In Conversation – Jockey Ulrika Holmquist

Firstly, could you tell us about your childhood… where did you grow up, and was it around horses and/or racing?

I grew up in Gothenburg. My family wasn’t really racing or horse orientated at the time, but they soon became so, given my interest. I did show jumping and eventing as a junior rider, and a bit of pony racing. Then, when I was 17, I was introduced to racehorses.

To what extent was racing in Sweden a ‘man’s world’ when you entered it. And have things changed?

We have a good proportion of female jockeys in Sweden, but there’s still a dominant proportion of men in the bigger and more valuable races. Still, the chances girls get in relation to their performance and talent seems to be increasingly level, in the same way as a lot of other roles in society.

The world was delighted to see Hollie Doyle’s recent success in the Prix de Diane… Do you communicate with her, and with female jockeys from all over the world?

Yes, I’m lucky to have met and ridden with Hollie on a few occasions. She’s a fantastic rider, and a fantastic human being, as well as being an inspiration for other jockeys. What she achieved in France is really ground-breaking for us female jockeys: being one of the first females (since Hayley Turner) to take a leading role as a rider in Europe. She works very hard and deserves the success she gets.

“I’m lucky to have met and ridden with Hollie on a few occasions … She works very hard and deserves the success she gets. ”

You’ve been riding in New Zealand recently. Could you tell us about the experience, and where else you’ve raced around the globe?

Well, I’ve lived in New Zealand for just over four years now actually. I did the majority of my apprenticeship ‘down under’, before moving back to Sweden. Racing is big in New Zealand, and both the horses and racing hold a very high standard, given it’s such a small country. I enjoyed my apprenticeship, and learned so much more then I would’ve done had I just stayed in Europe. I’ve also ridden in the UK, USA, UAE, Spain and Saudi Arabia… outside the Scandinavian countries, of course.

I saw you recently on Gärdet for the Nationaldagsgaloppen last month. What was the atmosphere like that day (particularly after two years without it). And what’s it like to race at Sweden’s other courses?

It was great to be back at Gärdet, with 42,000 people cheering you all the way round. It’s a special feeling to ride on a racecourse that’s set up in the middle of the city. The other courses are permanent, and I’m based at Bro Park, which is outside Stockholm and must be one of the newest racecourses in the world, as it opened in 2016.

Racing in Scandinavia is informal… do you think there’s enough glamour?!

Well, fashion is important to me… and probably something I spend more money and time on than I should! I think racing is fun, in contrary to the trotting that dominates horse sports here. We certainly have more glamour and flair around ‘straight’ racing, but Scandinavian racing is nowhere near as large as meetings such as Royal Ascot, with ITV and international coverage, and 300,000 spectators across the week.

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