before the year is done.
One of those offering more attractive odds is Eklat De Rire, who’s a 6/1 favourite for the Ladbrokes Trophy Chase at Newbury on November 27.
The seven-year-old has won four of his last five races with Blackmore at the wheel for each of them, the only anomaly being when she came unseated at Cheltenham in May
The SSS Super Alloys Novices' Chase at Cheltenham earlier in November may have been just a two-horse shoot-out between Blackmore and My Drogo, but she nonetheless showed great resolve to hang on (literally) for the win:
Frodon, 9/2 - Ladbrokes King George VI Chase (December 26)
Potential Jockey: Bryony Frost
Well-established by now as a rising star of the jockey circuit, Bryony Frost will have at least afew more chances to add to her medal cabinet before 2022 rolls in.
Perhaps the last of those could be a Boxing Day ride aboard Frodon, who will attempt to upset 9/4 favourite Clan Des Obeaux in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton.
Frost recently rode two underdog winners on the same day for trainer Lucy Wadham at Fakenham, which included an impressive performance aboard 5/1 Terresita:
Following on from that double, anyone in the British racing industry who wasn’t already convinced of Frost’s talents as a superstar in the making should have had their heads turned.
Frodon is on a two-win streak and has been almost inseparable from Frost since late 2018, with the jockey failing to feature in only one of his last 20 races.
The three-mile range is no problem for the nine-year-old veteran, who triumphed over that distance in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal in October.
Paul Nicholls could yet pull one of his two leading favourites from contention prior to the Boxing Day meet, which is all the more reason to jump on Frodon’s 9/2 odds before any withdrawals influence a drop.