First The Everest, then the world: Jockey Rachel King eyes international conquests

Trailblazing jockey Rachel King is hungry to conquer The Everest … and then she plans to take on the globe, with a tilt at the prestigious US Breeders Cup meeting.

Trailblazing jockey Rachel King is hungry to conquer The Everest … and then she plans to take on the globe.

King is set to begin a potentially career altering three weeks in the saddle where she is poised to ride at three of the world’s biggest carnivals.

The English-born hoop is set to pilot the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Lady Of Camelot in Saturday’s $20 million TAB Everest at Royal Randwick.

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A little more than a week later, King will travel to America where she will become the first Australian-based jockey to ride at the prestigious Breeders’ Cup before returning home to compete in the Melbourne Cup.

“It’s going to be busy but it’s always good to be busy and I am really looking forward to the opportunities,” King said.

“Getting the opportunity to go over (to America) is really special.”

Sydney’s biggest race is King’s immediate focus.

Lady Of Camelot will be King’s third The Everest ride and the Golden Slipper winner is the only three-year-old filly in the richest race on turf.

King believes Lady Of Camelot can make her presence felt in the feature after recently winning a trial on the filly.

Ready to reign … top jockey Rachel King. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images

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“I was happy with her,” King said.

“She had a gap between runs heading into that trial and it was tick over trial for her.

“She feels super. I sat on her again this morning in her final bit of work and she couldn’t be feeling any better.

“Riding for Gai and Adrian, they don’t send there horses around unless they are in tip top condition so I am always very confident riding for the team,”

King will ride the next two Saturdays in Australia before making the trip over to the US on Monday week to begin preparing for the Breeders’ Cup.

She pilots the Noriyuki Hori-trained Satono Carnaval in the Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (1600m) at Del Mar on Friday, November 1.

It was a two-month riding stint in Japan that opened the door for King to get an opportunity on one of the biggest stages in world racing.

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King rode 16 winners in Japan in a successful run in the Asian jurisdiction and was the first female jockey ever to win a JRA Group race during that time.

The trip overseas will force King to miss the $10 million Golden Eagle meeting – however it’s a sacrifice she was more than willing to make.

“Getting the opportunity to ride over there is really special,” King said.

“You think, am I going to be missing something good here but I think it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“The chance to even go and ride at a big meeting like this, let alone having a horse that will be as competitive as this horse, it is too good of an opportunity to give up.”

King will return to Australia on Monday, November 4 with hopes of winning the Melbourne Cup aboard the Bjorn Baker-trained Alegron.

Originally published as First The Everest, then the world: Jockey Rachel King eyes international conquests