Pioneering Female Jockey Recounts Being Whipped During Race

Karen Wiltshire, the first professional female jockey to achieve a victory in British Flat racing, stated, “I felt stinging pain, it was a hard whack.” This comment followed an incident during a race where Wiltshire was struck on her backside with a whip by another jockey. Upon dismounting her horse, a trainer observed a tear in her riding breeches, remarking, “They weren’t made for women’s backsides.” Occurring in the 1970s, this event took place as Wiltshire endeavored to establish herself as a woman in the predominantly male environment of horse racing. Her challenges, however, continued. Upon her return to the changing room at Warwick, a male participant from the same race leaped over a divider and sexually assaulted her. Wiltshire recounted, “He’s groping and trying to kiss me. Luckily, I’d done judo at an all-girls’ convent school and fought him off.” She was questioned about her decision to persevere and not lodge a complaint. She explained, “Times have completely changed since the 1970s, when you wouldn’t be able to do much about it.” She added, “You didn’t want to draw attention because it could affect your career. All I wanted to do was race so I just had to block that out.” Despite being passed over for opportunities, subjected to verbal abuse, and mocked by other stable personnel, she ultimately became the first professional jockey to secure a win in British Flat racing, achieving this at 22 years old by guiding The Goldstone to triumph at Salisbury in 1978. Her experiences confronting misogyny, prejudice, and bullying are documented in a recently published biography titled ‘No Place For a Girl’. Wiltshire secured her notable victory aboard The Goldstone at Salisbury in 1978. Significant advancements have occurred in recent years; Hollie Doyle is now recognized as one of Britain’s top Flat jockeys, and Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore made history as the first female to win jump racing’s Grand National. Although Wiltshire contends that further efforts are needed to improve female representation in certain premier competitions, horse racing stands as one of the few sports where women consistently compete equally against men. In the 1970s, when trainer Bill Wightman offered her an opportunity, his aim was to prevent her from being conspicuous among her rivals, as owners might initially disapprove of a female jockey. She stated, “He told me to cut my hair like a boy, no make-up. I was so thin that my physique didn’t look any different.” Jockeys’ names were typically abbreviated to initials, such as L Piggott, meaning spectators and other riders might not realize a woman was participating until her physical presence. Furthermore, many changing rooms at the time, unlike the one at Warwick, lacked distinct facilities for women. She recounted, “The boys didn’t know until I stripped off to bra and pants. Everybody looked shocked at me.” She explained, “I didn’t complain because I just wanted to ride horses.” Wiltshire’s significant achievement occurred on 14 September 1978, securing a two-and-a-half length win on The Goldstone, a 9-1 shot. In contrast to Blackmore’s Aintree success, which garnered global media attention, Wiltshire’s victory received minimal celebration at the time. She remembers the sole media coverage being six sentences in the Sporting Life newspaper, which only mentioned her initial win, not its significance as the first by a female professional jockey. She commented, “It was buried away. I don’t think they wanted to promote women in sport, unlike today.” The day following their historic triumph, Wiltshire was pictured aboard The Goldstone with head lad Bill Nash and groom Laurie Bell. Notwithstanding this win, opportunities for further victories stayed restricted. Her career concluded the subsequent year after 18 rides, which encompassed a second-place finish at Epsom and three third-place finishes. Although prospects have enhanced, Wiltshire expressed no surprise regarding a recent prominent instance of sexism in British racing, involving Robbie Dunne’s completion of a 10-month suspension two years prior for bullying fellow jockey Bryony Frost, who currently competes in France. She remarked, “She was very brave in taking it further. I just hope it has not hindered her opportunities with trainers over here.” The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) last year introduced a strategy aimed at enhancing safety and wellbeing, following its disclosure of investigating over 350 safeguarding and human welfare issues within the sport since 2018. The BHA did not specify the number of cases substantiated, but close to half of these reports pertained to either sexual misconduct or bullying. Additionally, the BHA has initiated programs to support women’s retention in the sport, as data indicated that while three-quarters of graduates from the two primary racing academies were female, only 15% of professional jockeys were women. Wiltshire commented, “I thought by now 30% of professional jockeys would be women, and you don’t see many women having big races in the Classics like the Derby.” She added, “I’d like to see five to 10% extra prize money for trainers who use female jockeys in the Classics.” Currently, Wiltshire works as a fitness instructor at her gym in Hampshire, and states that her adult daughter, Lara, expresses amazement and pride in her mother’s journey—a career during which she competed against notable jockeys such as Lester Piggott, Willie Carson, Pat Eddery, and Walter Swinburn. She concluded, “That first win proved it could be done. A lot of people want to go to see women racing now and people realise they have similar abilities.”