Rachel King excited about Breeders’ Cup opportunity

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

The 40-year anniversary of the self-styled Breeders’ Cup World Championships will have a truly international flavour this year with Rachel King joining the riding ranks.

“I can't remember ever wanting to do anything else but ride horses and be a jockey.”

Born and bred into racing in Oxfordshire, Rachel King was galloping her father Chris King’s racehorses by the time she was 10 years old.

In the blood

“Dad was quite involved in the racing industry, and he always had a couple of jumpers at home,” said King, who rode as an amateur jockey in England for several seasons before travelling to Australia. In 2007, she rode her first winner, a bay mare trained by her father called Lady de Paris (GB) (Paris of Troy {GB}), in a point-to-point race at Tweseldown. After finishing school, she worked for Alan King, who provided her amateur rides both on the flat and over jumps, before taking up an apprenticeship with Mark Usher.

“I was not that successful,” she recalled. “I think I had one winner the whole time.” After six months, she returned to amateur riding and secured a secretary position with Clive Cox, but hopes of becoming a professional jockey were never far away.

In a bid to escape the cold British winter, King headed south in 2014 and, on the recommendation of a friend, landed in the Randwick stables of Bart and James Cummings.

The Aussie appeal

“I was intending on going back to England and returning to my apprenticeship, almost starting over again,” King said. She rode trackwork for the Cups King and his grandson for two months, and plans of returning to the Northern Hemisphere started to dissolve as she experienced what Australian racing had to offer. “I didn’t know a lot about Australian racing, and then when I came and saw the opportunities, and how the racing is set up here, I thought I should give it a go here first.”

The Cummings partnership already had an apprentice, so King knocked on the door of neighbouring Tulloch Lodge and asked for a job. By March 2015, she was riding in professional races, and kicked off her Australian career with a win on Run Cannon Run (Choisir) at Tamworth. King completed her apprenticeship under the tutelage of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, who entered into partnership with Waterhouse in 2016. Accumulating 88 wins in the 2016/17 racing season, she was crowned Sydney Champion Apprentice in her second year in the saddle. In 2018, she claimed her first Group win, steering Lanciato (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) to win the G3 Newcastle Newmarket H. for Mark Newnham.

“To have Gai (Waterhouse) and Adrian (Bott)’s guidance was invaluable,” said King. “Gai is still one of my biggest supporters in everything to do with racing, and life. She’s been sort of like a mum to me over here.”

The worldwide stage beckoned

King’s international experiences kicked off last August when she was invited to compete in the The World All-Star Jockeys (WASJ) in Japan, joining an international array of jockeys including Luke Morris, who guided Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) to her G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe victory, and Marie Velon, who became the first French female jockey to win a Group 1 in France when she partnered Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {GER}) in the 2022 G1 Prix Royal-Oak. King finished second in the challenge on 55 points, beaten by a single point margin by Mirai Iwata, son of active jockey and previous WASJ winner Yasunari Iwata.

“I had a bit of success there, so off the back of that I got asked to go to the Hong Kong jockey challenge,” said King, who headed to the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship in December, where she partnered Oversubscribed (Reward For Effort) to win her first race start in the jurisdiction. She finished third in the championship behind Zac Purton and winner Vincent Ho.

Gallery: Rachel King won her first race ride in Hong Kong, images courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club

“It’s an incredible place with a very unique system, and it’s a great experience,” King reflected. “I’m holding out for the possibility of an invite back to the jockeys’ challenge this year. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

Following her flying visit to Hong Kong, King was invited back to Japan, where she strengthened her blossoming friendship with master trainer Noriyuki Hori, who guided Maurice (Jpn), Real Impact (Jpn), and Neorealism (Jpn) through their stallion-making race careers.

Master trainer Noriyuki Hori

“I made connections in Japan and I qualified to take out a short term riding licence for two months at the beginning of this year, and that led to the ride at the Breeders' Cup,” King said. “I was very lucky to be connected with Mr. Hori and his owners, I got amazing opportunities.

“He really backed me the whole time I was there and he threw me on literally everything he had, so it was a really amazing experience to get that support for the first time going over there.”

Hori and King were quick to forge a successful partnership, with King becoming the first foreign female jockey to win a Group race on the flat in Japan, when she guided Chuck Nate (JPN) (Heart’s Cry {JPN}) to victory in the G2 American Jockey Club Cup in January. By the end of her two months, she had accumulated 16 wins and 29 places across 139 rides.

