More success for Moore family

Hayley Moore, sister of former champion jockey Ryan Moore, became the winner of the first competition to unearth a female racing commentator at Ascot today.

The nationwide event culminated with Moore, 23, crowned the winner after a text vote, and could result in her joining a select group of female commentators around the world.

Moore, from West Sussex, beat London-based Rachel Casey, 26, to win a place on the racing industry’s commentary training course, as well as a cash prize of £2,500.

The ’Filly Factor’ search was launched back in April by Lovetheraces.com to find a suitable female ’voice of racing’ to describe the in-race action to racegoers, betting shop punters and TV viewers.

Nearly 50 women applied and that number was whittled down in recent weeks via a series of heats, before the Ascot head-to-head, as the pair took it in turns to call four live races in front of a crowd of 20,000.

Moore, a successful rider who won the big ladies race on the King George card at Ascot on Saturday, will start the commentary course in January next year.

On completion in September 2012, she will be interviewed by the Race Commentator Management Committee who will decide if she is worthy of a place on the professional commentators’ roster for 2013.

Moore said: “Rachel was a fantastic opponent, so I’m absolutely delighted to have won! I’m really looking forward to joining the commentary training course and, if it all goes well, I hope to be back here at Ascot calling races as a professional one day.”