Smart money is on Nina
Look out, guys: next week's Punchestown racing festival could be memorable for Nina Carberry, even if she doesn't ride a winner. The 20-year-old physiotherapy student is set to decide at the festival if she will become a professional jockey. If her exploits as an amateur are anything to go by, that spells trouble for many in the traditionally male-dominated weighroom. At Cheltenham in March her win on Dabiroun was the first for a woman against professional male jockeys for 18 years, and she is widely regarded as the best female jockey seen in this country for many years. That isn't so surprising, as her father, Tommy, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup four times in a glittering career, and her brothers, Paul and Philip, are already professionals.
