Hollie Doyle determined to keep mixing it with the best A thirst for winners is leaving Hollie Doyle hungrier than ever and raring to go at the beginning of the 2026 Flat turf season. It is a campaign which will be about reestablishing order and finding a touch of star quality for the Classic-winning rider after a 2025, that although yielded a more than respectable 98 winners, was the first time since 2019 she failed to cross the three-figure mark in a calendar year. However, for Britain’s most successful female jockey, high standards come with the territory, and with the new season comes renewed determination to return to the upper echelons of the weighing room. “The hunger is better than ever and the ambition has never left really,” Doyle told the Press Association. “It’s just about getting the opportunities to ride the winners. What I want is winners. All that matters in this game is winning and I will try to ride winners at any level I’m able to. “Last year was all right, but I just lacked that quality really, so this year I’m just trying to rebuild a few contacts and get things going again really.” Mitigation of course is brought by the fact 2025 was Doyle’s first season without established stars such as sprint king Bradsell and her French Oaks heroine Nashwa, by her side. It was also a time when over the course of a summer not without its share of turbulence, Doyle would lose both her retainer with Classic-winning owner Imad Al Sagar and the support of the ever-dependable Trueshan after he tragically departed at Goodwood. “I was lucky enough to have had a good bunch of horses I could rely on, but they are not around anymore,” explained Doyle, reflecting on the events of the last 12 months. “I rode Trueshan for seven years and then there was Nashwa and Bradsell as well. They all came at once really and served me well, but then all left in the same year, so it’s now about rebuilding and finding the next one.” Rejuvenated from another winter embracing the international scene in the Far East, that rebuilding process Doyle refers to is already showing signs of promise, with the cold winter forays around the all-weather circuit unearthing a colt in Wareeth entitled to leave the 29-year-old dreaming of the warmer months ahead. Trained by loyal ally Archie Watson, the son of Sea The Stars romped to an ultra-impressive 14-length victory on debut at Newcastle and now seemingly set for a step up in grade, could prove the jewel in Doyle’s search for a new flagship performer. “I’ve been back from Hong Kong since January and I’ve had quite a few winners already which has been good,” continued Doyle. “Hong Kong was great and I had five winners in my seven weeks there, so also pretty successful in terms of results. “I came back pretty motivated and ready to get on with it, but obviously January and February back over here in England are pretty uninspiring aren’t they, so it’s been a bit frustrating waiting for the turf to come around. “I’ve just been keeping my head down and grafting away and I’m just keen to take any opportunity I can get really. I think we have a nice bunch of two-year-olds at Archie’s and I know everyone says that at this time of year, but hopefully they are better than last year. “Wareeth came through last week and he looks like he could be a nice prospect so there are a few hopes there with the season ahead. He’s got a few options, but it will be a bigger step up than running in a novice at Newcastle. He’ll have to improve, but the dream is alive.”
