Here at Motors HQ we’re still reeling from the excitement of the weekend’s Grand National 2012 race (despite not having a winning bet in the house!) and have been looking back at some of the world’s most famous jockeys and their transport of choice when they’re not riding horses.
Everyone knows that jockeys are generally tiny blokes, and Italian-born Frankie Dettori is no exception. At just 5ft 4inches tall and a lightweight 9st 9lb, Dettori’s diminutive stature means that he can fit into even the lowest and sleekest cars. It’s no surprise, therefore, that he turned up to the opening of his restaurant, Cavallino, in a stylish Maserati GranCabrio, complete with soft top. Nice!
Tony McCoy, another famous jockey who won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2010, measures a natural weight of 11.5st and is 5ft 11inches tall – so beating Frankie by a few inches! Tony’s career has seen him have over 680 falls from his horse after becoming a jockey so, whatever sort of car he drives, we know it would have to be comfortable and completely safe. So what would be his perfect car? Maybe it would be one of the range of second hand Minis that we’ve got here on Motors.co.uk – small but perfectly formed and incredibly safe too.
Female jockeys in the sport are few and far between – according to the British Horse Racing Authority, only 46 out of the 435 registered professional jockeys are female. However, that didn’t stop Katie Walsh riding in at third place in the 2012 Grand National on the horse Seabass. Walsh herself comes from a background of horse riding: her dad is a former jockey who now breeds racehorses, so she has had a head start in the sport! And it’s unlikely that Walsh would be riding around in something other than completely practical: what about a second hand Volvo that would be suitable for stashing all the horse-riding gear and could easily tow a horse box?
Whatever their size or stature, winning jockeys have all got one thing in common – we bet their vehicle on the road is just as stylish, powerful and fast as the horses they ride on the track!
