To be mentioned in the same breath as legendary 20-time champion Sir Anthony “AP” McCoy is a huge honour for any jockey. But justifying every comparison bestowed upon him is the current king of the weighing room, Sean Bowen.

On Saturday (25 April) the 28-year-old jump jockey is officially crowned champion for the second season running. Not since AP McCoy’s incredible record-breaking reign have we seen the kind of stats that the young Welshman is racking up.

Immediately after earning his first jockeys’ championship in 2025, he set off in hot pursuit of the next title and enjoyed his quickest ever start to a season, eventually racking up nearly 250 winners at a superb 24% strike rate. To put that into perspective, he’s ridden nearly twice as many winners as any of his weighing room colleagues.

“It’s only AP to beat now numbers-wise and that will take some doing, but the numbers have been incredible. I’m very lucky,” says Sean.

“It’s taken an immense amount of work – I surpassed 1,000 rides for the season at Perth [on Thursday, 23 April] – so the miles on the road are a lot. But now I’ve reached my targets for this season, I really can’t wait till next season to start it all over again.”

Not only does this unassuming Welshman have the same relentless McCoy-esque work ethic, his mindset is strikingly similar, with an all-consuming drive to succeed and a hawk-like focus on the ambitious goals he sets himself.

“Winning my first championship was amazing,” he says. “But to be champion jockey, chasing numbers is what you’ve got to do. You have to set your own targets and hopefully they come.

“It’s not just about the big Saturdays either – every day is important because the day-to-day meetings are where you rack up the winners. I know AP used to chase numbers and he got to a record 289 winners one season, which is a crazy amount really, but hopefully that’s something I can achieve.

“All I dreamt of as a kid was to be champion jockey and I suppose now I’m in this position, I don’t want to give it up too easily!”

Sean Bowen: a class apart

So what sets Sean Bowen apart from his current crop of weighing room colleagues – a hugely talented bunch in their own right that includes previous champions Brian Hughes, Harry Skelton and Harry Cobden?

Sean struggles to pinpoint an answer himself but evidently his skills in the saddle are more refined than ever and he’s excelled since joining forces with talented trainer Olly Murphy four years ago. He has become a skilled tactician, also displaying enviable balance and strength with his ultra-short riding style. But most impressive of all is his ability to infiltrate the mind of every horse he sits on, instilling in each the confidence to shine.

“Something seems to be going right anyway!” says Sean. “Every season for the past three or four years, I’ve felt my riding has got better and better. Obviously riding for very good people helps and Olly’s yard is going from strength to strength.

“So many variables go into each race though, so you have to be constantly aware of what’s going on around you, are they going too fast, too slow, is your horse too keen or a bit lazy.”

Sean would receive an A* for his homework, too, and it’s clear why Olly feels no need to issue his number one rider with any riding instructions.

“For all the horses I’ll be riding the following day, I’ll sit down the evening before or in the car on the way home and watch back all their races on the iPad to get a gist of what they’re like,” he reveals, adding that the flipside of his daily quest for winners is, “I don’t have time to ride out in the mornings anymore, so I have to get to know the horses pretty quickly as soon as I get on them. Trainers have to make allowances for that and I need to be adaptable – that’s something I’ve got used to. I’m in a very fortunate position to be riding every day though.

“But I love that side of racing; the tactics and looking at all the different data is so interesting.”

In the genes: why Sean was a late-starter in the saddle

Sean was born into a family steeped in racing history. His father is former Pembrokeshire trainer Peter Bowen and mother Karen was a champion point-to-point jockey. Their oldest son Mickey was a successful point-to-point trainer and has now taken over the training license, while the youngest of their three sons, James, has made an equally big impact since following his brother Sean into the weighing room, finishing this season with just over 100 winners.

Despite his early surroundings and genetic make-up, Sean initially showed little interest in the sport.

“I actually wasn’t a massive fan of horses or ponies to start with,” he smiles. “Every time I came home from school the racing channel would be on TV – it used to drive me mad!”

But the spark ignited around the age of nine.

“Nobody ever taught me, we just got legged up on the ponies and off we went – my cousins would come down with their ponies and we would all race them up the gallops as fast as we could and I learnt that way. It was a survival instinct!”

Racing ponies followed and all three Bowen brothers learnt the ropes in that sphere, with great success.

“Once you’ve had one ride in pony racing, it gets you hooked and I absolutely loved it,” says Sean. “I don’t suppose there was ever a plan B after that, I was always going to be a professional jockey. I actually only did one season of point-to-point riding, at the age of 16, but I’d have needed to do a lot longer if it hadn’t been for pony racing all those years. You learn so much about race riding and the whole experience of being a jockey.”

When “school got in the way of riding out racehorses” at the age of 14, he completed his education from home every afternoon.

“It worked well for all of us and Dad was happy because he had a free member of staff!” he recalls.

Despite only a brief stint as a point-to-point jockey, Sean was crowned leading novice in 2014, riding a large crop of winners for David Brace, who Sean says “supported me massively” and his brother Mickey, who was enjoying a purple patch in his training career.

“It was brilliant – you think pony racing is great and then you race over jumps and it’s unbelievable,” says Sean, who’d actually had his first winner under Rules as an amateur for trainer Bernard Llewellyn in 2013 before the point-to-point winners started flooding in.

All the while of course, Sean has also had the support of his parents.

“I suppose the minute I started race riding, Dad wanted me,” reveals Sean, who was inspired by Peter’s regular jockeys Tom O’Brien and Jamie Moore growing up, as well as the likes of Barry Geraghty, AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh.

Like many future champions, he enjoyed a stint with the 13-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls while riding as a conditional, where he made a huge impact, partnering, amongst others, a novice Cyrname and earning his first ride in the Grand National aged just 17, en route to being crowned champion conditional at the end of his first full season racing under rules.

Sean’s milestone first Grade One winner came on Harry Fry’s If The Cap Fits at Aintree on Grand National Day, in 2019.

“That was a huge day – it was a photo finish, too, so I didn’t know if I’d won or not for what felt like an age!” says Sean. “But in some ways it was a bit of a relief, too, because I’d ridden a few favourites in Grade Ones that, for one reason or another, hadn’t won, so it meant a lot and I realised it could happen.”

When asked for his proudest moment on the track, those close family ties are once again to the fore.

“Winning the Topham at Aintree on Mac Tottie for my Dad,” he says, relishing the memories of that emotional day in 2022. “My brother Mickey rode him out every day, James had won the Sefton on him that season and everyone saw James running up the track to congratulate us that day. It was the best day of my life so far – you can’t beat riding a winner for your family.

“We’re very lucky that all three of us brothers have been very successful at a young age and it’s brilliant to share the weighing room with your brother,” says Sean. “Good or bad, we talk to each other most days about racing – James is someone that understands what’s going on – but we all have a great relationship.”

James was sitting second to Sean in the jockeys’ standings for much of this season.

“Luckily I’m far enough ahead of my brother that he can’t take the mick too much! But it’s brilliant to have him there,” says Sean.

One advantage Sean has over his younger brother is on the weighing scales.

“James gets very annoyed because I can eat what I like and still do 10 stone, whereas he’d probably be a stone heavier if he ate meals like I do, I’m definitely one of the lucky ones!” he says.

“But for us all to be doing so well is fantastic really. Mickey is young and keen and the yard has really grown. I’ve ridden plenty of winners for him already and hopefully it continues.”

The highs and lows of horseracing

As all-conquering jumps trainer Willie Mullins said to underling Dan Skelton after edging him out of another trainers’ championship last season, “You have to lose one to win one” and, like Dan, Sean endured a character-building journey to being crowned champion jockey, a decade after he triumphed as the leading conditional.

“I finished second to Brian Hughes in 2023, then I was a long way clear when I injured my knee two seasons back,” says Sean of the heavy fall at Aintree on Boxing Day that scuppered his chances of closing in on his best friend Harry Cobden in that year’s title race. “Missing out on the championship by seven winners was unbelievably frustrating.

“But every young child riding their pony dreams of becoming champion jockey and AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh were the ones I looked up to. So finally to be able to fulfil that dream was amazing.”

Sean has built a resilience to the inevitable highs and lows of this rough-and-tumble sport.

“I’m pretty level-headed and I’m able to sleep in the car well, which helps!” he says, brushing off any concerns I suggest about burnout, stress and other potential side-effects of such a relentless existence. “I’ve wanted to be in this position since I was a kid so while it’s happening you can’t stop it.”

2025 was a huge year for Sean away from the racecourse, as he married Harriet in the summer – making use of the sport’s annual two-week break in August, so he didn’t miss out on riding any potential winners.

“It was an amazing day. Harriet did all the planning because I was never home, but she did a very good job of it,” says Sean. “So it was a good fun summer: plenty of winners and a wedding to top it off.

“Racing is a busy life and I’m not home very often but these are the sacrifices you make.”

Sean Bowen, dual Grand National winner

One surprising omission from Sean’s tally of winners is a Grade One success and, while brother James scored a brace of winners at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, that too remains a gap on Sean’s CV.

However, the Rebecca Curtis-trained Haiti Couleurs gave Sean two career-defining moments in the saddle, starting at Fairyhouse last April.

“Haiti’s win in the Irish Grand National was amazing,” comments Sean of the all-Welsh conquest of Ireland’s flagship race, before following up in the Welsh Grand National in December.

Before celebrating his second jockeys’ title, Sean assures me there is one milestone belonging to 20-time champion AP McCoy’s that he won’t be chasing.

“There are so many records of his I’d love to beat but I’m too old to be thinking of winning 21 jockeys’ championships now!” stresses Sean.

This talented young rider’s career is still unfolding, but regardless of how many records he smashes, how closely he can emulate the greatest jump jockey of all time or how long he can assert his dominance in the weighing room, this is undoubtedly an exciting era for the sport.

Sean has built a lofty platform from which to operate, but there’s no time to enjoy the view. His sights are set on one thing only – riding that next winner.

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Fresh from Cheltenham Festival, the jump jockey tells Martha Terry about his racing childhood, the invincibility of youth and keeping a level head, in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

James Bowen had waited years for a Cheltenham Festival winner. This time round, he left with two. For those who knew his roots, it felt almost inevitable.

Childhoods don’t come much more idyllic than the Bowen boys’. The three brothers spent much of their schooldays playing with ponies in the Pembrokeshire countryside: racing ponies, racing each other, racing their cousins, racing themselves.

When James was 13, he left school – ostensibly to be home-schooled while pursuing his racing commitments. In reality, the yard, not the classroom, was the real crucible for his education.

“I didn’t spend any time on schoolwork,” says James as we chat while he drives from a morning gallop at Newbury to racing at Kempton. “If I couldn’t be a jockey, there wasn’t much chance of another career to fall back on.”

He didn’t need one. Aged 16, James was crowned the youngest-ever winner of the Welsh National, followed by becoming champion conditional jockey with 58 winners. Nine years later, last month at Cheltenham, he franked that prodigious talent, bagging not just his first Festival trophy but a double. On day one, he steered Holloway Queen to win the National Hunt Challenge Cup before Jingko Blue galloped to victory in the BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle the following day.

“A win there is incredible, and I wasn’t expecting much – especially from Holloway Queen as I thought she’d hate the ground,” James says. “Nicky Henderson actually asked me before the race if I’d run her. I said, ‘It’s up to you,’ but I’m glad she did run.

“The atmosphere is amazing, but you don’t hear as much when you’re on the horse. It’s when you watch it back that you realise just what a big deal winning there is.

“I’ve watched it back multiple times,” he grins. “I’m still watching it back now.”

James is the youngest son of trainer Peter Bowen, brother of champion jump jockey Sean and trainer Mickey. Although riding was on offer as soon as he could sit up, James wasn’t interested early on.

“I didn’t enjoy riding much until I was eight,” he says. “I rode a couple of times, but my mum didn’t let me off the lead rope and I didn’t want to do it unless I was let off. But once I was on my own, I got into it.”

At the heart of this utopian childhood was a 12hh roan called Striker.

“Striker was incredible, bombproof,” says James, chuckling at the memory. “He was older than Sean and I put together, and we were always galloping around on him. He didn’t love jumping, so instead of hurdles, we’d put poles on the ground and race over those.

“We’d take it in turns racing around the gallop. Sean always won because he went first – and I was smaller and weaker than him. I even tried stopping the clock later, but I still lost.”

Mickey, who is more than six years his senior, lit the touchpaper when he started pony racing.

“I just wanted to do what he did,” remembers James, with a sense of youngest brother syndrome. “And once Sean was champion conditional, being a jockey is all I wanted to do.”

The brothers’ domestic races ramped up a level in sophistication when their two cousins came to stay.

“They’d bring their ponies and we’d set up a four-horse race,” James says. “We’d do four races – probably six furlongs to a mile – so each of us rode races on all the ponies, and we had a points system.”

Striker – “not fast enough” – had by this time been superseded by increasingly racy models. The first serious ponies came when James was 10.

“The first two we’d just hunt round at the back, and then Dad got fed up of us always being beaten, so he got Sean a 14.2hh, Cudlic Verona, and me a 13.2hh called Push The Button,” James relates. “They were both great ponies, but on Push The Button it was almost impossible to get beat. If I did, Dad would let me know about it! We ended up having so many wins.”

This included 10 in one season, including the 138cm finals at York – with Sean also taking the 148cm trophy – in 2013.

The moment James turned 16, he moved straight into point-to-pointing.

“I had five rides on my 16th birthday, had two winners and fell off two, so I learnt a lot about the ups and downs on the first day,” he says.

Surfing on the wave of the invincible Push The Button and some dead-cert rides, James admits his mindset at the start of his career was that “every horse I rode would win”.

“I thought it was so easy!” he says. “I had 50 rides point-to-pointing and 30 winners, but they were all steering jobs trained by my brother. They were unbeatable, long odds-on shots.

“And when I first turned conditional, Dad’s horses were running well and I won the Welsh National. I knew that was a big deal, but as I felt everything would win every race, it wasn’t unexpected. I probably didn’t appreciate it enough at the time.”

Aged 17, he was champion conditional, with a plum job based with champion trainer Nicky Henderson. While his peers were still sitting exams, James had been plying his trade for seven years, and was heralded as the brightest young talent in the weighing room.

“It was going so swimmingly, but when I lost my claim I was struggling,” he admits.

James went from riding 70-odd winners a year to 20, hamstrung by breaking his wrist and his arm in successive seasons.

Perhaps it’s an innate understanding of the precarious nature of the sport in which he’d been raised, or that first yo-yo day as a professional, but James seems to take the rough with the smooth with equanimity. He may have switched from assuming every mount would win to a more measured approach, but the winners are rolling in all the same.

“I suppose it took a while for me to get my first Grade One win [on Jango Baie at Aintree on Boxing Day 2023], but I never worried about it – I knew it would come,” he says lightly. “I’ve been injured a couple of times, I’ve rebuilt and now I’m on my best season.”

