Shrewdies followed Hayley

My sadness at hearing the best woman jockey, Hayley Turner, is to retire at the end of the season is countered by the knowledge that she is is to end race riding in one piece.
It is with good reason that jockeys are one of the few professions who do their job followed by an ambulance, and Hayley had a really nasty fall a couple of years ago in which she received very serious injuries and was fortunate to not be killed or paralysed.
I was lucky enough to see Hayley riding at her very best, when in my judgment she was amongst the best five jockeys in the country. 
Happily Yarmouth racecourse reopened this week. The track used to have perfect going, with a good covering grass onto top of the sandy soil. As a result the top Newmarket trainers often would give their best young horses their first run at the Suffolk track.
The September festival was the highlight of the year and I made a special trip to see some hotpot maiden two-year olds run at the meeting.
Hayley Turner was riding there and outshone the other jockeys, riding a stack of winners on both fancied and unfancied.
Being near the HQ of racing Yarmouth has always had a knowledgeable crowd and it was obvious from the affection shown to Hayley that they knew how good she was. Her walk from the weighing room to the paddock saw her negotiate an obstacle course of well-wishers, autograph hunters and cynical gamblers with admirable good humour.
Over the years I won more money than I lost backing horses partnered by Hayley, but I do not think it is my pocket talking when I suggest for a couple of years she may have been the best of the lot.
The advantage for the punter was that still within racing there is a prejudice against female jockeys, especially that they are not 'strong in a finish.' This gave shrewd punters (and even unshrewd ones like me) a slight angle as her horses often went off at a price a little bit higher than if they had been ridden by a (often less skilled) male jockey.
So good luck to Hayley, thanks for the wins - and it would be nice to see her have a final winner at this year's Yarmouth September festival on its newly laid track.