No stretch of turf in British racing – or perhaps in all of sport – delivers last-gasp drama as reliably as the uphill run from the final fence to the line at Cheltenham. The climax to the December Gold Cup on Saturday proved the point once again, as Fugitif made at least four lengths from the last and caught Il Ridoto in the shadow of the post.
But while the head-bobbing finish in the final split-second of the race understandably grabbed the headlines, the 511 seconds beforehand were a spectacle too. Bryony Frost ended up, albeit narrowly, as the loser on the day, but her performance on Il Ridoto was as fine a ride in defeat as you could ever wish to see.
Many observers, this one included, felt that Frost had surely set off too fast on Il Ridoto. But that was to forget that she has few peers when it comes to getting a horse settled and jumping with confidence in front, and then judging the correct pace with uncanny precision.
Frost played a leading role in one of the most memorable Cheltenham Festival afternoons of recent years, steering the hugely popular Frodon to a frontrunning success in the Grade One Ryanair Chase in March 2019, and she has been one of National Hunt’s most familiar names ever since. The major wins on her record include the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day in 2020, among six victories at the highest level in all.
Exeter 12.55 Valadon 1.25 Shuil Ceoil 1.55 Mayhem Mya 2.25 Joker De Mai 2.55 In Rem 3.25 Davidoc 3.55 Flash Gorcombe
Southwell 2.38 Prince Abu 3.08 Tsunami Spirit 3.38 Billyjoh 4.10 Clearpoint (nb) 4.45 Water Of Leith 5.15 Ya Hafhd 5.45 Khangai 6.15 Bay Of Naples
Chelmsford City 4.30 Guy Fawkes 5.00 Gogo Yubari 5.30 Twirler 6.00 Annafel 6.30 Notre Dame 7.00 Sterling Knight (nap) 7.30 Fiscal Policy (nb) 8.00 Legende D’Art 8.30 Royal Athena
It is just over two years, though, since the British Horseracing Authority’s independent disciplinary panel decided that Frost’s fellow rider, Robbie Dunne, had subjected her to a prolonged campaign of bullying and intimidation, both on and off the track.
Dunne was initially banned from riding for 18 months, which was reduced to 10 months on appeal. He returned to action – with a winner – in October 2022, and the 2022-23 season proved to be one of the best of his career, earning win and place prize money of £221,000 from 207 rides.
Frost’s career over the last two years, however, has not exactly picked up where it left off. A serious back injury in a fall in April 2022 kept her out for six months, and though she steered Knappers Hill to victory in a Grade Two hurdle in April this year, she has not had a single ride in a Graded race since.
A layoff of several months, whatever the reason, can put the brakes on any rider’s career, as the day-to-day racing world swiftly moves on without them.
Frost’s back injury, for instance, coincided with the emergence of Freddie Gingell, a talented young conditional, who has been getting plenty of rides from Paul Nicholls, Frost’s most stalwart supporter throughout her career. Gingell is worth every ounce of his 5lb claim, so it is only natural for the champion trainer to use him as much possible while he can still get weight from senior riders.
Frost’s old ally Frodon is also in the twilight of his career. Frost was a 5lb claimer herself when she first took the ride on Frodon in December 2017, and quickly made it her own when other trainers or owners might have replaced her with the stable No 1 instead. For any jockey outside the tiny elite with a big-money retainer, a horse like that is all but impossible to replace.
But Frost’s memorable near-miss on Il Ridoto also followed hot on the heels of an admission by the British Horseracing Authority last week that there is still much to be done to ensure that racing is a safe and supportive environment for its workforce, and its female workers in particular.
A survey of 140 women employed in the industry by Dr Eleanor Boden, a PhD researcher at Durham University, found that “sexual misconduct and gender stereotypes can remain unchallenged or be accepted as ‘banter’”, that “attitudes towards pregnancy and motherhood can be an obstacle to career development”, and also that some young women “have felt the need to leave the industry because they don’t believe they belong or will have the opportunity to reach their potential”.
The survey, alongside the fact that the BHA had received and investigated 350 safeguarding concerns since 2018 – “a high proportion of which relate to sexual misconduct, bullying and abusive conduct” – confirmed a need for urgent action. Plans announced last week include enhanced education at every level of the sport, better reporting mechanisms and an industry-wide awareness campaign.
Uttoxeter 12.00 Ottoline 12.30 Intimate 1.05 Hi Riko 1.40 Sure Touch 2.15 Classic Maestro 2.50 Breeze of Wind 3.25 Staar
Ascot 12.45 Halifax 1.20 Welcom To Cartries 1.55 Persian Time 2.30 Bad (nb) 3.05 Djelo 3.40 Let It Rain
Southwell 2.07 Conquest Of Power 2.42 Aqwaam 3.17 Rust E Boy 3.50 Twilight Madness 4.20 King Of York 4.50 Bowood 5.25 Admiral Nelson 5.55 Indie Skies
Wolverhampton 5.15 Rich Harry 5.45 El Bufalo 6.15 Buccabay 6.45 Leveret 7.15 Just Janet 7.45 College Wizard 8.15 Cosmos Raj (nap)
“On behalf of British racing, I apologise unreservedly to anyone who has experienced harm and behaviour that is unacceptable,” Joe Saumarez Smith, the BHA’s chair, said. “I also want to thank those who have shared their stories and provided powerful personal testimony. We are sorry and we will work determinedly to put this right.
“There is no place in British racing for sexual misconduct, bullying or any form of discrimination or conduct that makes people feel inferior, inadequate or excluded.”
Few careers are as vulnerable to the whims of chance, for good or ill, as that of a National Hunt jockey. As such, it cannot be said with any assurance that Frost is paying a price for her bravery when calling out a bully in her workplace.
At the same time, though, her ride on Il Ridoto showed that her natural ability as a race-rider is undiminished. There are few current jumps jockeys with a single Grade One win to their name, never mind half a dozen, so the longer Frost’s struggle to get regular rides in the better races continues, the stranger it is likely to appear.