Nor has Cheltenham been the happiest of hunting grounds, with him missing several due to illness or suspension.

“I’ve not enjoyed the meeting that much over the years because you come away thinking, ‘God, I’m just a spare part,’” he admitted after this year’s Festival. “But when you do have a winner, it’s as good a feeling as you’re going to get.”

There have been other levellers. In January 2024, James would have expected to log another Grade One win when stepping in for the ride on the indomitable Jonbon, at long odds-on in the Clarence House. He’d won earlier in the day on Sir Gino and thought, “I couldn’t do anything wrong.”

But Jonbon made a bad mistake four out, nearly unshipping James, who clung on to rally the horse for an embarrassing neck defeat.

In the same race this year, James made amends, again coming off the subs’ bench to pilot Jonbon to the horse’s 12th Grade One success.

“Last time I’d ridden him, I got beaten and felt like an idiot,” he says. “There was less pressure this time, and it was good to put the record straight. It’s a pretty good feeling riding such a crowd favourite.”

James uses the word pressure, but he’d prefer to describe the feeling “less as pressure, more excitement”, giving an insight into the make-up of a top jockey.

“You have to keep a level head,” he says. “You can’t get too up or too down. Of course you get excited, but it’s not like you feel nervous. If you’re on a good horse in a good race, it’s normal to get butterflies in the belly but you can’t let it get to you. You need to ride every race the same, just try to win every one. That’s what drives me: riding winners, any winners.”

His other driver is Sean. Three-and-a-half years older, Sean has already virtually secured his second champion jockey title. But James emphasises that their rivalry is mutually beneficial.

“Sean and I push each other,” he says. “Sean is older and if I can eventually start to achieve what he’s achieving, that’s the goal. He’s a massive help in terms of tactics. We help each other out. I talk about every race with him, we go into depth, probably more than a lot of other jockeys can.”

Those outside the Bowen family like to tickle the fraternal rivalry, with Nicky Henderson saying after James’s first Cheltenham Festival winner, “He beat his brother to it. They’re the best boys you’ll ever meet. What a family. We have a great bunch of jockeys but it’s terrific for James.”

The man himself brushes it off.

“Sean is doing well enough for himself; there was never a race between us to get there first. When he gets one, I’ll be just as delighted as I would for myself,” he says.

The only area that provokes a little jealousy is weight management.

“That’s the hardest thing for me about being a jockey,” James says. “Sean is extremely lucky – he wakes up a stone lighter than me. I’d be so happy if weights were a stone or two heavier! It can get you down a bit but you find your own way.”

And find his way he certainly has. But with the Festival box finally ticked and Sean still setting the benchmark, I sense he’s only just getting started.

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Billy Loughnane tells Lucy Elder about his hopes for 2026 and the feeling that comes with riding a big winner, in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

Billy Loughnane knows exactly what he wants. The young talent, speaking on the cusp of his 20th birthday, has a crystal clear goal in his sights.

“I want to be champion jockey,” he tells H&H. “That’s the main thing; I won’t be happy until I’ve achieved that.”

Billy’s success has been meteoric since riding his first winner in November 2022, Swiss Rowe, trained by his father Mark. It is, he says, all he has ever wanted to do.

“Being a jockey has been it since day dot,” says Billy, whose idol growing up was 20-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy – although he’s always been drawn to the Flat.

“My dad trains. I’ve been brought up with horses my whole life, racehorses. I was on ponies pretty much from the beginning – I did some showjumping when I was younger – and then progressed onto racehorses. I’ve been riding out since I was 11.

“The showjumping I did was low level, just through my school showjumping team. I rode at Hickstead a couple of times, but just relatively small. I had a cool little pony called Dancer who I enjoyed playing around with.

“I always knew I wanted to be a jockey. I was just showjumping with time to kill before I was able to start pony racing, and then I stepped across.

“Pony racing was a really good foundation and gave me great experience of riding at a lot of tracks.”

That grounding served as a launchpad. Within 12 months of his first winner, he was named champion all-weather apprentice, became the youngest jockey in more than 60 years to ride in a British Classic, partnered more than 100 winners, and was crowned 2023 champion apprentice at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day.

And the milestones keep on coming. In 2024, he notched his first Royal Ascot winners and last year recorded his debut Group One success before going on to wave farewell to 2025 by setting a new record for the number of winners in a calendar year.

“That record wasn’t something that I set out to achieve specifically last year, but I had a great season that finished off well,” he says.

“I just wanted to try and ride as many winners as possible last year. I’d obviously been in the country for the majority of the year – January to January – which probably isn’t as common for a lot of the bigger jockeys. So I’ve had a lot more rides, and then towards the end certain goals started popping up in terms of the numerical number of winners.”

Billy Loughnane: ‘I like the adrenaline rush’

So what is it about this sport and working with these remarkable animals each day that drives him?

“I like the adrenaline rush. Big winners on big days, and seeing how good the horses can be,” says Billy.

He reflects on how he handles the pressure that comes with his position. He’s reached stratospheric heights and broken records all while still a teenager, he’s at the top of the game and with that, of course, comes expectations.

“I think first of all, it’s a feeling of relief to ride big winners, there’s obviously a lot of pressure on big days, and it’s just a proper buzz,” he says.

“A lot of it’s just wanting the horse to win, more than anything. Pressure is probably not quite the word for it… it’s a feeling of relief when the horse has won.”

Billy has top agent Tony Hind in his corner – “he’s the best agent in the country” – and support from yards including his father’s, Charlie Appleby and George Boughey.

“He [George] has looked after me since I was claiming. I’m lucky to have someone like him behind me,” says Billy. “Soprano winning at Royal Ascot was our first big winner together, I got a real kick out of that.”

Charlie Appleby, too, has been behind some of Billy’s biggest successes, including his first top-flight victory.

“Rebel’s Romance in Germany last year was my first Group One winner, he’s probably top of the pecking order,” says Billy, reflecting on the biggest moments in his career so far.

“That was a buzz. He’s a very good horse, it was my first time riding him and he’s been around the block, so he was pretty push-button.”

Aiming for a century-old record

Last year, Billy Loughnane finished second to Oisin Murphy in the Flat jockeys’ championship and has his sights on going one better this year. Oisin was 24 when he was crowned champion for the first time in 2019; should Billy succeed, he would be the youngest champion in more than 100 years – a record currently held by the late Sir Gordon Richards, who won his first championship in 1925 at the age of 21.

Hard-working, talented, professional are the words frequently used to describe Billy – and he shares the same advice to any youngsters sharing his dream.

“Keep your head down, work hard, and you’ll get there,” says Billy, who makes time for our chat having just landed back from the Middle East – before war broke out – and on his way to ride eight at Southwell that night.

“Usually I fly in and out, but this year I’ve been based over there for January and February, which has been a bit different, but I’ve enjoyed it,” he says.

“I’ve been in Dubai for the past couple of months, riding in the Middle East. I was in Saudi Arabia last weekend, Bahrain… I’ve been riding in a lot of countries around there, but I’m ready to get going over here.”

And so he has, this month backing up a treble at Kempton on his 20th birthday with a five-timer at Wolverhampton, as his laser focus turns in earnest to his main goal for 2026.

“My aim this year is to try and be champion jockey,” he says. “Oisin has had a tight grip on it the past few years, and I need to ride a lot more winners than I did last year to get close to him. I’ll be trying to ride as many winners as possible to give that a kick.”

From Billy the kid, to perhaps Billy the champion in 2026 – the sky is the limit for this shooting star.

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Paddy Barlow is on a roll. The talented amateur jockey has kicked off his 2025/2026 season riding multiple point-to-point winners, posting three victories from six starts by mid-December.

The 24-year-old, who hails from prime pointing stock on both sides of his family, is also in his final year of training to be a vet at Nottingham University. Saying life is busy for him would be an understatement, but Paddy is thoroughly enjoying the ride.

“I’m just trying to make the most of it all; you never know what might happen tomorrow,” said Paddy.

Paddy grew up hunting and attending Pony Club, starting on the racing field aged 12 before progressing into point-to-pointing aged 16. His debut ride was at Eaton Hall aboard Western Promise, a ride he picked up from Gary Hanmer. He finished fourth.

“I had intended to start the season before, but I tore my ACL and then broke a kneecap, so that put me out of action,” Paddy explained. “By the time I got out I was so revved to get going. It took me three years to ride a winner, though!”

Paddy’s first victory came on Irish-bred Cotton Rock at Sheriff Hutton, post-pandemic. On his return from a stint Flat racing in Jersey, Paddy hit it off with the quirky mare Cullin Hills.

He explains: “She is an amazing mare, though no one really wanted to ride her due to her track record; she’d run into the trees at Sheriff Hutton. One day, I got a message from Will Milburn asking if I’d ride her the following day at Duncker Park. He probably thought to ask me as I was young, keen and mad to get going!

“She ended up winning seven or more and finishing as champion horse in 2022/2023. She wasn’t the horse with the most ability, but she tried the hardest; and she was tough as old boots.”

At Cheltenham in April, Cullin Hills was just pipped in the mares’ hunter chase, almost securing a double for Paddy, who headed the intermediate final with Stan Rawlins’ Crawter, the win he notes as his career highlight so far.

This season, Paddy’s first title came at Badbury Rings with Go Sacre Go. He ran in the colours of his late great-aunt Annie Tory, who sadly passed away just days prior to the race.

“It was a very emotional day for everyone involved,” Paddy said.

“Fingers crossed I can keep this run going for as long as I can. I’m a true amateur and have no desire to be a professional so I just want to keep enjoying it while riding nice horses. I’ve had a lot of friends stop due to injury, or even worse things can happen. I try not to overthink it; I tend to ride better. Perhaps I’d like to aim for a Foxhunter at some point.”

Paddy recently passed the finals of his veterinary exams and will qualify in May.

“It’s the perfect role for me as it gives me lots of time to play ponies! I’ve made contacts and met lots of people in both pointing and in the vet world. I juggled it all very badly at first, but I’ve now managed to find the balance; flat out at uni in the week, riding out on spare mornings and racing every weekend.”

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Teenage apprentice Flat jockey Jack Callan is the son of global horseracing sensation and multiple Group One-winning jockey Neil Callan, but he’s carving out his own exciting career in the saddle. Jack is already in high demand from some of the country’s leading Flat trainers including George Boughey and Charlie Johnston and the 18-year-old is catching the eye with some masterful winning rides.

Jack finished fourth in the apprentice jockeys’ championship last season and, during a landmark summer, he made his debut at Royal Ascot just hours after sitting an A-level exam at school in the morning. He is now spending the winter months riding in Australia and Hong Kong, where he grew up, before returning to England in the spring for the start of the new Flat racing season.

“I’ve had some ups and downs but overall 2025 has been a great year – I’m very lucky to have the right people supporting me,” says 18-year-old Jack, who enjoyed showjumping – including helping his school team win at the national championships at Hickstead – as well as a bit of Pony Club in his childhood, which he credits for giving him an “excellent foundation”.

Jack Callan on riding out before school

From the age of 14, he started riding out for Newmarket trainer David Simcock at weekends, and in the mornings before school he’d join George Boughey’s string, determined to fulfil his dream of becoming a fully fledged jockey after sitting his A-levels – the compromise he made with his parents.

“I just loved it! Riding my first winner was brilliant – it took me a really long time though!” says Jack of his debut success at Yarmouth riding Longuerue for trainer Robert Eddery. “That was the best feeling ever. Then riding my first winner for George Boughey was the most satisfying.”

Father versus son on the racetrack

“The first phone call I make after every ride is to my dad, no matter what happens,” says Jack. “He’s pretty harsh on me but I’m pretty harsh on myself as well. My dad is an extra bit of competition when I’m riding against him, too!

“Becoming champion apprentice would be a main goal and it would be nice to add it to my CV, but it’s not the be all and end all. I just try to take one day at a time but I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens next year.”

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Having long been regarded as a rising star of the weighing room, 20-year-old jump jockey Freddie Gordon hit the horseracing headlines last month when riding a hat-trick of winners for his trainer father Chris Gordon at Haydock Park, including a brace of Graded races.

During this remarkable “day to remember”, Freddie also rode out his claim having notched up his landmark 75th winner.

“I was in disbelief because in my career I haven’t won many big races and I’ve never won a Grade Two race,” says Freddie. “Having three big winners on a single day – on a Saturday – was amazing. Every jockey wants to be riding in these big races and these big meetings, but these opportunities don’t come round very often for a young lad, so I didn’t believe it would happen.

“It was a crazy day. I knew my old man was going to give me quite a few more rides this season, but I didn’t know we would enjoy quite such a good start. He’s had more winners already this season than we did for the whole of last season, so I’m just very lucky to be riding his horses.”

Freddie Gordon’s life before racing

Freddie was more interested in football than horses growing up, but learnt his trade in pony racing before progressing to the point-to-point circuit, winning his first race at the age of 16.

“I used to score lots of goals, but I think it was only because I played in a very bad Sunday league!” he says. “It was only when I joined a better football team that I realised actually I wasn’t that good!

“I wasn’t particularly great at school either, so I thought I might as well make good use of what my parents do and try to make something out of horses, so I was around 12 when I announced I wanted to start riding.

“I probably rushed into pony racing a bit quickly – I think mum and dad were so happy that I finally wanted to ride that they wanted to help me enjoy it as much as I could, so within six months of learning to ride I was in a pony race.

“It didn’t go to plan though. I got bolted with down to the start, I did a circuit on my own, then when we finally got to the start the pony refused to race. My mum thought that was it, the end of my riding career, but luckily I stuck with it and it’s gone quite well since!”

Freddie Gordon’s racing career

Early on in his riding career, Freddie joined training behemoth Paul Nicholls, switching from amateur to conditional rider at the time. He joined Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows yard three years ago and rides out for his dad one day a week.

“The two yards are obviously very different, so it’s a great experience – nowhere else would you get to ride the sort of horses I’m riding at Nicky’s every day, they’re unbelievably good,” he says. “My riding has improved massively.”

Among his other notable successes along the way, Freddie celebrated his 18th birthday by riding his first ever winner at Cheltenham and racked up a treble at Ascot, Kempton and Cheltenham with the Nicky Henderson-trained East India Express. He also picks out winning the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster last year on his father’s Annual Invictus as another highlight, describing representing the family business in the big races as “one of the best feelings you can have in racing”.

One of his favourite horses from his father’s stable is the six-year-old Jorebel and the pair have scored in five of their past six races.

“Hopefully he’s got more to come, too,” says Freddie.

Winning a Grade One is next on this talented young horseman’s checklist and, after a particularly successful summer season, Freddie now holds a strong lead in this season’s conditional jockeys’ championship, with an outstanding winning strike rate of more than 30%.

“Diamond Hunter, one of my winners at Haydock the other day, is entered for the Grade One at Aintree on Boxing Day, he should run a blinder in that, fingers crossed,” he says.

