22 January 2024 , 16:57
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Hayley Turner said she owed stable staff her riding fee after delivering an unlikely win at Kempton on Monday.
Turner, the pioneering rider who became the first female jockey to ride a Group 1 winner outright in Britain, teamed up with the Harry Eustace-trained Flag Carrier for the first time at the all-weather fixture.
The three-year-old was a 3-1 chance to get off the mark in the handicap but punters must have feared their money had been wasted when they saw the galding’s behaviour before the race.
The badly behaved horse dumped Turner as the pair headed out on the track and was very reluctant to go to the start.
His attitude drew plenty of comment with ITV Racing’s Oli Bell, writing on X, saying: “Whoever is leading up Flag Carrier needs a pay rise! Great effort.
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“Patience and perseverance rewarded with a victory.”
Racecourse commentator John Hunt said: “Hayley Turner brilliant on Flag Carrier who was so tricky at the start at Kempton.”
Turner told Racing TV: “He wasn’t the most straightforward. That’s not him generally. He just had a bee in his bonnet today. He still won despite that.
“I got a nice fall. I landed in a hedge. The hedge hasn’t done very well out of it but I was fine.”
She added: “He’s had the blinkers on quite a lot and I think it’s got the better of him today. He just got himself in a tizzle.
“I thought Travis, George and Tony did a really good job of actually getting him to the start in one piece.
“I should probably give them my riding fee because actually in the race he was keen in them but did it quite comfortably in the end."