22-year-old Mary, from Chart Sutton in Kent, just down the road from Charing point-to-point course, is the latest jockey to make her mark in a family steeped in South East pointing. Her mother Sarah (nee Gladders) rode until 2015, returning to the saddle after both Mary and her younger twin brothers were born, and her uncle and grandparents all rode winners. Mary achieved a fifth career success on Monkey Puzzle at her local track last weekend, beating champion jockey Izzie Hill into second, and Jake Exelby talked to her afterwards about the challenges faced by owner-trainers in an increasingly professional sport… and university nightlife!
What do you do when you’re not riding?
I’m in my final year studying rural land management at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.
While there, I rode out for Ben Pauling in my first year, Max Comley in my second, then Emma Lavelle earlier this year. I’m focusing more on my studies now! I find it really interesting going to different places and learning new things as each trainer has their own way of doing things.
Talk me through your career in racing so far and how you got into point-to-pointing in the first place?
We got a racing pony – Toya – from the Marshalls. She’d take off with you at home and I don’t recall how many wins we had, but we were placed a lot… usually behind the same horses. I also evented and show jumped – I have an eventer at home.
Mum retired while I was still riding ponies, so I never competed against her, but I remember winning a pony race at Penshurst on the same day she won on Masked Man.
We have three pointers at home – Elder Statesman and Imperial D’Ainay as well as Monkey Puzzle. Mum trains them and I go back most weekends to help her canter them. We only have a grass gallop at home, so we take them to the Grissells at Brightling and to David Phelan’s. I work for David during the summer.
Dad also rides, and grew up with ponies, but really lives it through Mum. When mum had my brothers – Herbert and Edward – he wanted her to give up, but she overruled him! I believe she was riding when pregnant with me. My brothers rode when they were younger but never really got keen – they used to get off and leave the horses tacked up for someone else to look after!
I had my first winner at Charing and believe that Mum, my uncle and my grandad all did too. I’m not sure about my granny.
How much of your Mum riding do you remember - she didn't retire that long ago herself?
I remember her last two horses – Alphabetical and Masked Man. We have loads of photos – walls of pictures of us standing with our horses.
I have memories of standing on the hillside at Charing watching the racing and once – when I was a toddler – the family was worried they’d lost me. Mum was about to ride, and I’d gone to the paddock to see her, so she found me there!
Talk me through your first ride… and your first win
My first ride was on Lukes Hill at Parham, aged 16. I think Cosmo Ball was also having his first ride that day – he fell on the first circuit and caught my horse when I fell off on the second! Mum had told me to let the horse go, so I rode with a long rein, got into the fence too deep and went up his neck.
Double Whammy was my first winner. We were given him as a 13-year-old by our friends Linda and Karen Jewell, who trained down the road at Sutton Valence. He was an amazing schoolmaster, a brilliant jumper who’d won the Highland National at Perth.
When we won at Charing, it was the year I was doing my A-levels – I remember skiving off an exam to ride. I only had the one horse and realised I needed to be fitter!
What has been your career highlight?
Winning is always exciting, and – while your first is probably the best – it’s more rewarding winning on Monkey as you need to be more tactical, particularly in a two-runner race. (Their win last weekend was a match). He’s more of a stayer – he does have a turn of foot but isn’t getting any faster as he gets older.
You only ride Monkey Puzzle and your other family horses. Have you ever been tempted to seek outside rides?
I definitely would ride for other people, but we’ve had three horses recently, so riding for the family is my priority, which doesn’t leave much time. Plus, apart from David, I ride out for professional trainers – not pointing yards – so don’t have the contacts.
Monkey Puzzle is 13 now. Have you got a successor lined up?
We’re hoping Imperial D’Ainay will be good. We need to run him on the right ground – he doesn’t want it too soft. This will probably be Monkey’s last season and, while we’ll keep him as a hunter, I’ll have to persuade Dad to buy another!
Which horse would you most like to ride?
I’d have loved to have ridden Double Whammy when he was younger. He’s have been such an amazing pointer if he’d come to us earlier – he was so genuine.
Which other jockeys do you admire?
Phil York. Obviously, he’s competitive, but he’s always joking, and fun to ride against. I remember one day at Penshurst, when he called out, ‘Sit back, Mary!’
Gina Andrews is so tough, but you can ask her for advice, and she’ll always help.
What's your favourite course, other than Charing?
I quite like Parham. It’s great fun as you go so quickly round the bends. Monkey would have won there last year but for falling at the last – he somersaulted, and I broke my collarbone… but it wasn’t the course’s fault!
What do you enjoy most about pointing?
It gives you such a rush, the competitiveness, the buzz… When I won a pony race at Charing, I had to do an interview afterwards, and answered, ‘Speed’ to that question. Also, you bond with the horses – I know if Monkey is feeling good when we canter down to the start.
What are your ambitions in pointing and racing?
I’d love to win the South East Female Riders Championship again – I think I’ve won it twice and it helps that Monkey keeps getting placed. Other than that, to keep riding, and keep riding winners. I’m going to take a year out after university to focus on racing and I don’t think Mum would let me give up! I wouldn’t be able to do it without her.
What would you do if you were in charge of the sport?
I’d make it harder for professional trainers to run horses in points. It would be good to go back to being a more amateur sport and to have more races for owner-trainers and small yards.
What are your views on the state of pointing in the South East?
It was a shame to lose Aldington – Monkey won there, and it was a great track to ride. Losing courses is annoying as you have to travel further – we’re entered at Didmarton this weekend and it’s a six-hour round trip. Plus, Monkey’s not a great traveller.
I’d also advertise the racing more, to encourage local spectators. Sometimes it seems that you don’t hear about the racing unless you’re a participant. Loads of people still think Charing just races at Easter, even though they don’t anymore. And there’s nothing to attract young people to Charing – I went to Cocklebarrow recently and there’s loads going on. It’s more of a countryside day out.
What do you think will happen to pointing after a hunting ban?
Point-to-points raise funds for the hunt, so maybe some of the profits would go back into the racing. Hopefully things won’t change that much – anyway, I think they’ll struggle to ban trail hunting as you’re not actually doing anything wrong. It’s just that they (the anti-hunting lobby) don’t like the stereotype!
What are your non-horsey hobbies?
I love all sport, especially running, but there’s not much time between partying at uni and horses. I’m in my final year, so I’m taking advantage of going out a lot! There’s only one club in Cirencester, so you know everyone there. The best pub is The Bell at Sapperton.
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