The racing world, it seems, is Freddie’s oyster.

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There’s something a bit different about this picture, it’s just tricky to determine what.

Jockeys, tick. Silks, tick. Starting gates, tick. Horses – oh.

On Saturday (20 September) at Ayr racecourse, 10 top jockeys lined up as usual to see who would be first across the line, but on their own two feet.

The riders, including Connor Beasley, Tom Eaves, Jason Hart and Paul Mulrennan, were taking part in the first half-furlong UK racecourse sprint to feature jockeys without their equine partners. Ladbrokes, which sponsors the Ayr Gold Cup Festival, hosted the charity race in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF).

Jason Hart came out on top by a “clear distance”, Callum Rodriguez finished second and Paul Mulrennan completed the podium in the 100-yard sprint.

The race was inspired by a riders’ race at Jockey Fest in July, held at Monterrico racecourse, Peru, the aim of which was to raise money for charity and promote equestrian sports to new audiences. For the Ayr version, Ladbrokes promised to donate £200 to the IJF for every runner who took part.

The bookmaker’s Alex Apati said: “Racegoers must have thought something was seriously wrong when 10 top jockeys burst out of the stalls without their horses!

“We’re chuffed so many names got involved for such a great cause, and huge congratulations to Jason Hart who walks away with the first Ladbrokes Jockey Sprint Trophy and bragging rights… for at least a year.”

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The great and good of the racing world have paid tribute to star jockey Rachael Blackmore following her announcement last night (12 May) that she has retired from race-riding.

Rachael, 35, bows out after a phenomenal career that boasts the 2021 Grand National, the Cheltenham Gold Cup (2022), two Champion Hurdles (2021 and 2022) and the Queen Mother Champion Chase (2024). A remarkable feat for any top athlete – and Rachael was the first woman to win them.

“My days of being a jockey have come to an end,” said Rachael. “I feel the time is right. I’m sad but I’m also incredibly grateful for what my life has been for the past 16 years.

“I just feel so lucky, to have been legged up on the horses I have, and to have experienced success I never even dreamt could be possible.”

Her major victories also included 33 Grade Ones, three Irish Champion Hurdles (all aboard Honeysuckle), 18 Cheltenham Festival winners – the last of these was with Bob Olinger in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the 2025 Festival.

Her seminal year came in 2021, for which she was voted BBC Sports Personality’s world sport star of the year and crowned Ireland’s sportswoman of the year. Her leading rider title at the Cheltenham Festival with six wins was followed by her historic triumph in the Grand National aboard Minella Times.

“I don’t feel male or female right now, I don’t even feel human,” she said in her winning interview at Aintree.

Her final ride was a winning one – partnering Ma Belle Etoile to victory in a novice hurdle for long-term supportive trainer Henry de Bromhead; Rachael’s 576th winner.

The trainer shared a picture of the two of them together with the caption: “The end of an era. Thank you, Rachael Blackmore, for everything.”

Retired top jockey Barry Geraghty sent Rachael “huge congratulations and the best of luck” on retirement “following an amazing career”.

“An ultra talented horsewoman, a brilliant competitor and one of the most committed jockeys you could ever ride against,” he said. “Brilliant to see you get out on your own terms.”

Broadcaster Jane Mangan, who enjoyed success as an amateur jockey, said that “we can only consider ourselves lucky to have witnessed her achievements in our lifetime”, adding:” She didn’t just break glass ceilings – she painted the whole damn sky.”

Rachael said the “people to thank are endless”.

“Firstly, my parents who provided me with the best childhood and a pony I couldn’t hold! This set the seed for a life of racing,” she said Rachael.

“Aidan Kennedy gave me my first ride in a point-to-point. I spent time riding out for Arthur Moore and Pat Doyle, which I loved. Sam Curling and Liam Lennon were also big supporters, as was Denise O’Shea, John Nicholson, Ellmarie Holden, Harry Smyth and Gigginstown House Stud.”

Rachael rode her first winner in 2011, Stowaway Pearl for Shark Hanlon, and turned professional four years later.

She credits Shark for helping her become Irish champion conditional in 2017, and added: “I will be for ever grateful to Shark for getting behind me, supporting me and believing in me when it would have been just as easy to look elsewhere. He was the catalyst for what was to come.”

Shark thanked Rachael for “all she’s done for me over the past few years”.

“She’s had an unbelievable career and we wish her the best in the future,” he said.

Rachael said a conversation in a taxi on the way to Aintree with Eddie O’Leary, of Gigginstown House Stud, “took my career to a whole new level”.

“Eddie got me in the door at Knockeen, and what came next was unimaginable: Honeysuckle, A Plus Tard, Minella Indo, Captain Guinness, Bob Olinger, Minella Times, among many others… all with one thing in common – Henry de Bromhead,” she said.

“He’s a phenomenal trainer, who brought out the best in me. Without Henry, my story is very different.”

Rachael also thanked her sponsors, agent Garry Cribbin and manager Rebecca Matthews. She also credited champion trainer Willie Mullins “who provided me with success throughout my career”.

“To all the team in [the de Bromhead yard at] Knockneen, who do such incredible work looking after all the horses, without you and all the stable staff across the country, winners don’t happen,” she said.

“To Davy Roche, whose help was invaluable when I was privileged enough to have a choice in a race. To all the amazing doctors, surgeons and physios who looked after me over the years.To all the wonderful owners who trusted me and gave me the opportunity to do what I love doing. To everyone I shared the weigh room with, I’ll miss being in there with you. To all my great friends – you made winning special.”

On her partner, Brian Hayes, she said that he “won’t enjoy getting a mention, but he was more important to my career than I’ll ever be able to thank him for”.

She said: “It’s daunting not being able to say that I am a jockey any more… who even am I now! But I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the career I’ve had.

“To have been in the right place at the right time with the right people, and to have gotten on the right horses – because it doesn’t matter how good you are without them. They have given me the best days of my life and to them I am most grateful.”

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National Hunt jockey Harry Skelton has promised to throw a “nice party” after he pocketed £500,000 for winning the inaugural David Power Jockeys’ Cup. Bookmakers Paddy Power and parent group Flutter put up the huge prize.

The David Power Jockeys’ Cup is a new initiative in which jockeys were awarded points for winning and finishing second, third and fourth in any race televised live by ITV Racing between 15 November and yesterday (Friday 4 April) at the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree.

The scheme was named in honour of legendary bookmaker David Power; jockeys have competed in more than 100 British jump races to accumulate points. Harry’s lead was so large, he secured victory on Thursday 4 April.

“It is an unbelievable amount of money,” said Harry, who welcomed his first child, Rory, with wife Bridget a year ago. “I’ve started a family now, and £500,000 is a massive amount of money that hopefully can support my family for a long time.

“I think anyone who has got kids, you’re trying to give your kids the best start in life and hopefully the £500,000 can really support that.

“I would like to have a nice party that involves a lot of people who have helped me get here. I’d like to get everyone together to enjoy this, for people that helped me achieve this. I feel like it’s been a team effort.”

Harry rides almost solely for his trainer brother Dan Skelton, who is battling with Willie Mullins to secure the British trainers’ championship for the first time.

“Dan has supplied me with so much, so a big thanks goes to him, plus our owners, our staff,” said Harry. “I think this is a great achievement for myself, for sure, and I’m the lucky one who picks up the money. Our staff pick up a very generous £50,000, my brother picks up £50,000, and I’d like to bring everyone together a bit and enjoy this as a team.”

Harry also praised the organisers of the competition.

“Hopefully everyone in racing has got behind it, and it’s a great honour to be picking up the trophy in the name of David Power, so, thanks to Paddy Power and Flutter for coming up with this initiative,” he added.

“The chance for any jump jockey to win this sort of money is quite remarkable. It’s never happened before and, hopefully, going forward we can all support this and if it helps racing in any way, with our personalities getting across to the outside and wider world, I’m sure every jockey is all for it.”

Prizes in the David Power Jockeys’ Cup were awarded to 10th; second place taking home £200,000, third £100,000, fourth £80,000, fifth £60,000, sixth £50,000, seventh £40,000, eighth £30,000, ninth £20,000 and 10th £10,000.

There was a close battle for second between Nico de Boinville and Harry Cobden, with Harry coming out on top, 14 points ahead.

In addition, there was a £20,000 prize to the leading conditional jockey, with a runner-up prize of £5,000. This was won by Dylan Johnston, with Caoilin Quinn finishing second.

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Racehorse trainer Graeme McPherson and his daughter, Eliza McPherson, experienced a full circle moment at Heythrop point-to-point, when Eliza rode in her 100th pony race at Cocklebarrow, Gloucestershire on Sunday, 26 January, before hanging up her pony racing boots.

The talented youngster turns 16 on 20 March and has ambitions to become a professional Flat jockey having clocked 24 winners on ponies.

But rewind to 21 March 2009, the day after Eliza was born, and Graeme was adamant his daughter wouldn’t have a future in the saddle.

“At the time, I was training point-to-pointers and I had just trained a winner at the Siddington meeting called Rein A Pedre, who went on to win at Cheltenham later that year,” he said. “More importantly, my daughter Eliza was born the day before we had the winner and I jokingly said in an interview to Horse & Hound that mother and daughter were doing well, but as a 10lb baby, there was no way Eliza would ever be a jockey. How wrong I was!”

Eliza now has her sights set on securing an amateur jockey licence to ride on the Flat having enjoyed a very successful pony racing career.

“Eliza has always been pony-mad; she won her first pony race aged nine, on a 12.2hh called Crofthill Montague, and has progressed through the ranks since then,” said Graeme. “I’m not sure there are many, if any, other girls out there who have ridden in 100 pony races.

“The boarding school Eliza attends is very good at allowing her out at the weekends to race and Will Kennedy has been a great help at jockey coaching her.”

Graeme admits that he gets “very nervous” watching his daughter race-ride.

“I feel far more nervous watching her racing than I do watching one of my chasers go three miles around Aintree,” he laughs.

In a lovely gesture by organisers to Eliza, they presented her with a commemorative picture containing the names of the ponies who have carried her to various victories – Little Galway Girl, Madame Mimi, She’s A Lady, Mag Earle, Crofthill Montague and Buddys Girl.

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Some of the country’s leading Flat and jumps jockeys took a well-earned break from their day job to entertain the crowd in the Markel Jockeys Jumping in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund at the London International Horse Show on Friday evening (20 December).

Two teams of intrepid competitors – with varying levels of showjumping ability, it has to be said – were led into battle by champion jockey Harry “The Airplane” Skelton and his counterpart 20-time champion Sir Anthony “AP” McCoy, AKA the Champ.

There were a few anxious faces as the 10 jockeys set off over the course of showjumps set for them – including a lofty joker fence which could wipe four seconds off their time – but all made a gallant attempt and even AP McCoy managed not to fall off this year.

Victory went to Harry Skelton’s high-octane squad of Brian Hughes, Lilly Pinchin, James Bowen and Sam Twiston-Davies, although there were calls for a stewards’ enquiry when it turned out Harry was mounted on William Funnell’s former grand prix horse Billy Angelo. The now 21-year-old gelding has enjoyed his retirement with Harry and his wife Bridget and was without doubt the star of the show.

“I’m very well mounted,” admitted Harry as Pippa Funnell gave the super chestnut gelding a huge hug. “This horse has been a legend to Pippa and Willy Funnell throughout the years. We’re very privileged to have him – I’d be doing him a bad turn if I let him down.”

Jockeys jump on the train from Ascot to the London ExCeL in their riding kit

Many of the jockeys had been riding at Ascot’s Howden Christmas Racing Weekend and had jumped on a train into London to reach the London ExCeL in time for the class, before returning to the track to race again on Saturday.

“We really enjoy it – we’ve been at Ascot today and all we’ve talked about is tonight,” said Harry. “So thank you to Markel and to the London International Horse Show for having us back again.

“The only thing I’m surprised about is Nico de Boinville completing the course because if that was a race, he definitely would have pulled it up.”

Top jumps jockey Nico, part of AP McCoy’s losing green side along with Gina Andrews, Harry Cobden and Joanna Mason, is an absolutely superb horseman but he left the ring with more poles on the floor than remaining in their cups.

“It’s a tough old game but I’m going to blame the coaches today – it was definitely bad management,” he said tongue in cheek in the direction of team trainers Pippa Funnell and Laura Collett. “You are what you’re riding and Harry Skelton was on a grand prix horse – it’s a bit like me riding Sprinter Sacre in a 0-100 handicap race [for low level horses].

“But we’ll give him that one, it was all good fun. A fantastic evening.”

AP McCoy on jumping at the London International: “I have fallen off more than anyone on the planet”

Gina Andrews, who finished 12th in this year’s Grand National, summed up: “These are obviously totally different fences to the National, but it’s a totally different kind of buzz, I loved it.”

Meanwhile Sam Twiston-Davies quipped, “The money was on James Bowen taking the wrong course, but he actually managed to make it round!”

AP McCoy has experienced more than his fair share of unscheduled dismounts in this class over the years and he looked relieved just to cross the finish line while still in the saddle.

“It’s much more fun when I fall off isn’t it? I have fallen off more than anyone on the planet,” he said, going on to pay tribute to his injured weighing room colleagues Alice Procter and Graham Lee, just two of the beneficiaries of the Injured Jockeys Fund.

“I’d like to thank everyone who supports this evening. The Injured Jockeys Fund is 60 years old this year. The care it gives and everything it does is unbelievable. It costs £5m a year to run and it’s run purely through donations from evenings like this. So thank you to you all.”

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Jockeys based north of the border can now benefit from services provided by the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) in Scotland.

The Ella MacGregor Centre in Galashiels offers physiotherapy and “injury management” on a site convenient for the Borders area racing community.

“This is only possible because the IJF was remembered in the will of the late Ella MacGregor, who owned and ran the Pinkerton Stud at Dunbar in East Lothian,” an IJF spokesperson said. “Her yellow and blue silks were carried to many victories by the likes of Macrobian, who chased home Notley in the Stewards’ Cup, and the successful horses bred there included Kayem, who competed as an eventer for Sir Mark Todd and was taken by him to the Olympics.”

Kelso course physio Libby Lindsay will offer sessions in the new facility, built in partnership with the Scottish Rugby Union on the Heriot-Watt University campus.

“We have wanted to do this for a while,” said IJF chief executive Lisa Hancock. “We are therefore enormously grateful to Ella and her trustees for their generous legacy in making it possible.

“The Ella MacGregor Centre will significantly improve our clinical services and support our activities north of the border and is the first step in expanding our operations in Scotland and supporting IJF beneficiaries of all kinds.”

The late Ms MacGregor also left a significant donation to Retraining of Racehorses for its welfare work. She was based throughout her life near Dunbar in East Lothian, and with her sister Ina ran the Pinkerton Stud, which Ella set up in 1976. They bred racehorses there until the early 2000s.

