Rookie jockey reveals secret to success after call from ITV Racing pundit

An apprentice jockey who has burst onto the flat racing scene has revealed her secret to success. Elizabeth Gale quit the jumps for the flat this summer and in the past fortnight has had five winners and made her debut at Royal Ascot.

Among them was Masoun when he took the Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes Ladies Derby Handicap at the Curragh on Saturday. ITV Racing pundit Kevin Blake also works for the horse's trainer Joseph O'Brien and nominated Gale for her first opportunity in Ireland. She was delighted to keep up her unstoppable run, crossing the line almost two lengths clear.

"It's my first ride over the water and it has gone lovely," she said. "I'm over the moon to be here. We ran into a bit of trouble and were lucky to find a little gap and I had enough horse underneath me."

In a field which included experienced female amateur riders Jody Townend and Aine O'Connor, Gale made her move with less than two furlongs to race and Masoun stayed on well to win going away.

Formerly based with jumps handler Philip Hobbs, the rookie rider on the level is now based with Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole in Worcestershire.

Gale had 11 winners from more than 100 rides in her old job and said: "The love for racing was born in the jumps sphere. I wouldn't have had a whole lot to do with the Flat until more recently.

"I had plenty of lads telling me because of my size 'go on the Flat' and I was like 'no, no that's not where my heart lies.' Four weeks ago I finally listened to their advice and here we are! So maybe I should have done it sooner."

She started the week steering Change Of Fortune to an easy victory at Ffos Las and a few days later guided Knight Gold home for her new bosses at Bath.

Gale said she has ridden quite a lot for someone of her age and level, which people seem tbe noticing.

"I had a lovely winner in Aintree a couple of years ago but just never quite got going with injury and things like that. I thought I'd take a punt and give this a go," she added on Racing TV.

"It's not even quite a month (since her first flat ride). I'm on the right horses... and I'm lucky to have that 7lb as I've had so many rides and I have the expereince which is probably very appealing to trainers.

"It is probably the right time to claim off the horses that have gone up the handicap over the spring months."

Gale is back in action at Ffos Las on Sunday, with Change Of Fortune's trainer Bernard Llewellyn reemployng her on Vellner, a runner in the DragonBet Supporting Welsh Racecourses Handicap over a mile.