“The racing in Japan - it’s very different. It’s a challenge and I loved it,” she said. “The horses are unbelievable, and what they are doing with their breeding industry is pretty special and unique. They’re breeding some beautiful animals, and I think their racing is an incredible standard.”

“Owners and punters alike can come watch a bit of trackwork. They don’t really have trials, so horses are a bit more unexposed, and they breed more stayers (than Australia). Horses will have their first start over a mile or further, no problem.”

“There are a couple of unique tracks. I was based at the Tokyo and Nakayama racecourses, and I was very lucky to go around Northern Farm and Shadai Stallion Station and meet the stallions there. Northern Farm has an incredible training setup with an undercover gallop - that’s pretty cool.”

Gallery: Images courtesy of Shadai Stallion Station

Back to the homeland

In June, King headed home to England to get married to her partner Luke Hilton, racing manager for Bjorn Baker, and to ride in the country for the first time in a decade - this time, though, she would be riding at Royal Ascot.

“It was really special to go back and to ride at Royal Ascot, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said King, who came second in the Sandringham S. aboard Strutting (GB) (Frankel ({GB}). “It was great to have all my family there, that was extra special.” In August, she captained the Rest Of The World team in the Shergar Cup, the United Kingdom’s jockey challenge, and recorded a massive win riding Insanity (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) for former boss Alan King.

”It’s always nice to go back to home soil, and when I left, I was going around in the amateur races so it's a little bit different now! It's nice to go back to show everyone what I’ve done and what I’ve achieved.”

King hasn’t sat on her Breeders' Cup ride yet, but seeing him win his first two starts has buoyed her confidence.

Offered by Northern Racing, Satono Carnaval was the second top lot at the 2022 Arion Northern Farm Mixed Sale, where he was bought by Japanese billionaire Hajime Satomi for ¥92,400,000 (AUD$925,386). He is a full brother to Listed Hanshin Rakuyo S. victor Justin Sky (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), out of stakes-placed Realisatrice (Fr) (Numerous {USA}), who is a half-sister to G1 Prix Jean Prat winning sire Rouvres (Fr) and G3 Jaipur S. winner Right One (Fr) (Anabaa {USA}).

After breaking his maiden under Damien Lane, Satono Carnaval gave jockey Daisuke Sasaki his first Group victory, winning the G3 Hakodate Nisai S. in July. He is the only Japanese contender in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, and will face a field of rivals from North America, Ireland, and Great Britain. Eighteen other Japanese racehorses are booked to join him at Del Mar on the first weekend in November, including five other juveniles.

“Damien Lane actually rode him on his first start, he looks pretty smart and Mr. Hori is pretty shrewd in what he does,” said King. “His record travelling his horses is unbelievable - he’s not going to run second or third, he’s going to win.”

Hori has an incredible international record, winning five Group 1 races in Hong Kong in a three-year period, and claiming the G1 George Ryder S. at Rosehill with Real Impact (Jpn). Previously he qualified both Satono Crown (Jpn) and Satono Aladdin (Jpn), both owned by Satomi, for Breeders' Cup events in 2017, although neither opted to make the trip to Del Mar.

“Mr. Hori is confident in taking the horse, and he’s a master in what he does. That gives me a lot of confidence.”

After the Breeders' Cup meeting, King will fly straight back to Australia in time to ride Alegron (Teofilo {Ire}) in the G1 Melbourne Cup. The 6-year-old gelding, trained by longtime supporter Bjorn Baker, won the G2 Brisbane Cup earlier this year over the same distance as the race that stops the nation. Bred and initially raced by Godolphin, he was bought for $40,000 in an Inglis Digital online auction by PM and LP Bloodstock in November of last year, and is a grandson of G3 The Vanity victress Pure Joy (NZ) (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}).

“I think (Alegron) is a live hope,” she said. “He’s a proper Aussie-bred two-miler, which is something quite rare.” Alegron lines up for the G3 St Leger S. this Saturday with King in the saddle.

“Everywhere you go, you can learn a bit,” said King, who believes that the best trainers and jockeys worldwide benefit from learning from each other. “I’m always keen to travel and I think travelling helps my riding and helps me gain experience. Any of those big carnivals around the world, I’m keen to go, and being able to ride light definitely helps those opportunities.

“I go back (to Japan) again at the beginning of next year for a couple of months. It’s an incredible place, a beautiful country, and their racing is just another level.”