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Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey Paddy Brennan signed off on his 27-year career in the saddle with his 1,526th winner yesterday (17 April).

Paddy partnered his final ride, Manothepeople, to victory in the Weatherite Air Conditioning Handicap Chase on the opening day of the April meeting at Cheltenham, for long-standing supporter, trainer Fergal O’Brien.

The 43-year-old landed his biggest career win in the 2010 Gold Cup aboard Imperial Commander. He also has five other Cheltenham Festival wins to his name, piloted Cue Card to King George VI glory in 2015 – “a race I’ll never forget” – and scored a total of 18 Grade One wins.

“In 27 years, I’ve been so, so lucky. It has been a rollercoaster, so many ups and so many downs, but I feel I’ve got down to the edge of the ocean and walked down to the beach,” said Paddy.

“I’ve been mulling it over for weeks and asked so many people’s opinions if I was doing the right thing. I went for a coffee with my wife this morning and thought it’s time for the next generation of jockeys.

“I am so pleased to have worked with the best in the game and I’m so proud of all the young lads in the weighing room. It’s a tough gig.

“It was extra special to finish on a winner.”

Paddy Brennan started his career on the Flat and his first ride was in 1997 at the Curragh for Jim Bolger. He later switched to jumps and was crowned champion conditional in 2005.

“When you drive past this place to go shopping in Cheltenham, it still gives you tingles even when it’s empty,” he said.

“The people make it extra special but even when they are not here, it is unique. When all the Irish come here for the Festival, it is like home from home.

“Being a jockey is 95% disappointment and I’ve had 95% disappointment for so many years. I’ve had some enjoyment but now I’m ready for the next chapter.”

Paddy Brennan added: “When I usually go on holiday I’m thinking about my next ride so I want a break from all that and I have a couple of things lined up. My phone number is there for anyone who wants to ring me and I’m ready for the future.”

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Kauto Star crashes out and Denman is a game second, but there’s a new star at Cheltenham

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Top National Hunt jockey Aidan Coleman has announced his retirement from the saddle on medical grounds with immediate effect.

Aidan, 35, suffered a serious knee injury at Worcester Racecourse last June when his mount Ascension Day ran out and into the wing of a hurdle. The incident left him with a shattered tibia, and despite relentless rehabilitation, the injury has failed to repair sufficiently for him to return to a career as a jockey.

“It is a decision that, unfortunately, was out of my hands. But one that I must respect and move on from,” said Aidan.

“The prognosis early was quite bleak about returning to ride. Around September I was kidding myself that I could get back from this, then around Christmas I had another operation and the progress has really plateaued.

“I can do the gym, but I can’t run or jump. I can’t ride a horse really – every time I’ve tried to ride a horse since Christmas, it’s not gone well.”

Aidan explained that following conversations with Jerry Hill, the BHA’s chief medical advisor, and his surgeon, he has realised his chances of improving are “negative”.

“The challenge I have is when in a race-riding position,” said Aidan. “My knee is at a particular angle that puts my weight directly on to the area of the joint that I damaged. This meant I would never get back to the required fitness levels necessary to ride, which would be unfair on owners, trainers, and indeed, myself.”

The jockey said the career-ending injury was like “hitting a wall at 30 miles an hour”.

Aidan is best-known for high-profile victories aboard Paisley Park, Jonbon, Put The Kettle On and Epatante, among others, notching 13 Grade One wins in the process. He won 1,251 races during his 17-year career in the saddle.

The Co. Cork native, who moved to work in the UK in 2006, said that “rehab is still ongoing”.

“As I try to lead as normal a life as possible with the injury, I like to express my sincere thanks to my physio Emma Edwards and PT Conor Shoemark, who have provided me with unending support,” he said.

He added: “It’s been emotional as it’s my last week as a jockey, which is all I’ve ever wanted to be. What the future holds, well who knows? Horseracing has been my hobby, job and passion for the majority of my life. My hope is to stick around, finding my new place within the industry.”

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Top National Hunt trainer Kim Bailey asks the British Horseracing Authority to address a problem on the “other side of racing’s coal face”

Racing is full of people with great ideas on how to improve our great sport, and I have a solution to something that needs addressing before it becomes a problem – the ridiculous rules to qualify as an amateur rider/jockey.

The first issue affecting their future is the threat that a likely Labour government will stop all forms of hunting. There’s also the fact that the pointing world is struggling – the number of horses running in point-to-points has almost halved in the past five years and the number of meetings will follow suit.

The costs of staging a point-to-point are increasing and the red tape that goes with it is now almost prohibitive for an amateur sport that raises much-needed funds for the local hunt. It won’t be long before you see regional racetracks supporting point-to-points – as Barbury Castle did well for many years.

Many young people who live in the country wish to become an amateur rider, knowing their days will be numbered much beyond the age of 21 due to weight and other commitments. There are thankfully still parents with a horse that allows these youngsters a ride or two, but most don’t go further.

Change of criteria

With that in mind, the current criteria for applying for an amateur rider licence needs a complete overhaul.

Currently, applicants need to attend a two-day course in either of the excellent racing colleges in Newmarket or Doncaster. If the examiner is happy, they are allowed to apply for a category A licence, which means they can only ride against amateurs under Rules and in point-to-points.

Once they have had 15 rides under Rules, they can apply for a category B licence, which requires a further five-day course. If they pass, they can ride against professionals.

That immediately shows one of the problems as there are few opportunities for those with a category A to ride in solely amateur races. I suggest they change the rules to give an amateur licence for point-to-point and hunter chasing only until they have had 20 rides, and then they can ride against pros, or give them an amateur licence with criteria similar to that for a conditional jockey.

Currently, any young person who wishes to become a conditional jockey has to attend a two-week course at either racing college then, if deemed good enough, they can apply with the backing of their trainer for a conditional licence and the following day ride against professionals. But is that really a good idea? Surely 10 rides against fellow conditionals would be a better introduction?

We need to show the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) that a race series for conditional and amateurs to ride against each other would be a great step forward. With so many horses rated under 100, perhaps a series of 0–100 handicap hurdles with a series final?

A call to the BHA

Pony racing has been a huge plus for the younger jockeys but after that, it is so hard to get going. With an ever-diminishing point-to-point world to ride in, the number of amateurs will diminish. We need the BHA to see the other side of racing’s coal face.

Only a couple of weeks ago, I was thrown to the wolves by allowing my conditional jockey to ride in a race rather than spend a day in Newmarket on a course. I realised I was in the wrong and apologised, but I was fined £1,200 and he received an eight-day ban. Times have moved on and not necessarily for the better.

● Is the amateur end of the sport in trouble? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

• This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 7 March

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

As teenager Billy “the Kid” Loughnane caps his incredible first year racing with the champion apprentice title, H&H caught up with the 17-year-old to find out more about this high flyer who deserves to be on your radar…

1. Horses have been part of Billy’s life for as long as he can remember. “I started on rocking horses, then ponies pretty much as soon as I could walk and speak,” says Billy, who was speaking at a Great British Racing event ahead of Qipco British Champions Day (21 October) at Ascot, where he will receive the champion apprentice trophy. “I started showjumping when I was about nine or 10, and did that until I was 13.”

2. He has always wanted to be a jockey. “The first time I sat on a racehorse I was probably about two years old, I used to sit on them on the way back from the gallops while someone held on to them. But the first time I cantered a racehorse I was about 10,” says Billy.

3. Billy, whose father Mark trains from his Worcestershire base, caught the race-riding bug through pony racing. “I’ve always been very competitive in everything I’ve done – I’ve always wanted to be the best,” he says. “I won my first pony race, so straight away I had the feeling for a winner. From there on, I just wanted more and more winners. ”

4. His first racing hero was Sir AP McCoy, and as Billy became more invested in Flat racing, Tom Marquand became another hero. As a tall jockey, he also tries to emulate the riding styles of James Doyle and Richard Hughes.

5. He rode his first winner less than a year ago – Swiss Rowe, trained by his father, at Wolverhampton on 28 November 2022. Since then, he has notched up more than 100 victories.

6. Billy was too young to drive when his career first kicked off. He’s since passed his test and remembers Aidan Keeley as giving him plenty of lifts before he got his own set of wheels.

7. The teenage wonder rode out his claim in September at Kempton – less than 11 months from his first ride – and would likely have got there sooner had he not spent three weeks on the sidelines after breaking his thumb in the starting stalls.

8. One of his major first season highlights was riding his first winner for Godolphin, when the Charlie Appleby-trained Sapphire Seas won by a nose at Wolverhampton in January.

9. He already has his sights set on his next big goals. “I’m staying around for the winter, so I’d love to have a crack at the all-weather title. Next year, I’d love to get 100 winners again, in the season and first year without a claim. And if I can, maybe a listed winner on the board as well.”

10. Billy credits his dad and former jockey Stephen Davies, who is Mark’s assistant trainer, for his education in the saddle. “Dad taught me how to ride most of the way – obviously I had lessons with showjumping as well – and Stephen helped me a lot when I switched to racehorses.”

11. His favourite horse is the six-year-old Daheer, trained by Mark for The Likely Lads. “I used to ride him every day when I was there, from when I was about 13, so he’d be right up there as one of my favourites.”

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Heated debate over racecourse saunas has erupted amid calls to reopen them resulting from concerns that jockeys are using “inappropriate and risky” weight loss methods.

Saunas in weighing rooms were shut during the pandemic in 2020, and the closures became permanent in what the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) described as a “significant step forward” for jockey wellbeing. A 3lb Covid allowance was brought in when racing resumed after the first lockdown to support jockeys, and in 2022 this was replaced by a general minimum weight increase of 2lb for most race categories (news, 10 February 2022).

In a Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) survey in 2021, 88% of 190 respondents voted for saunas to remain closed, but this month the PJA has asked the BHA to “reconsider its refusal to reopen saunas”.

“The PJA believes that their permanent closure has created physical and mental wellbeing issues for jockeys that far outweigh any perceived risk of dehydration by sauna use,” said a PJA spokesman.

The PJA claims jockeys are “using a range of inappropriate and more risky methods” to make weight including very hot baths, the use of sweat suits while driving, restricting fluid intake for long periods of time, or flipping [induced vomiting].

“In hindsight, the PJA accepts that it should have insisted on cast-iron guarantees from the BHA and others that the Covid weight allowance would remain before accepting the removal of saunas,” said the spokesman.

The PJA added that sauna closures, “with the absence of effective on-course supports to manage weight, has led to jockeys facing far greater risk to their wellbeing” – and that “new accurate research is needed to investigate the regulated use of saunas in the jockeys’ workplace”.

In a statement, the PJA also questioned the relevance of the research undertaken in 2013 involving eight jockeys at Liverpool University, as the study used treadmills or sweat suits to demonstrate a 3% impact upon simulated riding performance, rather than time spent in a sauna. In addition it claims that the research found no statistically significant change in jockeys’ reaction time.

In response, the BHA argued that in calling for the reinstatement of saunas, “the PJA has not only reversed its public position, but also undermined a huge body of work undertaken in a spirit of genuine goodwill”.

“Every decision concerning saunas and weight allowances has been based on expert medical evidence and following extensive engagement with and full support from the PJA. This includes the decision to close saunas permanently,” said a BHA spokesman.

“In making these decisions, the BHA and others are reliant on representative bodies to accurately and consistently reflect the views of their members. For the past year, the BHA with the PJA and others has been working intensively and at pace – taking an evidence-based approach – to develop short- and long-term proposals to support jockeys in managing their weights. At no point in that process were saunas put forward as a credible proposal.”

The BHA spokesman said that it “is simply false” to present the return of saunas as a “quick and easy fix” for jockeys’ weight.

“Not least because that ignores the obvious significant practical and economic challenges posed by such a demand. But more importantly, it ignores all of the medical advice that was considered by the BHA, and PJA, ahead of the decision to remove saunas,” he said, adding that the BHA remains committed to working with the PJA and others to discuss any “reasonable compromises”.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A jockey who started racing 37 years ago is the current leader of the 2023 Flat Jockeys’ Championship at the age of 52. This season, Yorkshire-based Joe Fanning has been in great form, winning on 35 of his 157 rides and operating at a strike rate of 22%.

“I am really pleased with how the season has started – it feels fantastic to still be riding regular winners,” said Joe, whose career started in 1986 when riding for Irish trainer Kevin Connolly. “The horses are running well – it is still early days, but hopefully I can get a few big wins along the way too.”

Joe moved from his native Ireland in 1988 and began working for Tommy Fairhurst in Middleham, Yorkshire. Since 1996, he has been primarily associated with trainer Mark Johnston, for whom he has been a retained rider for and who is also based in Middleham. Joe has remained retained rider for the Johnston yard since Mark’s son Charlie took over his father’s licence in 2022, and during the past two weeks alone they have enjoyed six wins together.

“There is a long way in the championship to go yet, but I am pleased with how it is going, and it has been good to be a contender in the competitive title race,” said Joe. “I try not to think about the championship too much – I am just enjoying it.”

Joe is up against some incredibly strong talent in the race to the Flat Jockeys’ Championship, which runs from 6 May to 21 October this year.

Oisin Murphy, who at 27 is 25 years Joe’s junior, is currently in second, just one winner behind Joe on 34, while Hollie Doyle is equal third with 31 winners. The current British champion Flat jockey, William Buick, shares Hollie’s third place on the same number of winners.

Joe has ridden more than 2,780 winners during his career and has celebrated success at Group One level three times including victories in the Middle Park Stakes in 2016 aboard The Last Lion and the Prix Royal-Oak and the Ascot Gold Cup, both on star stayer, Subjectivist.

Joe has been successful in the All-Weather Championships too, winning the competition twice in 2009/10 and 2011/12. He is also one of only a handful of jockeys to have won a race at every racecourse in Great Britain.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Michelle Payne is an Australian jockey who became the first female to ever win the Melbourne Cup, and this year will be part of the ITV Racing presenting team at Royal Ascot for the first time.

Find out a little bit more about her…

1. Michelle Payne was born on 29 September 1985.

2. She is the youngest of 10 children.

3. Michelle Payne’s mother was killed in a crash when she was just six months old.

4. At the age of seven, she told school friends she would win the Melbourne Cup.

5. She won in her first race at Ballarat aboard Reigning, a horse trained by her father.

6. In March 2004 Michelle Payne fell heavily in a race at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne, fracturing her skull and bruising her brain.

7. She won the Melbourne Cup in 2015 aboard Prince Of Penzance, making her the first woman to win the race in its 155-year history.

8. Prince Of Penzance went off at odds of 100/1 in the 2015 Melbourne Cup and when he won under Michelle, her brother Stevie Payne, who has Down’s Syndrome, led her into the winner’s enclosure as he works as a stable lad.

