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Hayley Turner achieved a new landmark on Chelmsford on Tuesday, when winning her 1000th race aboard David Simcock’s Tradesman.
She is the first female jockey in Europe to achieve 1000 winners – an achievement which sits alongside previous records - becoming the first female to ride 100 victories in a year, the first female to be successful at Group 1 level and the first female to ride a winner at Royal Ascot.
It appeared to be an uphill task for Turner and Tradesman at the one furlong marker, but the gelding powered home once switched to the outside to record a historic victory in the Illuminate Christmas Ball Handicap.
In a post race interview with Racing TV, Turner said: "It's taken me plenty of time, it's nice to see that the girls behind me that are up and coming – Hollie (Doyle), Saffie (Osborne), Nicola Currie, Josephine (Gordon), they are all riding so well every day. Although it's taken me 20 years, it will probably take them half the time, it's nice to see the progression from when I started to now. It's great.
"It makes me feel very proud when I think that perhaps I played a part in the successes of their career, a very small part.
"I've seen a lot of the girls come and go and they've all played a big part in getting female riders to where they are now.
"Unfortunately Khalifa Dasmal's not here, but I'm sure he'll be watching at home and I'm hugely grateful to him. I've had a lot of fun on his horses over the years.
"David Simcock, who gave me my first Group One winner and has been a supporter of mine since day one and continues to do so.
"It was particularly nice to have a Group One winner for Michael Bell on Margot Did in the Nunthorpe, he helped get me going as an apprentice and got the ball rolling. That was one of the hardest things to do at that time because we girls weren't that fashionable.
"He's really put his neck on the line, as has David, to get me here."
