I was so lucky to catch up with Rachel King ahead of a busy race day to talk about her career. You have to take your hat off to her, she's pretty determined.
Rachel started off riding pony club which progressed into point-to-point race riding. Her mother rode and bred ponies and her father was a keen point-to-point jockey. So it was only natural that Rachel was to pursue a career in the saddle.
It wasn't long before Rachel was looking for more so she took out her apprenticeship on the flat. However, it just wasn't the time or the place and she paused her professional career while heading on a working holiday in Australia.
Rachel had spent some time as Clive Cox's racing secretary in Berkshire, England prior so she had the experience to join Gai Waterhouse's office in Sydney. During that time Rachel traveled both nationally and internationally for Gai as well as riding out and office work. Working in one of Sydney's biggest racing stable's only ignited Rachel's passion to get back in the saddle professionally.
It wasn't an easy task convincing Gai Waterhouse to take Rachel on as an apprentice and it was assistant trainer Mark Newnham who finally signed her paperwork. Fast forward a few years and she is now one of the leading riders in Sydney. She is a Group One-winning jockey and the only female to have ever won the Sydney Cup. Her biggest supporters are Gai Waterhouse, Godolphin, and Mark Newnham.
Rachel always knew she wanted to ride but it took determination and sheer hard work to earn her place in a big metropolitan stable. You could forgive her if she decided not to pursue a career as a jockey considering it didn't work out for her in her home country, but her tenacity has served her very well.
She is a real role model for our sport and if you take anything from Rachel's story it's the will to never give up.