9. In 2019, the feature film Ride Like a Girl was released telling Michelle’s life story.

10. To-date she has ridden 769 winners, including five at Group level.

11. Michelle’s achievements in the saddle earned her the prestigious Don award for Australia’s most inspirational sporting performance of 2015 and in 2021 she was awarded an Order of Australia medal.

Don’t miss the full report from Royal Ascot 2023 in the 29 June issue of Horse & Hound magazine, plus we will be bringing you all of the top stories from the meeting as and when they happen on horseandhound.co.uk

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Kim Bailey shares his thoughts on the new whip rules and listening to those on the front line

Racing has suffered some rather unflattering headlines over the past 12 months, such as “A year to save racing”. Attendances are crashing, field sizes are historically small, the Levy Board has warned of “challenging conditions ahead” as well as affordability checks when it comes to betting. But none more so than the impending rule announced last July on the persuader, more commonly known as the whip.

A 20-body steering group suggested dramatic changes in its use and new penalties for jockeys if the rules were broken. The biggest change was how the jockeys held the whip when riding a finish – the forehand position was to become illegal, and only the backhand position would be allowed.

Several months later and after plenty was written about the new rules, the jockeys, through the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA), decided enough was enough and that the rules needed amending before it was too late.

First, they felt that the forehand position was safer, easier and had less impact on the horse as they were targeting the hindquarters of their horses, whereas the backhand position led to the ribs of horses coming in line, which is an area of the horse that is far less padded than the rump.

Discussions were held between the PJA and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The PJA pushed for retaining the backhand position when using the whip and traded the number of hits and penalties. They also insisted that the word “discretion” be removed when being applied by the stewards around interpretation of whip offences – rules are rules.

Surprisingly, the ruling body backed down and the rules were adjusted. Many thought this to be a typical show of weakness from the BHA, but I commend them for listening to the people on the front line.

I believe racing has come away stronger – not that all will agree. But all I now ask is let’s stop talking and writing about the whip and get on with the sport we all enjoy.

Richard Forristal, editor of the Irish side of the Racing Post and an ex-jockey himself, said that the BHA has gone too far down this rabbit hole in an effort to placate a minority hell-bent on racing’s destruction, who have been emboldened by their succession of triumphs over the past decade or so.

Of course, in many respects he is right but on a broader note the whip is used by nearly every rider across the discipline in the equestrian world. Public perception is everything and hitting horses or animals in general will always create a cause for worry. At least we have moved a significant way forward since I first started training.

On a brighter note…

Let’s move to the brighter side of racing. Constitution Hill shines like a beacon on the hurdling stage while Bravemansgame was excellent in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

If you were lucky enough to spend a few hours in front of the ITV Racing coverage over the Christmas period, you would have seen some truly excellent racing from Ireland. Trainers Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott were hugely dominant, but what magnificent horses they have and what superb racing they produced.

The second half of the season is now upon us, with the Cheltenham Festival fast approaching and the evenings beginning to lengthen. Trainers are currently full of horses but the future is not looking so bright with staff shortages, pay rises and less prize money just some of the more prominent issues we’re facing.

Let’s not walk around with our eyes closed – we need to do something as racing still has so much to offer.

♦ What do you think about racing’s new whip rules? Let us know your views at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, local town and county to be considered for publication in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

• This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 12 January, 2023

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Amateur National Hunt jockey Sam Waley-Cohen, who has enjoyed multiple successes at the highest echelons of the sport, has announced that he will retire from the saddle after his ride in the Grand National on Saturday (9 April).

Speaking to ITV Racing after pulling up in the Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase at Aintree this afternoon (7 April), he said: “I’ve had a fantastic career but Aintree means so much to me with the number of good days I’ve had here over the years, so it seems only right to retire here after my ride in the Grand National.”

Sam, who is 39, has enjoyed a huge amount of success as a jockey, in which he is only amateur by name, given he is a well-respected rider, and he has a total of 74 winners to his name under Rules.

He has four Cheltenham Festival victories to his name, including Long Run’s epic 2011 Gold Cup success, where he beat Kauto Star, becoming the first amateur jockey in 30 years to win the race. In the 2012 and 2013 runnings the combination finished third to Synchronised and Bobs Worth respectively. He also won the 2010 and 2012 King George VI Chase at Kempton aboard Long Run.

Sam is also the most successful jockey ever over the Grand National fences, with six victories to his name, and he was second in the National itself in 2011 when riding Oscar Time.

When not race-riding, Sam has worked hard building up his own dental care business since its inception in 2009. His business activities led to his being nominated as Spears young entrepreneur of the year in 2011, and by 2020, his business had grown to over 160 practices and expanded to operate across Europe.

Sam’s final ride will come aboard Noble Yeats, who is owned by Sam’s father Robert Waley-Cohen, in whose colours Sam has ridden throughout his career in the saddle, when the Grand National gets under way on Saturday at 5.15pm.

Keep up to date with all of Horse & Hound’s Grand National coverage this week via horseandhound.co.uk, where you will be able to read all of the latest news and features on the three-day meeting at Aintree.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

An increase to minimum jockey weights in racing will go ahead as planned – with the addition of an increase in the body protector allowance.

H&H has reported that the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) had announced an increase of 2lb for most race categories at the start of the Flat and jumps seasons (news, 10 February). This was to replace the 3lb Covid allowance, brought in when racing resumed after the first lockdown to support jockeys when saunas were closed.

The move was met with concerns from jockeys that the change could be detrimental to their mental health and wellbeing, with fears some jockeys would struggle to make the weight – and could take extreme measures to do so. Following this, the BHA entered into discussions with a number of jockeys, the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) and the National Trainers Federation (NTF) on the matter.

On 7 March, the BHA confirmed the Covid allowance would be replaced with an across-the-board 2lb rise, but in addition, the 3lb back protector allowance would increase to 4lb – meaning horses will continue to carry the same weights since the Covid allowance was introduced.

The BHA said the weights published in racecards will increase by 2lb, “providing the public with more accurate information about the weights being carried by the horses”.

BHA chief operating officer Richard Wayman said the discussions had allowed the BHA to consider the concerns raised, which had not featured as part of the initial consultation.

“During these discussions, riders have stressed the psychological benefits that the Covid allowance provided in terms of allowing them to manage the natural fluctuations in their body weight day to day. Many have stated retaining at least some of this flexibility is as important for their wellbeing as any rise in the weights,” he said.

“The welfare of our riders is very much a key priority, and we will continue to work with the PJA and its members to support the wellbeing of jockeys. Upgrades to weighing rooms as part of a long-term programme of improvement to modernise facilities across British racecourses have already been announced and the issue of race weights will remain under regular review.”

Flat jockey Ross Coakley told H&H the additional 1lb for the safety allowance felt like a “compromise”.

“From a rider’s point of view when you’re working on such fine margins, every pound makes a substantial difference,” he said, but added it was a complicated topic.

PJA national hunt president and jump jockey David Bass said he would have preferred to keep the full [Covid] allowance, owing to the “positive impact” on jockeys’ wellbeing, but said he was pleased that part of the allowance would remain.

An NTF spokesman said any discussion about the replacement of the Covid allowance was going to be “difficult”.

“While we are of the view that some reflection is needed on the issues that caused the consultation process to fail in the first instance, despite seemingly being fully adhered to, we are accepting of the outcome reached,” he said.

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THERE are fears changes to minimum weights in racing could harm jockeys’ mental and physical health, as discussions on the matter continue.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced a general weight increase of 2lb for most race categories at the start of the Flat and jumps season. This replaces the 3lb Covid allowance, brought in when racing resumed after the first lockdown to support jockeys when racecourse saunas were closed.

In a Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) survey last year, 88% of 190 respondents voted for saunas to remain closed. A 3lb allowance for safety equipment remains, as does a 1lb allowance for Flat jockeys during winter for warmer clothing.

Under the Covid allowance, a jockey weighing 9st 3lb could ride a horse allocated 9st. This means the horse would actually be carrying 9st 6lb, including the equipment allowance. But when the Flat season starts, a jockey weighing 9st 3lb would have to lose 1lb to ride the same horse, which would now be allocated 9st 2lb.

BHA chief medical advisor Jerry Hill said the closure of saunas was a “significant step forward” for jockey wellbeing and that a permanent raising of the minimum weight, while protecting competition by raising the maximum weight, was the “correct response”.

But the weight increase sparked backlash, with concerns it will make it even harder for jockeys to make the weight, and although many jockeys voted in favour of closing saunas, this was on the basis the Covid allowance would remain.

The BHA issued a response “in light of comments made”. It said the Covid allowance was a “temporary, emergency measure”, which had not been removed – it has been replaced by the 2lb increase “in all races other than pattern races and Flat amateur races”. The BHA added that the issue affected more than one part of the sport, so consultation took in views from “other sectors”. Concerns had been expressed by the National Trainers Federation (NTF) about the “potential impact” on some horses of routinely setting higher weights.

Flat jockey Ross Coakley raced in Ireland pre-Covid and moved to the UK in June 2021. He told H&H that before Covid, Irish racing had a similar rise, so he had “lived both lives”. He believes the decision was made with the “best intentions”, but he felt it would have a negative impact on jockeys’ mental health.

“When Covid happened, even though we were getting the allowance, no jockey suddenly saw this as an opportunity to say they could do lighter. Most maintained the weight they were, but they went through a stage where they didn’t have to sweat out three pounds on a daily basis – they could go to the races hydrated,” he said.

“The last thing you want is to be driving to a race worried about weight, thinking you can’t afford to have a drink [of water]. I think that’s why there was such a negative reaction from jockeys because we are going to be pushed back into that lifestyle, which we all lived until Covid, but we’ve realised the benefit of the current system and the improvement it’s brought to our daily lives.Ross said the allowance is more beneficial and healthier for jockeys than the weight rise.

“There will always be the argument that no matter what they bring the weight up to, there will always be jockeys trying to do less. But if you give us the allowance at the scales, mentally jockeys will be more inclined to set their weight and use the allowance as their safety net, rather than having to take extreme measures,” he said, adding that a “big concern” is jockeys “flipping”, or making themselves vomit.

“Jockeys are always going to be working at their minimum [weight] – it’s their income. If you’re constantly in a position where you have to be two pounds lighter than when you wake up, you’re trying to function on very little food, sweating daily – there’s mental strain. I think that’s where the mentality of flipping comes in – if someone feels they can’t afford to eat but knows they have to, then they think I’ll just regurgitate it, and they’ve still had the pleasure from eating but not put on the weight. It’s a sick mindset, but unfortunately that was a big issue pre-Covid and that’s a position some people will be pushed back into.”

Jumps trainer Kim Bailey’s stable jockey David Bass also discussed the matter.

“This looks like the difference is only 1lb, but the weight going up 2lb in the racecard is irrelevant in a handicap,” said David. “Yes, the minimum weight in the racecard is 10st 2lb, but I could get asked to ride a horse with 10st 5lb in the card and I still have to get down 2lb below that. So if I am trying to get down to 10st 3lb, I will have to use short-term weight loss methods when with the current system I’m getting down to 10st 6lb – which is comfortable – without changing my routine.”

A spokesman for the NTF said the organisation was invited to take part in a consultation on the weight increase, and the need to provide full transparency of weight carried, to the public.

“We were of the view that the outcome reached was reasonable, although understand the sensitivity of this subject for jockeys,” he said. We are now engaged in further discussions with the BHA and PJA, which we hope will enable us to reach an outcome acceptable to all involved.”

As H&H went to press, the BHA told H&H that a “constructive” meeting was held with the PJA, NTF and a “handful” of jockeys on 2 February to discuss the matter.

“We are grateful to those who attended for giving their time and for their input. The discussions will continue and a further update will be provided,” said a BHA spokesman.

The PJA told H&H the organisation welcomed the opportunity to meet the BHA and NTF, and this included testimony from senior jockeys.

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Sometimes we all need a helping hand in life and, on Saturday (27 November), that’s exactly what National Hunt jockey Fergus Gillard received.

Riding in the Watch Racing Free Online At Ladbrokes Handicap Chase (for the Jim Joel Memorial Trophy) at Newbury Racecourse, Fergus Gillard – a conditional jockey based at David Pipe’s yard in Somerset – looked in a decidedly precarious position when his mount, Star Max, blundered badly at the fifth obstacle, almost depositing his rider on to the turf.

Thankfully, Fergus’ weighing room compatriot, Harry Skelton was close at hand and quick thinking when he saw his fellow jockey looked very near to falling off. Once Harry’s mount, Eclair D’Ainay had also cleared the fifth fence, Harry reached over to give Fergus a helpful shove back into the saddle.

Sadly Eclair D’Ainay, who is a seven-year-old son of Network, owned by John Hales and trained by Harry’s brother Dan Skelton, was pulled up after clearing the eighth fence when he dropped to the rear of the field.

However Star Max, who is a six-year-old trained by David Pipe and owned by Pipe’s Prospectors, continued in the race and went on to finish in 10th place.

Il Ridoto, who is trained by Paul Nicholls and owned by Giles, Hogarth, Mason and McGoff, won the race under Harry Cobden, while the Heather Main-trained Numitor finished second under Tom Scudamore.

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

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FEMALE jockeys are underestimated by the betting public when they may be more likely to win than men, research has found.

Vanessa Cashmore, a PhD student who has been part of the senior management team at the National Horseracing College, presented the findings of her research on female jockey performance at the Racing Foundation’s horseracing industry conference on 30 September.

“We’ve seen the likes of Rachael Blackmore and Hollie Doyle, and that females can hold their own at the very highest levels of the sport, and might assume male and female jockeys are seen as equal and judged on their merits,” she said. “But do we really believe females can equal males in race riding?”

Ms Cashmore said females held 26% of licences last year, a figure that has stayed fairly static, but that more of these are amateur than professional licences. This could be choice, or trainer or owner bias could also be behind the difference, and she added that females only get 9% of rides.

So she looked into female jockey performance, adding that this is hard as it is difficult to separate horse and rider results. But the researchers looked at 20 years of race data, from 69,000 races, and compared horses’ starting odds, so the probability of their results, to where they finished.

“We found horses ridden by female jockeys had a greater probability of winning that those ridden by males, if they go off at the same odds,” Ms Cashmore said. “This suggests females are underestimated by the betting public.”

The researchers also look at horses who did not win, considering how much a rider improved their performance by finishing higher than the odds would suggest.

“Again, we saw females finishing better than predicted,” Ms Cashmore said.

“Clearly there’s some gender bias here. It’s hard to compare performance when there aren’t many female jockeys and they’re not on the favourites, but it’s possible female performance is improving, and the market isn’t catching up. But the most underestimation is in the last four years, so I’m hedging my bets and saying it’s outright discrimination.”

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A 79-year-old former jockey is dusting off his silks as he returns to the track for charity.

Colin Moore will ride his own 11-year-old racehorse Ballyrath, trained by Heidi Brookshaw, in the Newmarket Town Plate on Saturday (28 August) and hopes to raise £2,000 for the Injured Jockeys Fund.

