Nick Seddon of the Jockey Club chats with Malton-based jockey Faye McManoman, who will begin 2023 as a fully-fledged professional after riding out her claim at Newcastle in November.
It takes a real love of the game to meet a brisk Saturday evening at Wolverhampton in November head on and with a smile, though little seems to dampen the ebullience of jockey Faye McManoman.
It’s several hours after the Betfair Chase by the time the 29-year-old sits down to reflect on her year while sat on a surprisingly comfortable leather sofa at the Midlands track, though for McManoman her ‘Grade One’ moment had come four days earlier in slightly less glamorous circumstances – on the seven year old Whatwouldyouknow under the lights at Newcastle.
That victory for her boss Nigel Tinkler saw her ride out her claim on the eve of her 30th birthday (which falls on Boxing Day) and her smile bursts through as she reflects on the achievement, which means she will now head into the New Year on equal terms with the likes of Frankie Dettori and Hollie Doyle.
“It was unbelievable and just didn’t feel real,” she begins. “It felt numb and it took me ages to process it – my face was aching from smiling so much!
“I suppose when you’ve wanted to do something for so long that when it finally happens it takes a while to process and I honestly had to pinch myself.
“When you’re starting off you don’t think you’ll ever achieve it, so when you actually do you’re thinking ‘Jesus Christ!’ and it takes a minute to sink in. I know the hard work starts now, but the fact I’ve got here means an awful lot.
“I’m so happy for all of the support I get but to do that on my boss’ horse was extra special, especially at Newcastle. It’s probably my most local all-weather track to where I live now (in Malton), so a few friends and familiar faces were there on the night.”
It’s been some journey to this point for the Lancastrian, whose enthusiasm is infectious. McManoman doesn’t have an obvious link into the sport, but she explained that she has always had a love of horses and would watch the racing on the television at home with her mum, who used to be a manager at her local bookmakers.
“My mum worked in a betting shop and she’d watch the racing on the television when she’d get home and what not,” she said.
“I’ve not come from a racing background and never had horses or anything like that but sometimes you just know (what you want to do). There was a bit on ITV Racing about me losing my claim, I’d sent a picture to Leonna Mayor of me with something I’d written when I was six that I wanted to be a jockey.”
However, it was only at 19 that McManoman got her first job in a racing yard, when working for trainer Richard Ford at Stella Barclay’s yard in Preston.
She continued: “I started working for a racing yard at 19. I literally went for a mucking out job and I couldn’t really ride to be honest. I could ride ponies and I bought ponies for myself - I’d save up my birthday and my Christmas money for it. I’d buy them, break them in and sell them and got a little bit of a business going!
“I never had lessons though, I literally just taught myself and then got working at a livery yard. A woman there worked for the racing yard and she said that they were looking for people to work and to put it simply I was looking for money so I went.
“I never thought I’d get to ride – I thought they’re not going to let me ride proper horses! Luckily they did and I never looked back.
“After that I had been travelling round yards with my partner at the time, who was a jockey and isn’t anymore.
“He was struggling to get going and I had a few setbacks myself - I ended up breaking my arm and was kicked in the face. I then got to Nigel’s and I said that I’m here to be a jockey. He said if you put in 100% I will as well and here we are."
Hitting that milestone of 95 winners is something that plenty of riders never achieve and it isn’t unusual for those that do to struggle after losing the safety net of their claim. However, McManoman feels that her experience should stand her in good stead moving forward.
She said: “Some of the jockeys ride out their claim really quickly and really young and struggle afterwards, but I’m an older head with a bit more experience.
“I was speaking to Nigel’s wife Kim Tinkler and she was saying to me that it’s not about how fast you can ride these winners, it’s about how long you can have a career and be respected by your fellow jockeys.
“I think that’s quite important as well because it’s your lifestyle and career and you don’t want it to be a quick flash.”
McManoman will head into January having hit the 20-winner mark in each of the last two years and she revealed that her immediate aim would be to match that as a fully-fledged professional, while also aiming for more opportunities at a higher level.
She continued: “I’d love to match this year’s tally again next year and to hopefully try and get a few more high profile winners and rides as well.
“I won the Ayr Bronze Cup a couple of years ago on Roundhay Park and this year I got to ride at Royal Ascot and in the Group Two Gimcrack Stakes at York. Having rides like that really puts you on the map and we’ve got some nice horses at Nigel’s for next year, so hopefully I can stay consistently riding and riding winners.
“I’d love to ride a winner at Ascot before I retire, but winning the Ayr Gold Cup would be very special. Winning the Bronze Cup was really lovely but unfortunately it was during Covid, so it would be nice to go back and win the big one in front of a crowd!
“I’d just like to be riding in a higher class of race as I think you learn a bit more riding in those, but I just want to ride as much as I can for as long as possible.”
- Faye regularly rides at Carlisle Racecourse in the summer and you can buy tickets at https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/carlisle/events-tickets/
