SOPHIE DOYLE
Riding a Winning Race WRITTEN BY KATEY FREEMAN HOLMES | PHOTOS PROVIDED
I
f you were to look down from high above the stratosphere over the southern part of England, you’d see a special place a bit east of Wiltshire and a bit south of Oxfordshire that, over time, has come to be known as The Valley of the Racehorse. Today it is England’s second most notable racing and training site, next to Newmarket. Roughly 1,500 Thoroughbreds reside at 50 different stables in the area. Located here is the village of Lambourn with about 4,000+ residents which can trace its association with racehorses and jumpers, back to the 1700s. The surrounding land was perfect for conditioning horses, and stables began to spring up quickly.
56 | EQUICUREAN | JULY/AUGUST 2021
It is fitting then that a young female jockey should emerge from that location to come to America and quickly establish herself as one of the up-and-coming bright stars of the sport, male or female. Sophie Doyle was born here in 1987 and spent her childhood around the horses that her mother, the successful Thoroughbred trainer, Jacqui Doyle. Sophie and her brother James, a very successful jockey in his own right, were immersed in the world of ponies and later horses, beginning when they were about 3 or 4 years of age. Sophie began riding show ponies in county shows with her mother’s guidance and advice. The strong work ethic and sense of responsibility taught to her by her mother was a key factor to her later success. SARATOGATODAYNEWSPAPER.COM
