Jockey Laura Pearson outfoxed her rivals to land a Derby day win at the track where she broke her neck. Pearson, 25, has ridden 123 winners since 2018, gaining nearly all her major successes on mare Sparks Fly.
Last year she rode her first Group 3 success on the same Dave Lowe-owned and David Loughnane-trained horse in France. But she doubled her earnings with a tactically brilliant ride in the £70,000 Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes.
Throughout the whole of Friday and for the first race on Saturday, all the runners had finished up the stands side of the famous course, the favoured route of jockeys when the ground is affected by rain.
No one had dared venture along the shortest route, up the inside, until Pearson took the gamble that delivered her biggest career success and her first victory of 2026.
While the rest fanned across the course to head to the stands side, Pearson pinched vital lengths along the far rail, and crossed the line eight and a half lengths clear of the second horse.
“We do the same every time the filly runs,” she said. “I’ve never been as confident on her as I was today. It was never a doubt in my mind.
View 3 ImagesSparks Fly (right) out on his own at Epsom (Image: ITV)
“I expected them all to stay over the middle side but I know my own filly always hangs left so there was no point in rolling back up to roll back down. Whether or not they decided to follow me was up to them.”
Pearson rode four winners in Britain last year, her lowest score since 2019, and 16 rides in 2026.
“This was a relief,” she added. “I obviously won a Group 3 on her in France but I really wanted to get the monkey off my back and get one in the UK.
View 3 ImagesSparks Fly was the only horse to take the shortest route(Image: Getty Images)
“Last year I was questioning whether or not hanging my boots up would be the next step and I think today has brought that hunger back for me.
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“It was at this race track in 2022 that I broke my neck. My saddle slipped two furlongs out and I ended up breaking my C7 on my neck.
“It was a long rehab back from that and I found not physically but mentally was the long way back. I felt slower in my brain but now it’s switched back on and hopefully my results will follow.”