Colin rode under Rules in the 1950s and 1960s, then became a labourer, and later set up a steelfixing business.

“I’ve always had horses and have kept riding out for different yards over the years. I haven’t missed a year yet,” he told H&H.

“I still love it. I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t capable, and it keeps me fit.”

Four years ago he was offered “Raffa”, who was based at the stable of Nigel Twiston-Davies and had been sidelined with a hock injury. The gelding’s record included a win under Sam Twiston-Davies at Leicester in 2016, and point-to-point victories including the Grimthorpe Gold Cup in 2019 under Huw Edwards.

“He was turned out with about 20 horses and was boss of the field. We couldn’t catch him to start with but eventually Heidi got hold of him,” said Colin.

“Thankfully the injury has never caused him any issues. He’s a really good horse, if the ground is soft he’s a real stayer. He stays better than me!”.

Colin and Raffa took part in the Newmarket Town Plate in 2019 and were fourth.

“It was cancelled last year because of Covid and I said I didn’t want to go out on fourth. Myself and my horse have stayed fit so I thought we would have another go at it this year. It might be our last year but we will see how we get on,” he said.

“It’s a great crowd and I’m looking forward to it. I’m feeling a bit more pressure this time round as we’ve got more people coming to watch. All the memories are coming back, my valet, Phil Taylor, is the grandson and son of my valets Pat and Phil Taylor from my racing days.”

Colin originally hoped to raise £500 for the Injured Jockeys Fund. The total now stands at £1,700 and he hopes to break the £2,000 mark.

“For me there was no other charity – it had to be the Injured Jockeys Fund,” he said. “I came out of racing unscathed but I have a few jockey friends who have been injured in the past and I saw this as a great opportunity to support the charity. The charity has invited my wife Theresa and I down on Friday to show us around which will be nice.”

To donate visit Colin’s JustGiving page.

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Once better known for his exploits on the all-weather, Adam Kirby scored a win on only his second Derby ride. He tells Catherine Austen about that winning feeling, racing pigeons and his passion for starting youngsters

AS Adam Kirby rode Adayar into the winners’ enclosure at Epsom after the Derby, the expression on his face was more one of utter disbelief and shock than elation. Not only had the 32-year-old won the world’s most famous Flat race on just his second-ever ride in it, but he could also see his fellow jockeys lined up outside the weighing room, grinning, whistling and applauding.

This is a very rare sight in Flat racing. It indicates the level of respect accorded to him as a man and a horseman – and his peers’ recognition that consistent hard work can spark a slow-burning career into flame.

Adam may have ridden more than 1,800 winners in the 16 years he’s been a jockey, but only seven of those have been at Group One level. His was not a name known outside of the sport, but a Derby victory means headlines around the world.

“I was very surprised by that,” he admits. “You don’t see the lads coming out of the weighing room very often, which made it a lot more special. I’ve had no end of lovely messages and letters since. Lots of people have been happy about the way it turned out, which is a nice thing.”

What the modest and softly spoken man means by “the way it turned out” is the fact that two weeks before the race, Adam was called up for the high-profile ride on John Leeper, the colt trained by Ed Dunlop and named after his legendary Derby-winning father, John Leeper Dunlop. It was a big nod to how far Adam, never a particularly fashionable jockey, had succeeded in climbing his way up the ladder of the riding ranks.

However, three days before the Derby, the die was thrown again. Frankie Dettori was given the ride on John Leeper and, while Adam was snapped up by his supporter Charlie Appleby to ride what appeared to be Godolphin’s third-string in the race, Adayar, it seemed only to be a consolation prize.

What goes around comes around in racing; the champion jockey Oisin Murphy is then found himself without a Derby ride, as he was Charlie’s second choice for Adayar.

“I can’t thank Charlie enough,” Adam says. “His loyalty is unbelievable.”

Anyone who appreciated the intricacies of the situation found themselves shouting with delight when Adam held the Frankel colt, a 16/1 chance, tight to the rail as they flew round Tattenham Corner and then unleashed him with a beautiful, relentless charge down Epsom’s hill to the winning post.

“It’s a great feeling, being in front in the Derby, but when you hit the front you just want the post to come – you haven’t won it until you pass it,” he says.

Breeding champions

IT’S the day before Royal Ascot starts, and we’re sitting outside his house, a few miles outside Newmarket, in burning sunshine. Children’s toys litter the yard. His car door is open to reveal the bags and bags of pigeon food he’s just picked up from Mole Valley Farmers. A peal of canine noise betrays the existence of 60 greyhounds – trained by Adam’s mother – while horses of all shapes and sizes and lineage clip-clop past. There are broodmares, yearlings, a couple of hunters, a pony for Adam and his partner Megan’s children (Charlie, five, and Evie, three), a donkey, a ferret, some budgies…

The racing pigeons are a new addition.

“I’m fascinated by the pigeons,” says Adam with a smile. “A chap gave me a little ‘starter pack’ to breed a few of my own, and I’ve just bred a lot which will be the right age to start racing soon. So I have raced them a good few times and they still come home, so they must like it.

“Listen, it is a cheap hobby and it’s fun. It’s nice when you get home and they are already back. I’ve got some mates coming over with timers this week so we can time how long it takes them to fly around the world! I don’t know if I will breed any kind of champion, but you have to be in it to win it and it is certainly cheaper than breeding a Derby champion.”

Adam’s father, Maurice, bought Vicarage Farm in Kirtling, Cambridgeshire, when Adam was four years old.

“Mum’s horsey; Dad wasn’t really a rider, but when we got this place he could breed a few thoroughbreds. He bred a few nice ones, but it’s a money pit,” he says. “My brother and sister and I had a little pony called Timmy, and I was bombing around on him from the age of six.

“A guy called Malcolm Bryson kept his horse here and I used to go out with him; he was the one who got me started, really. And there was a girl, Stephanie Reed, who used to come here and break the horses in – she was also a massive help to get me going and taught me how to ride thoroughbreds. She took me to a few shows – I wasn’t very good at that. I used to take the wrong course a bit, probably talking when I should have been listening. I had a great childhood here, and never wanted for anything.”

Adam started riding out for trainer James Fanshawe when he was 12 – the year he left school.

“I suffer badly with dyslexia and hated school,” he explains. “I couldn’t concentrate. All I’d think about was messing around with ponies and tractors on the farm. I’d get upset with myself – being dyslexic doesn’t mean you are thick – I’m just good at things that I can focus on and bad at things I can’t – but I was rubbish at things I wasn’t interested in.

“However, racing actually helped as I would try to read the Racing Post and other things I was interested in. I think that is why I am more of an animal person than a people person.

“I just couldn’t handle school any more, and Mum and Dad were very good about it and home-educated me. I would like to think I never looked back. If I could do it all over again, I would do the same.

“I was tiny when I first rode a thoroughbred and was always run away with, but it was a hell of a buzz and there is no greater feeling than riding a decent horse.”

Turning professional

ADAM’S first ride as a professional when he was 16 was a winner – Broughton Knows for Gay Kelleway at Lingfield on 1 October 2004. At 5ft 11in, he is exceptionally tall for a Flat jockey, so he thought his nascent career might be short-lived.

“I was getting heavy quite quickly, so I thought I may as well enjoy it while I could. I thought about jumping – I like jump racing – but I’m into the Flat, really. I did have one ride, in a Flat jockeys’ jumps race at Lingfield, and came second, but I didn’t get as much of a buzz as I thought I would,” he says.

He has kept the weight off, however – at Epsom it appeared as though his cheekbones could poke out through his skin – and an association with the Lambourn trainer Clive Cox has been a happy and consistently successful one. Adam’s first Group One winner, Lethal Force in the 2013 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, was for Clive, as have all his top-level victories been until Adayar.

He gets his jumping kicks out hunting, however. When the former Flat jockey Eddie Ahern was in England, he regularly took Adam hunting with the “thrusting” packs.

“I used to have marvellous days following him,” says Adam with enthusiasm. “Sadly he has gone back to Ireland so I don’t get to go with him any more, which took the shine off hunting a little bit. It is nice to have a friend who is a bit go-ey to follow. I met some great people through hunting.”

His winters are already very busy with breaking in yearlings – in a load that came from Charlie Appleby two years ago was his very own future Derby winner, Adayar – and any young sport horses he’s sent. He’s keen to do more with the latter.

He says: “Ever since I have had my own money, I have bought a few and sold a few and messed about with all types of horses. I have a very good hunting mare in the field, best I’ve ever had; she’s just had a foal from a coloured sport horse. It’s come out red and white so I’m looking forward to having some fun with that.”

The breaking-in business is growing.

“I love to work with such quality [horses],” he says. “They aren’t hooligans; a top horse’s mindset is different. They learn first time. When you are going through that volume of horses, it’s quite obvious that I can’t break them all in myself, but they are broken as I would like them to be and it is a big team effort. Hopefully it is going the right way and will start to really kick on. It would be nice to be able to promise the staff, who are good riders and loyal, a full volume of horses all year round.”

‘I understand horses’

ADAM admits that he finds horses easier than people. Pressed to explain why, he says: “I understand horses. For instance, a young one that is thinking about doing something naughty, I can see him thinking about doing it and so can act accordingly. You can correct things quickly; I get how they think.”

It’s too early to know whether winning the Derby will change Adam Kirby’s life, but he doesn’t really care. He just wants to work with nice horses. And if you’ve got a young one at home that needs breaking in or educating, no matter what its parentage may be, he’d love you to send it to Vicarage Farm.

.

This exclusive feature is also available in this Thursday’s Horse & Hound magazine, on sale 1 July 2021

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Harry Skelton joins an illustrious roll of honour, joined for the occasion by his trainer brother Dan, jockey wife Bridget and Olympic gold medal-winning showjumper father Nick

THE 2020/2021 National Hunt season did not quite end as Harry Skelton might have wished but he was, nevertheless, crowned champion jump jockey for the first time at Sandown on Saturday (24 April).

After a titanic tussle, it only became mathematically certain that he had beaten Brian Hughes at Warwick on Thursday – amazing when you consider nine seasons ago he was down to eight winners.

“Since I’ve come into race riding, being champion jockey is something I’ve always wanted to achieve,” he said. “Not many people get to live out their childhood dream and I’m very lucky I’ve had the chance.

“You have to take each season as it comes but I’m going to just enjoy this as much as I can. At the end of the day I suppose when you have won it once you want to win it again.

“I’m very lucky, I’ve got a big stable to ride for and hopefully if I have a good, clean season free of injury and I’m in the same position again then of course I will try to do it again. The fact my name is on that trophy is very satisfying as a lot of the people on there are heroes of mine, which is very special.”

While it is his name engraved on a trophy, the 31-year-old insists his success is more of a team achievement than an individual one.

“It is my name on the trophy but there are a lot of people who have helped me do it and if it wasn’t for Dan [Skelton, brother and trainer] I wouldn’t be in this position.”

No one was prouder than his father, Olympic gold medal-winning showjumper Nick Skelton.

“Obviously it is in every jockey’s mind when they start,” said Nick, who watched him presented with his trophy by Sir Anthony McCoy. “For Harry to do so is remarkable, and I am very proud. He’ll want another one now!

“We don’t give up, we are not quitters. You have to keep fighting. That’s what I did and it is what I instilled into them. Harry and Dan were always around me when I was going to the shows. They grew up with horses and have taken it on into racing.

“Dan spent nine years with Paul [Nicholls]. He did a proper apprenticeship there and learnt everything, and so did Harry who was there at the same time. They are very close and work brilliantly together. In the past couple of weeks I was probably getting more agitated than Harry because I wanted him to win.

“There is everything I did, but when your boys do it I feel greater pride. The Olympic gold was five years ago. That was a great day for myself and the boys because they were still involved. We are a tight-knit family and I think we are good at what we do.

“I think they get their determination from me. Dan is also a great planner. He has planned this all out for Harry, week by week. The next thing would be to make Dan champion trainer but that will not be easy. Paul will not lie down, but that is his fault because he taught him everything. He only has himself to blame on that one!”

Paul Nicholls celebrated his 12th trainers title and Northern Irishman Danny McMenamin was crowned champion conditional jockey, joining an illustrious roll of honour that includes AP McCoy, Richard Johnson and Brian Hughes. The 20-year-old former pony racer has been based with Nicky Richards in Cumbria since 2017 and this season landed his first Grade Two.

JP McManus earned the title of leading owner and the recently retired four-time champion jockey Richard Johnson earned a special recognition award.

Full report on all the action from the jump racing season’s finale at Sandown in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 29 April

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Amateur jockey Lorna Brooke has died in hospital after a racing fall.

Lorna, 37, was airlifted to Bristol Southmead Hospital on 8 April when the horse she was riding, Orchestrated, fell at the third fence in a handicap chase at Taunton. The horse, trained by her mother Lady Susan Brooke, was believed to be uninjured.

The following day, Lorna was reported to be in intensive care where she was undergoing tests for a suspected spinal injury and was in a serious, but stable condition, and was conscious.

She was placed into an induced coma on Friday (16 April) owing to complications and was said to be “critical, but stable”.

A statement from the Injured Jockeys Fund released this morning (19 April) announced the sad news that Lorna had died.

“It is with deep sadness that we have to share the tragic news that Lorna Brooke passed away yesterday,” it said.

“Her family thank everyone for their kindness in the last 10 days, particularly the staff at Southmeads Hospital who were so professional. They will be having a private funeral and will hold a celebration of Lorna’s life once Covid-19 restrictions allow.”

Lorna was a familiar figure on the point-to-point circuit. Records show that since 2005, she had more than 290 rides between the flags with 29 victories and rode a winner on her first start this season in the mixed open at Sandon on Easter Saturday (3 April).

She also rode in more than 400 races under Rules in Britain and Ireland since taking out her amateur licence in the early 2000s, with 17 victories including the first running of a ladies’ handicap chase at Fairyhouse in 2015 aboard 25/1 shot Moonlone Lane for trainer Paul Stafford.

Tributes have poured in from across the racing world.

A British Horseracing Authority (BHA) spokesman said the organisation is “deeply saddened” to learn the tragic news of Lorna’s death.

“The entire racing community is in mourning today and our thoughts are with Lorna’s family and friends,” it added.

“We ask for the privacy of Lorna’s family to be respected at this time and we await the opportunity to celebrate her young life when restrictions allow.”

BHA chief executive Julie Harrington added: “Everybody at the BHA is devastated by this news. Lorna was a much-loved member of our sport, in which she and her family are steeped.

“Lorna demonstrated many of the qualities that make British racing so special. She was a proud competitor and somebody who was driven by an abundance of love not only for the sport but for the horses she competed with.

“My thoughts, along with everybody else who loves racing, are with Lorna’s family, friends and colleagues at this dreadful time.”

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Find out everything you need to know about British jump jockey Bryony Frost ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.

