Irish woman is world champion

THE IRISH amateur jockey Nadine Forde was crowned a world champion in Mauritius yesterday after she won the final leg of the Fegentri series of races.

The series, for male and female amateurs, takes in races throughout the world, and a winner on the Indian Ocean island yesterday was an eighth success in 2008 for Forde.

"I'm delighted to have won as I'm the first Irish girl to be world champion," she said. "It's a bit surreal."

Forde (27), works in the Co Tipperary stables of trainer Edward O'Grady.

On the same programme in Mauritius, top French-based jockey Christophe Soumillon won the annual international jockeys' series.

Ireland's Richard Hughes was third.

Soumillon enjoyed a stellar season with the unbeaten Arc winner Zarkava, and he was in similarly good form on the Indian Ocean island, winning four of the eight races on the card.

Soumillon said: "I have ridden in this invitational four times and I have won it three times - only Frankie Dettori has beaten me here.

"Now I just have to lose a little bit of weight, but I'm certainly looking forward to Hong Kong."

Hughes rode two winners, the same as Johan Victoire, but the French rider claimed second by virtue of a placed-finish in one of the other races.

"It's great to have ridden a second winner and to finish in third place," said Hughes.

"My trainer was very confident before the race and he wasn't wrong. It was a great experience and I definitely would like to come back."