🎙️ The Direct Line Podcast - Episode 15 | Mickaëlle Michel

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In Episode 15 of the Direct Line Podcast, we sit down with French jockey Mickaëlle Michel Mickaëlle’s dream as a young apprentice was to become an ‘international’ jockey, travelling the world for riding opportunities and, now 30, she is living that dream with an already impressive CV to support her exploits. Mickaëlle broke the record for a female jockey in France with 72 winners in 2018 and was the leading rider at the winter meeting held at Cagnes sur Mer. Overall, she has already ridden in 14 countries and has chalked up just under 300 winners in eight of those, including stakes wins in France, Japan and the United States. Among her big successes are the Gr2 Gran Premio in Italy – until recently a Gr1 and regarded as ‘Italy’s Arc’ – on Walderbe (Maxios), a horse she rates as the best she’s ridden. She also rode Walderbe into second behind Subjectivist in the 2021 $1-million Dubai Gold Cup. “I am very excited to be here and looking forward to gaining some experience on South African tracks,” said Mickaëlle, who believes her adaptability to racecourses on different surfaces and in different regions is her strongest attribute. “I have improved by travelling and using every opportunity I’ve been given against the world’s top jockeys. When you compete against the best, and for trainers you haven’t ridden for before, you become better yourself.” Mickaëlle finished second in a race on Shergar Cup Day at Ascot in 2021, and helped the International Ladies Team comprising herself, Haley Turner and Nicola Currie, to win the coveted trophy that year. More recently she’s enjoyed extended stints in the US (working for the late Hall Of Famer D Wayne Lukas), Australia and Japan. “I had a memorable winner at Churchill Downs and it was truly thrilling. I was thinking, ‘this is where they stage the Kentucky Derby, a real privilege!’ In Australia my best moment was winning a race at Flemington in front of a good, supportive crowd.” She’s enjoyed her riding most in Australia and Japan and said, “Both countries are respectful