1. Bryony Frost was born on 5 November 1998 and is from Buckfastleigh in Devon.

2. She is the daughter of retired jockey Jimmy Frost, winner of the 1989 Grand National, who is now a trainer. Her grandfather was also a trainer and her brother, Hadden, a jockey.

3. Aged nine, Bryony set her heart on becoming a jockey, and she learned to ride on pet donkey Nosey.

4. She won multiple Devon and Cornwall pony racing championships.

5. As an amateur jockey, Bryony won the Foxhunter Chase at the 2017 Cheltenham Festival, riding Pacha Du Polder for trainer Paul Nicholls, whom she rides for frequently.

6. In November 2018 she became the fifth woman to record 75 wins under Rules.

7. In March 2019, Bryony became the first woman to win a Grade One race over obstacles at the Cheltenham Festival, riding Frodon in the Ryanair Chase.

8. She won the British conditional jockeys title for the 2018/19 season.

9. In December 2020 Bryony rode Frodon to victory in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park, becoming the first woman jockey to win the race.

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10. She is the the all-time leading female National Hunt jump jockey, and currently has almost 200 career victories to her name.

11. Bryony will ride nine-year-old Frodon in the 2021 WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup for trainer Paul Nicholls and owner Paul Vogt.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news and updates from the Cheltenham Festival via the Horse & Hound website and read the full report in the 25 March issue of the magazine

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To mark the week that celebrates International Women’s Day (8 March), some of the racing industry’s most successful female participants have spoken to Great British Racing about their careers. “Women in Racing, Striding for More” showcases the wide range of roles occupied by women in the sport through a series of videos, including record-breaking jockey Hollie Doyle, broadcaster Alex Hammond, as well as yard and racecourse staff.

In the past five years (2016-2020), the number of women involved and succeeding in racing has sky rocketed. Here are some of the most notable changes:

• There has been a 47% increase in the number of rides secured by women during the Cheltenham Festival, from 23 in 2016 to 34 in 2020.
• There has been an increase of almost 3% in the total number of women riders as women now make up 23% of all riders. This includes amateur, conditional and apprentice riders.
• Women have also achieved 2.6% more wins over jumps and on the Flat. In 2016 5% of all wins (501) achieved were by women versus 7.6% of all wins (601) last year.

Flat jockey Hollie Doyle dominated the news last year by breaking the record number of wins achieved by a woman on the Flat with 151 wins; landing a historical fiver-timer at Windsor Racecourse in August; claiming her first Group One victory at QIPCO British Champions Day and ending the day as the leading jockey on Great Britain’s most valuable race day. Doyle deservedly went on to finish third in the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and was also named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year. Doyle remains on stellar form celebrating another phenomenal five-timer at Kempton last week (3 March).

There has been a significant increase of wins by women racing over jumps in the past decade too, from 61 wins in 2010 to 175 wins in 2020. On Boxing Day last year, jump jockey Bryony Frost became the first woman to win the famed King George VI Chase at Kempton, while breaking the record for the most-ever career wins (174) achieved by a woman over jumps in the same race.

As well as women securing more rides at the Cheltenham Festival across the past five years, the number of rides by women during Royal Ascot has increased dramatically with 27 rides for women in 2020, compared to just one in 2016.

“It is great to see that there have been a lot more women competing in recent years,” says Hollie. “We are just as good as men given the opportunity and I hope that other women continue to work hard and pursue their dreams of working in racing.

“It is also really important that the hard work from other women across the industry is recognised. There are so many people, men and women, that play a part in looking after our horses, getting them to the track and making the action happen once we are there.”

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Ashleigh Wicheard, a member of stable staff for 15 years who also features in the campaign, says: “My main aim is to improve the diversity within the industry.”

While Alex Hammond, a racing channel TV presenter, says: “My mum has always inspired me and she brought me up to be a strong and independent woman. There are so many great female role models in horse racing now and it’s just wonderful to be a part of it and to see how that’s evolved.”

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Something remarkable happened at Navan Racecourse in Ireland yesterday (21 February). Twenty-four-year-old jump jockey, Hugh Morgan won a race with no stirrups when one snapped after the first of 17 fences.

Hugh, who is a 5lb claimer and based with trainer Henry de Bromhead, demonstrated his incredible stickability to stay aboard the grey Young Dev in a three-mile handicap chase. The 17-2 chance appeared a real outsider after jumping the very first fence and many people have hailed Hugh’s heroics as the ride of the season.

“Just after the first fence my right iron snapped, so I kicked my left foot out of the stirrup and decided to keep going and see how we got on,” Hugh said in his post-race Racing TV interview. “I thought my horse was an experienced handicapper so he would know his way around, so I was happy to hack away with him and take our time.”

Hugh was left very much at the back of the field of runners after the first fence, but his patience (and horsemanship) paid off.

“It wasn’t too uncomfortable at the time — I just had to keep my legs wrapped around him,” Hugh explained. “Going to the second from last I thought I had the horses in front of me covered, and it was my job to deliver my horse as late as possible as he can idle as soon as he gets his head in front. It might not have looked pretty, but it’s great that we got to the line in front.”

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The victory aboard Young Dev, who is a seven-year-old owned by Liam Mulryan and trained by Denis Gerard Hogan, provided Hugh with his 31st career winner. We’re sure that he won’t want to have to repeat winning in such a way ever again, though.

“I’m grand at the minute, but I’d say I’ll be sore in the morning!” he said.

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The golden girl of racing talks to Martha Terry about smashing records and dead-lifting 125kg, her partner in crime and enjoying anonymity off the track

“She could easily be a champion jockey, why not?” said Frankie Dettori after Hollie Doyle landed five winners at one meeting at Windsor in August.

Hollie has already finished as the highest-ever woman in the championship rankings – fourth, ahead of former treble champions Frankie himself, Silvestre de Sousa and Ryan Moore. That’s just one of the records Hollie has smashed this year. Fastest female to 50 wins in a season, most winners by a woman in a calendar year (117, beating her own record), first woman to land a five-timer – and now, a nomination for Sunday’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) award (20 December, #votehollie), alongside another record-breaking speed merchant, Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.

A female champion jockey is now a realistic prospect – the first since records began in 1840.

“It’s an honour for someone as prolific as Frankie to say that,” Hollie says. “I’d love to be champion, but it’s not something I’d considered as I didn’t think I’d be good enough.”

Her talent is not in question. The second half of 2020 passed in a blur for Hollie as she sped from one monumental first to another: her first Royal Ascot winner (Scarlet Dragon); first Group winner (Dame Malliot); then first Group One winner (Glen Shiel) – attracting the interest of Derby-winning owner Imad Al Sagar, for whom she has been retained since August. Following a Breeders’ Cup debut in Kentucky in November, her latest accolade was becoming the first female to win at Hong Kong’s International Jockeys’ Championship last week.

It’s an incredible wave she’s surfing, but as we speak on the phone mid-morning shortly after she’s landed back home from Hong Kong, she’s experiencing a rather less welcome first.

“I’ve never had jet lag before, but this was my first time in Hong Kong,” she says cheerfully. “I slept 10 hours on the flight, but it still feels like it should be night time…”

International travel is unlikely to be a novelty for much longer. Although

Hollie seems to have burst into prominence in the past 18 months, at 24 she’s been in the game for over a decade. Hollie was born into racing, with dad Mark a point-to-point trainer and former jockey, and she cut her teeth pony racing via the Radnor and West Hereford branch of the Pony Club.

“Dad used to have breakers in too, so there were always horses around,” she says. “I did all the Pony Club stuff, especially mounted games because Mum was the instructor, and I loved showjumping, too. I never did dressage – it wasn’t fast enough for me; I’ve always loved speed.

“Once I started pony racing, I got the bug quickly and put all the other Pony Club stuff to one side.”

Hollie still has her first pony, Jerry, but her enthusiasm was in spite of, rather than because of, him.

“He only jumped two clear rounds in my entire childhood,” she says. “He’s 12.2hh, but because I’m so small, I never grew out of him. I even started racing on him, but he came last every time.”

Next up came Charlie Brown.

“I was obsessed with that pony,” says Hollie. “He was one of the best ponies in the Pony Club, but we couldn’t afford to buy a pony of his calibre and were lucky enough to be able to lease him for two or three years.”

Hollie then bought an undersized thoroughbred mare for £500 – “who never won” – before another loan pony came up trumps. The 13.2hh Balfour Hillsong did the rounds with a few future jockeys.

“Balfour Hillsong was a legend and won quite a few races for me,” says Hollie. “It sounds like I had a slow start, but I didn’t care about winning in those days, I just liked doing it.”

Hollie envisaged she would head down the National Hunt path.

“I’ve never ridden over jumps but I thought I’d be a jump jockey because of my family background, but I never grew so the Flat made more sense,” says Hollie, who is just under 5ft.

Building up her tiny frame has been pivotal in Hollie’s ascension into the top flight. Besides riding out two or three lots before an afternoon’s racing, Hollie goes to the gym three times a week, where she has been focusing on increasing her strength.

“Most jockeys can’t afford to bulk up, but because I’m naturally so small I can, and I enjoy it,” she says. “I do a lot of dead-lifting weights and can really see the benefits.”

Hollie lifts a maximum of 125kg, well over double her weight, underlining how strong she is in the saddle. This strength is an asset she’s put to good use this season on her Royal Ascot winner, Scarlet Dragon, who happens to be something of a tearaway.

“He’s the horse I owe the most to, even though he’s a quirky old b****r,” she says. “He was my first big handicap winner as an apprentice, so to get my first Royal Ascot win on him and for Mr Ponsonby [owner] is great.

“I used to find him incredibly keen, he was one of the reasons I knew I had to strengthen up. I don’t always have the measure of him. He’s strong and if he wants to do something, he will. He’s run off with me at the races before.

“That Ascot win was my best ride of the season, although I don’t like saying that about myself. It just all fell right – and probably will never happen again!”

She sounds like she’s pinching herself, but the dream kept going all summer long, as one ride after another rocketed past the winning post. “It just fell right” is looking distinctly like a gift for tactics and timing.

Another driver behind Hollie’s success is her long-term partner, fellow up-and-coming star Tom Marquand, who finished one slot ahead of her in the championship, having secured his first Classic victory this year. The couple met on the pony-racing circuit when she was 14 (he’s 18 months her junior) and were an item a year later, both going on to be apprentices at Richard Hannon’s yard. Now they live together in Hungerford and their individual successes spur one another on.

“We’re not competitive against each other, but if one of us is doing well in one aspect, it drives the other one to try to get better, too,” she says. “We’ve grown up together and this is the life we’ve always known.”

Familiarity with competing alongside boys is standing Hollie in good stead. Although women account for just 5.2% of rides, with the majority holding amateur licences, Hollie is oblivious to any perceived bias.

“The so-called male domination has never put me off,” she says. “It’s never even crossed my mind. Perhaps because I was brought up in the racing industry, it’s just seemed normal to me. I just haven’t thought about it and it’s never held me back.”

Some female jockeys admit that certain owners would prefer to put up a male jockey, but Hollie has simply never encountered any discrimination.

“I don’t think it’s ever happened to me – and hopefully I’ve proved there’s no difference now,” she says.

Nerves don’t bother her either.

“I’m never nervous about the actual race, just perhaps when I’m on a new track and in a new country, I feel a little apprehensive about their ways, but as soon as I’ve had a ride I’m OK – I just want to please everyone,” she says. “I used to get anxious about travelling, though. If you’d told me 18 months ago I was going to Hong Kong, I’d have been fretting, because at that stage I’d only been to France. Racing has enabled me to see more of the world, and now I’ve grown up and experienced that racing’s the same everywhere, I’m more laid-back.”

The refreshing thing about Hollie is how grounded she is. Besides the SPOTY shortlisting, she’s already been crowned The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year and been nominated for four of the industry’s Lester Awards (22 December). For one – Flat Jockey of the Year – she’s pitted against Tom, plus reigning champion Oisin Murphy and William Buick. That could be interesting in the Doyle/Marquand household…

“I was brushing it all off, but these award nominations have built up,” Hollie admits. “I haven’t really had time to stop and reflect as I’ve just kept riding.”

A return to a dark and wet winter of all-weather racing back in England followed the glamour of Kentucky and Hong Kong.

“Once you’re doing well, you want to keep it going or it might be hard to get the momentum again, so I’m still racing seven days a week,” Hollie says. “But I’ll take a week off after Christmas and we’ll go away if we can.

“I haven’t thought about the increased publicity. No one recognises me outside racing and I hope they never do! I just do my thing, and it doesn’t feel like anything’s changed.”

But that’s where she’s wrong, and if she can defy the odds to become the first jockey since AP McCoy in 2010 and the first woman since Zara Tindall in 2006 to hold the SPOTY trophy, her incognito days may be over. And if Frankie’s prediction comes true – a female champion would change perceptions in the sport forever.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 17 December 2020

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Hollie Doyle is one of the shortlisted nominees for this year’s BBc Sports Personality of the Year Award. Here’s all you need to know about the exciting young jockey, who has already rocked 2020...

Firstly, here’s what you need to know about how to vote for Hollie to be crowned 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. This year’s awards will air on BBC One on Sunday 20 December and voting will be open to the public during the programme. You can vote by phone or online on the night for the main award, with full details announced during the show. For more information see https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality/55101008.

The hashtag #VoteHollie is also becoming increasingly popular online and will be key to building awareness of Hollie’s incredible achievements and the momentum behind the voting process — so make sure to use #VoteHollie as much as you can.

Here are nine facts about this incredible young woman, who has already built up a phenomenal CV…

In the blood

The 24-year-old comes from a racing background. Her father, Clonmel native Mark Doyle, is a former jockey and her mother, Caroline, rode in Arab races.

Hollie grew up in Herefordshire, where the family had ponies and point-to-pointers. She was a member of the Herefordshire branch of the Pony Club and first took to the saddle aged nine.

A winning start

Her first ride under Rules as an amateur jockey came at Salisbury in May 2013 on a horse called The Mongoose — and it was a winning debut. After completing her GCSEs in 2013, Hollie joined the yard of David Evans in Wales. During the winter months, she spent six weeks riding out in Santa Anita, California.

Apprentice success

On becoming an apprentice jockey, Hollie moved to the Wiltshire yard of Richard Hannon in 2014 and she rode out her claim in November 2017. As an apprentice, she was victorious in the Listed Upavon Fillies’ Stakes on Billesdon Bess at Salisbury in August 2017.

Taking it all in her stride

Hollie may be small in stature but she is as tough as they come. In June 2018, Hollie took a nasty tumble in a race at Haydock and suffered facial injuries, including several lost teeth. However, just 10 days later she returned to her day job race-riding.

