By Alan Carasso
Josephine Gordon rode a 100th winner of the year when Thunderbolt Rocks (GB) (Farrh {GB}) struck at Wolverhampton on Saturday evening.
The jockey put the seal on a breakthrough year as the 10-1 chance, trained Hugo Palmer, won the first division of an 8 1/2-furlong novice stakes by 3/4 of a length from Dance Me (Bernardini).
Gordon made vast gains during the 2017 Flat season and secured a first group-race winner when the Palmer-trained Koropick (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) landed the G3 Chipchase S. at Newcastle in June.
The 2016 champion apprentice also won a second Group 3 in September when Apphia (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) did the business in the Nayef S. at Newmarket.
Gordon is just the second female rider to have reached 100 winners in Britain in a calendar year, following in the estimable footprints of Hayley Turner.
The 24-year-old jockey said: “It's huge for me. I set myself a few targets at the start of the year and to reach all of them, I'm just pinching myself, really.
“In the first year out of your claim you don't know how it's going to go, but all of the trainers have kept on backing me so to reach 100 winners feels incredible. In 2008 when Hayley got 100 winners I was sat in school and looking up to Hayley thinking, 'Wow that's amazing'. I would never have expected for myself to then go on and hit those heights. Hayley was my idol when I was a kid so I'm very happy to emulate her and reach these goals that I've set myself.”
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