Spotlight on our Stars - Milou Grylls

Married in February this year to accomplished jockey Craig Grylls, Milou Grylls (nee Samuelsson) honed her horse skills when growing up in Sweden.

She lived with her family in Taby, a suburb of the capital city Stockholm, near the Taby Racecourse (Swedish: Taby Galopp).

“I started riding at the pony club when I was nine and after a few years I got into pony racing with a friend, and I liked horses,” she said.

“Before I got into the pony racing I actually had work experience through school at one of the stables at the racecourse, about ten minutes from where I lived.  I kept working there during school holidays, started pony racing and after awhile I started riding thoroughbreds."

Because of snow in the winter most racing was conducted on dirt at the Taby Galopp, with the turf track reserved for some of the bigger races in the summer.

“It only took me seven minutes to bike and it was good extra money.  My school was about halfway between home and the racecourse, so I would ride out a couple in the morning, shower, and go to school."

Being fortunate enough to have the right tuition in any pursuit for a young person is paramount and Milou found favour with one of the best female jockeys in Scandinavia, Yvonne Durant.

“Yvonne trained about forty horses and was a very good trainer. She was very knowledgeable, a great help and a real role model for me, and after finishing school I worked there full-time for three years,” she said.

“She was tall and one of the best female riders I've ever seen.

“She gave up riding to focus on training, but then started riding again later on, had two children, and although she was doing very well her heart wasn't really in it as it used to be.

“She had a lot of success as a jockey and even rode for Sheikh Mohammed in Germany, or England, after she received an invitation.  She had ridden in America, and South America, so she had seen a lot.  “Her father was English and he used to train in England, so there was a lot of English culture in her training."

Although too heavy to become a jockey, Milou rode in Amateur races in Sweden.

“I had about twenty starts for three wins and quite a few seconds. There weren't a lot of Amateur races, so it was hard to get going but it was a huge thrill.

Aged twenty-two, Milou left for Flemington, Australia, and a few months later came to New Zealand.

Following a stint of riding track work for another stable she joined Te Akau Racing.

“I'm second in charge at the main stable, track work riding and do a bit of everything,” she said.

“It's a privilege to work with well bred horses and they are very good quality horses that David (Ellis) buys.

“They are well educated, most of them are easy to work with and it's just a privilege because they are all nice - some nicer than others of course.

“You can really tell the quality of horses when they come in from the breakers at the stud, and the whole operation is very professional which makes it easier for all the staff."

Milou has been the regular track work rider of star mare Abidewithme (Redoute's Choice) and also mentioned a couple of others to keep an eye on.

“I like Scarlet Princess, a Redwood filly out of Volks Princess, and a trial win (22 Nov.) at Te Teko should bring her on nicely.

“Miss Scandinavia, the Smart Missile/Miss Helsinki filly, I reckon she has potential and is very nice. She is quite funny, has attitude too, and a lovely striding filly."

She also had a comment about recent debutante winner Gold Fever (Savabeel).

“She sat three wide, but she can run and she's very tough.  Before she even raced she acted as though she had won a race, it's got so much attitude.

“She's quite funny and not easy to ride, except when you're galloping because she just loves galloping.  She likes to think ‘look at me', so she would have loved being at the races."

Milou said that she is happy in both her personal and working life: “everything is rolling along nicely”.

“I've probably seen a few different things than others (about thoroughbreds) and it's good that I have learnt at each place I've been.

“It's a little bit different everywhere, but there are things you pick up and things I know that people here (NZ) don't know."

A polished and respected track work rider, Milou is a classic example of her tutelage and experience and a valuable asset to the Te Akau success.

David Ellis said: “Milou is a very capable horsewoman and one of the best that Te Akau has ever had working in the team.

“She does everything with a smile on her face, is an unbelievably gifted rider, she has a beautiful way of handling horses and a very popular staff member.

“Milou's father-in-law, Gary Grylls, rode my first Group One winner (Cosmetique (Barcas) won the 1986 Easter Handicap (1600m), defeating Waverley Star (Star Way)) and he must have ridden at least eighty winners for me, so my association with the family goes back a long way."

“Milou is incredibly reliable and dedicated and the sort of person that would be an asset to any business."