Under Starters Orders - Bryony Frost

Features | 26^th February 2021

One of the most recognisable faces in horse racing, Bryony Frost has proved herself a brilliant rider on the biggest stage many times over. She now sits as British racing's winning-most female jump jockey of all time.

Name: Bryony Frost

Age: 25

Career highlight: Her unbreakable bond with the extraordinary Frodon has seen Bryony hit the headlines multiple times in recent years. The pair have tasted Grade 1 victory at both the Cheltenham Festival and in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.

Interesting Fact: Bryony is a keen surfer and also dabbles in some poetry from time to time.

Quite simply, riding horses in in Bryony’s DNA. Her father, Jimmy, enjoyed major successes as a jockey; winning both the Grand National and Champion Hurdle and is now a trainer.

As such, she’s been around horses for as long as she can remember. From a very young age (and despite her father’s best efforts to steer her in another direction!) Bryony had major aspirations to become a professional jockey.

Bryony was first propelled onto the big stage at the Cheltenham Festival in 2017. It was then that a 21-year-old Frost first made headlines, winning the prestigious Foxhunter Chase on Pacha Du Polder while riding on an amateur license.

Bryony soon turned pro and carried that success forward, going on to win the 2018/19 Conditional Jockey title in what was a hugely memorable season.

In March 2019, Frost became the first woman to win a Grade One race over obstacles at the Cheltenham Festival as Frodon won the Ryanair Chase in spectacular fashion.

Brilliant, just brilliant!

Bryony Frost and the tough as teak Frodon battle it out like gladiators up the Cheltenham hill to win the Ryanair Chase.

In the process Frost becomes the first female jockey to ride a G1 winner @CheltenhamRaces.pic.twitter.com/8TMq23NJeU
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) March 14, 2019

That mesmerising achievement was to be bettered a little more than 18 months later as the duo took to Kempton for the Grade 1, King George VI Chase.

The least fancied of Paul Nicholls three runners in the betting at 20/1, Frodon and Bryony put in a sparkling round of jumping to lead from start to finish. Beating many of the sports more-vaunted horses in the process.

Not only did the result see Frost become the first female rider to win the historic Grade One contest, but it also meant she passed Lucy Alexander’s total of 174 to become the winning-most female jump jockey in Britain.

Her bond with Frodon has lit up the world of Horse Racing in recent years and in a recent interview she talked about just how special their relationship is.

“Every horse has their differences. A horse like him is extremely special. I would struggle to find any animal or human that would mean what he does to me – he understands me, and I understand him. I will probably get the mickey taken out of me for talking about a horse like that, comparing him as a human.

I feel you shouldn’t be in the game if you didn’t love your horses and I adore him”

Brilliant performance from Frodon and Bryony Frost 🙌

Another huge day for these two. The 2020 King George winners…pic.twitter.com/7H7VAs8kqz
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) December 26, 2020