Francesca Cumani | PC Pioneers

FRANCESCA CUMANI is widely regarded as racing royalty, born into the business — her home was in the centre of a horse racing yard! She has worked her way up to become one of the most successful commentators in the sport, no mean feat, considering racing barely had professional female jockeys as recently as 3 years ago.

Which style did you choose and why?

I chose the Cropped Tassel Boot as it's the perfect mix of urban and rural. It reminds me of a sturdy jodhpur boot and I can imagine gardening or even riding my horse George in them. Equally, I will pair them with a smarter look for work or a trip to London!

As an equestrian brand we love all things horse-related, but what was it that drew you to the world of horse racing?

To an extent, I didn’t have a choice being born into a very horsey family with a home in the middle of a racing yard but I loved it from the word go and couldn’t wait to be old enough to be involved in the family business.

Effortless and elegant are adjectives often used to describe you on and off camera, who or what inspires you from a style perspective?

The style side is part of my job as a presenter for ITV Racing. It goes with the territory in that a day at the races is an occasion to dress up and I really enjoy doing each meeting justice by wearing something that lends itself to the meeting. It’s not always easy with the unpredictable British weather but my stylist Sarah Bryne does a brilliant job at forecasting...and dressing me.

Racing has been a male dominated sport for some time, but with names like Rachel Blackmore coming through and female broadcasters like yourself do you think this is changing?

I think finally the door has opened that bit further for women thanks to the exploits of female jockeys and trainers. If you asked anyone, even 3 years ago if they expected a female jockey to be leading rider at Cheltenham and win the Grand National in the same year, they would have said no. So Rachel has achieved a massive milestone. Personally, I think society still has some way to go, but racing is one element of this!