Meriel Patricia Tufnell

Meriel Patricia Tufnell (1948–2002) was the first female jockey in the UK to win a race under Jockey Club rules. She was born in Winchester on 12 December 1948 into a prominent Hampshire family. Her grandmother, Sybil Tufnell, was the first woman in the UK to run a firm of estate agents, and her father was a naval captain who served in the Far East and Australia. Born with dislocated hips and later suffering childhood asthma, she overcame these disabilities to ride in gymkhanas and then BSJA showjumping. She rode her mother's novice mare, Scorched Earth, to victory in the Goya Stakes at Kempton Park on 6 May 1972, the first ever ladies' flat race held under Jockey Club rules. Neither horse nor jockey had raced previously. The race was the first in a twelve race series for female jockeys, and with three winners from seven rides, Tufnell was the series champion.