Record setter

In 2019, Hollie set a new record for the number of winners ridden in a season by a female jockey after 116 victories — surpassing Josephine Gordon’s record of 106 wins set in 2017. Hollie’s first Royal Ascot winner came this year, when she partnered 33/1 chance Scarlet Dragon to win the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes. This record has been broken by Hollie again in 2020 and to-date has clocked up 136 winners this season, despite racing being suspended for 75 days owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

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A dream job

This year also saw Hollie claim her first Group race in July when Dame Malliot won the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket. In the same month, she bagged a dream job as retained jockey for Imad Al Sagar and in August she won on Extra Elusive for her new boss — her second Group race victory.

A talented duo

Hollie met her partner Tom Marquand, who is also now an established jockey, at Pony Club and they were apprentice jockeys together at Richard Hannon’s yard.

Group One victory

In October Hollie rode her first ever Group One winner on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot. She was riding the Archie Watson-trained Glen Shiel.

Already an award winner

Last month Hollie was named the 2020 Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year. She joined the illustrious list of winners, which includes Denise Lewis, Dame Kelly Holmes and 2019 winner Dina Asher-Smith.

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Dual champion jockey Oisin Murphy has been suspended for three months following a positive sample for metabolites of cocaine – but his explanation that he has never taken the drug has been accepted by officials.

Following a test at Chantilly racecourse on 19 July, the Irish jockey was told by France Galop on 19 August that his “A” sample had returned positive for the class A drug. On the same day Oisin arranged for an independent laboratory to undertake hair sampling, which came back negative for the drug, and denied ever taking the drug.

In a decision issued by the commissioners of France Galop on 27 November Oisin was told he had been found in breach of the rules and was suspended from riding for three months.

A spokesman for the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) said in the decision the commissioners accepted Oisin’s explanation that he did not take cocaine and that the positive sample arose as a result of unintentional, environmental contamination – but he must serve a three-month suspension as the rules relating to prohibited substances operate on a strict liability basis, and he failed to avoid putting himself into a situation where contamination could occur.

In a statement Oisin thanked France Galop and the commissioners for a “fair” hearing and for accepting the evidence he presented.

“This evidence included my hair sample results – the results of which I am making public today – and an expert witness statement from an eminent toxicology and anti-doping expert,” he said.

“Whilst I am obviously disappointed that I will still have to serve a three-month suspension, I am pleased the commissioners accepted the evidence presented and am hugely relieved to have been cleared of taking cocaine.”

Oisin added he “respects” the rules and decision of France Galop, and will not be appealing the suspension.

“Despite my relief, I regretfully put myself in a situation whereby cocaine has been able to filter into my system through environmental contamination and must live with the consequences. As a professional sportsman I cannot put myself in a similar situation again,” he said.

“Even though I have been exonerated from taking cocaine, I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Sheikh Fahad al Thani, David Redvers and Andrew Balding and thank them for their support. I also want to thank my legal team, particularly Florence Gaudilliere, who represented me in France, Rory MacNeice, the PJA, Johnno Spence and others who have advised and supported me throughout.”

Oisin also apologised to the Qatar Racing team, his owners, trainers, supporters, weighing room colleagues, commercial partners and Racing to School.

“The next three months will give me much time to reflect on my actions but I will learn from this experience and come back better and even more determined than before,” he said.

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Trainer Andrew Balding said Oisin arrived at Kingsclere in 2012 and is “very much part of the Park House family”.

“I have been very proud to watch him thrive in the saddle but also as an ambassador for the sport,” he said. “Oisin is a kind, trustworthy and dedicated part of the team. I never doubted he was innocent but I know this will really hurt him and I will make sure we do everything to help him return as a stronger and better person.”

A spokesman for the British Horseracing Authority told H&H the organisation is a signatory to the international agreement between racing nations – and all signatories of this agreement must include within their rules a provision that suspensions incurred in recognised racing authorities must be reciprocated.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Top jockey Hollie Doyle has been named the 2020 Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.

Hollie joins the illustrious list of winners, which includes Denise Lewis, Dame Kelly Holmes and 2019 winner Dina Asher-Smith.

“I am blown away,” said Hollie.

“It’s been an unusual year in so many ways and I feel very grateful to have been able to do what I love day in, day out. Seeing my name compared to the previous winners of the award with the likes of Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Dame Kelly Holmes, is pretty crazy and very humbling!”

Hollie, 24, adds the crown to a phenomenal year of successes.

She scored her first Royal Ascot win in June aboard Scarlet Dragon in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, following this up with a record-breaking five wins across the same card at Windsor in August.

By October, she had broken the record for the most winners in a season ridden by a female jockey (117) — a record she herself had set the previous year — reaching the tally two months faster than in 2019.

Three days later, she broke yet more records on QIPCO British Champions Day.

Her seven-length victory in the Group Two Long Distance Cup aboard Trueshan, trained by Alan King, was the first time a woman had ridden a winner at British Champions Day.

She followed this up with a quick double, adding her first Group One victory to her CV with the Archie Watson-trained Glen Shiel holding on by a nose to win the British Champions Sprint Stakes.

“It is a dream come true, a massive dream come true, especially on this horse. Everyone in the yard adores him,” she said at the time, crediting the win to Archie’s training performance.

Hollie, a former member of the Radnor & West Hereford branch of the Pony Club, got into the sport through pony racing.

She won her debut ride under Rules, which came in May 2013 as an amateur aboard The Mongoose at Salisbury.

After her GCSEs that year, she joined David Evans’ yard in Wales and in 2014 she became an apprentice jockey for Richard Hannon, riding out her claim in November 2017.

Hollie, who is currently retained jockey for Imad Al Sagar, recently passed the 400 winners mark, 132 of which have been in 2020.

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‘I didn’t want it to be a one off’: rider breaks British record for second time

‘She is pocket sized but has talent for horses big and small that you can’t measure. Her humility and affability

British Horseracing Authority (BHA) chair Annamarie Phelps said the accolade is “richly and truly deserved”.

“In one of the few sports where men and women compete on equal terms Hollie is living proof of the fact that female jockeys can be more than a match for the men,” she said.

“However, this is about far more than just the boundaries Hollie has broken as a female athlete. Through her dedication, professionalism, bravery, focus, athletic ability and level-headedness Hollie sets the template that all young sportspeople should aspire to, regardless of sport or gender.”

BHA chief executive Nick Rust added Hollie is a “phenomenal horsewoman, a true professional and a terrific role model”.

“The frightening thing about her is that she is only just getting started – there truly is no ceiling as to what she could achieve in this sport,” he said.

“We will all look forward to following her ongoing rise, perhaps one day to become our first female champion jockey.”

Triathletes Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown, cyclist Lizzie Deignan and darts player Fallon Sherrock were also on the shortlist for the award, which was held virtually on 25 November.

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Former Flat jockey Richard Perham on talent-spotting, and swimming a Derby runner alongside hippos in Kenya

At the British Racing School, we train and assess young jockeys for amateur and professional licences. The curriculum has evolved to include sports science, substance abuse, race-day procedures, simulator sessions, studying form, diet, nutrition, and cooking over two weeks.

We’re trying to promote jockeys seeing themselves as professional athletes. Simon Milton is a former footballer who lectures here about making the most of your career. He says athletes should only fail in professional sport through lack of ability – rather than not being fit enough or under-prepared.

My simulator isn’t motorised or spring-loaded; every forward and back movement is from your push. I’ve taken away everything you can balance on other than stirrups. You learn to be so balanced you’re not compromising the horse.

I raced in Saudi Arabia one winter. Willie Carson came to ride in the King’s Cup and invited me to his hotel for dinner. I was quite starstruck, he’d ridden four Derby winners, he was an absolute god in the weighing room. I sat and listened for hours. He said, “You’ve got to do something, or your career will flatline.” That’s what happened. I was getting opportunities to ride in good races but couldn’t take the next jump up, I wasn’t outgoing enough.

The soft skills are important; 50% of what you do is based on your physical attributes, but a lot of sport is played in the mind, as well as dealing with owners, trainers, media, now social media, presenting yourself. The riding’s a doddle!

My favourite horse was Desert Green. I rode a Glorious Goodwood winner on him, but I’d be happier with four rides at Salisbury than Newmarket for the 1000 Guineas. It was less pressure. Worlds away, I also rode in Kenya and swam my Kenyan Derby horse in the lake, bareback in shorts, two days before the race. Afterwards I asked why the assistant trainer was throwing pebbles in the water and was told, “To keep the hippo away”.

It took me 10 years after I retired before I could even look at a sauna; just the smell of the dry wood made me feel sick. I will not go near a bath, after all that time sitting in a hot bath in a sweatsuit and bobble hat, sucking an ice cube.

I’m proud of what I did as a jockey, but I’m disappointed I didn’t do better. Now I see my mistakes and share them with my students; I wasn’t ever fit enough.

Some young jockeys just stand out. Richard Hughes, son of champion jockey and trainer Dessie Hughes, was three-time champion jockey and is now a successful trainer. He came to Richard Hannon’s yard at 18, where I was an apprentice.

A senior jockey said to me, “Dickie boy, watch him. He’s been sitting around the breakfast, lunch and dinner table with owners, trainers and jockeys since he was two. He knows the time of day.”

Five years back, Tom Marquand jumped out more than anybody. I knew him through pony racing and, even when he was 14 I thought “wow”. He has everything required; he’s a good person, likeable, intelligent, enthusiastic, curious, the right physique, he could ride, and he had the mental ability to want to do it without being arrogant. He’s the next champion jockey in waiting.

More recently, trainer Jamie Osborne’s daughter, Saffie, has got most of what we’re looking for. I like to see them coming through the pony racing circuit, like Formula One drivers starting in karting.

Times are changing; Hollie Doyle is a jockey, not a lady jockey. Hollie and Tom Marquand have been an item since their days of pony racing. They feed professionalism and brilliance off each other. Apparently their first kiss was here on pony racing camp behind the theatre.

Ref Horse & Hound; 6 August 2020

This month’s Derby-winning jockey tells Catherine Austen how he landed the odds on his Epsom debut, and why he’s in no rush to pursue his accountancy career just yet

While the equine heroes of Derby Day at Epsom were Serpentine and Love, the magnificent chestnut son and daughter of Galileo who gave trainer Aidan O’Brien an eighth win in both the Derby and the Oaks, the undoubted human star was Emmet McNamara.

The 30-year-old gave 25-1 chance Serpentine a brilliantly bold, front-running ride to capture Flat racing’s most illustrious prize by 5½ lengths. As the assembled journalists frantically Googled him before the press conference, they discovered that not only was it his first ride in the Derby, it was also his first ride at Epsom, his first Group One – let alone Classic – success, and his first winner of any sort since October last year.

Emmet may have been an unfamiliar face to the British press, but, speaking with humour, honesty and intelligence about the race and his position at Ballydoyle, he isn’t one we’ll forget.

“I’ve been saving myself,” he said, with a sideways smile, when asked about those winnerless months.

More Googling reveals a LinkedIn page – how many jockeys have those? – a first-class honours degree in accounting and finance, and three out of four of his professional accountancy exams. There’s more to this man than a pair of chiseled cheekbones and ability in the saddle.

A different perception

When we speak, he is back at home in Tipperary on day two of the 14-day quarantine period he has to undergo after riding in England and France.

“I’d have taken 14 months’ quarantine for this,” he laughs. “I’m no better rider this week than last week, but winning the Derby changes how people perceive you. Whereas people might have labelled me as ‘Emmet McNamara, former champion apprentice’, or ‘Group Two-winning jockey’, now I’ll always be ‘Derby-winning jockey’.”

Emmet is part of a small band of jockeys who essentially form the second string at Ballydoyle. Ryan Moore and Seamie Heffernan ride the most fancied horses, while Emmet, Padraig Beggy – who got his own blast of Epsom glory when Wings Of Eagles won the 2017 Derby at 40-1 – Michael Hussey and a couple of others get their chances when Aidan has multiple runners. He rides out at Ballydoyle 13 mornings out of 14 and is a cog in that extremely well-oiled mega-machine.

He explains: “When you are coming up through the ranks in racing, you are always dreaming of these top races and think winning them is possible. It’s only when you actually start riding against the best jockeys you realise just how hard it is. Whatever ability you have, if you don’t get on the horses, you’ve no chance. I was lucky – there are a thousand lads in that weighing room more talented than me, but they didn’t ride Serpentine in the Derby.”

Racing in the blood

Emmet’s father Eric is a popular jumps trainer in Co Limerick, and race-riding was always Emmet’s focus. Aged 11, he started pony racing, and was national champion in 2004 and 2005. He rode 166 winners – a record-breaking 65 in the 2005 season. After a year to concentrate on his Leaving Certificate at school, he began riding on the Flat under Rules. He joined Ger Lyons’ yard in 2008, and became champion apprentice in his first full season.

He spent the majority of the next six years riding for Ger, with short spells in England with Ralph Beckett and in Australia with Gai Waterhouse. A struggle with his weight led to a season and a half as a jump jockey, but his heart always lay with the Flat and, once his weight was under control again, he went back.

“Ger was very loyal to me for the time I was there – almost a second dad,” says Emmet.

However, when Ger appointed Colin Keane as his stable jockey in 2014, Emmet decided to look elsewhere. “I asked Joseph [O’Brien] one day if he thought there might be a job for me at Ballydoyle,” Emmet says.

He went and rode out at the Tipperary powerhouse one Sunday morning, and Aidan offered him a job. With Ger’s blessing and good wishes, he took it, and has now been a permanent part of the team for six years.

He emphasises the impeccably high standards of horsemanship and horsemastership at Ballydoyle.

“All the jobs are done by the very best people, be they the work riders, farriers, the groundstaff, the vets, the accountants,” he says. “It is a fantastic place to work. There are never any raised voices. All Aidan asks is that everyone tries their best.”

He elaborates: “There are very, very few top riding jobs in Ireland. You could be a busy fool flying round all over the place trying to pick up spare rides with very little chance. I’m very happy with the position I have at Ballydoyle and I will stay there as long as Aidan O’Brien wants me. I suppose it means you focus on quality, rather than quantity, but it suits me.”

Talent away from the saddle

What about the accountancy degree, however? Is that an indication that he is looking beyond the saddle?

He is keen to refute this, saying: “It might look as though I have some masterplan to get out of racing and go and work in an office, but that wasn’t actually the case. It was more that, once I had finished riding out in the mornings, if I wasn’t racing I didn’t have a whole pile else to do. I wasn’t that bad at school, and it was something I could do in the evenings to fill my time in a constructive manner. There was no grand plan to take the finance and accounting world by storm. As things stand, I have a good job, I’m not looking for another one.”

He certainly has no ambitions to take over his father’s training licence: “I couldn’t think of anything worse.” He is the eldest of four children – and they, and his wider family, got “a huge kick” out of his Derby win, and no one more so than his proud father Eric who, Emmet admits, rang him “probably 40 times” in the 24 hours before the Derby.

Serpentine, whose sire won the 2001 Derby and whose dam, Remember When, was second in the 2010 Oaks, only won his maiden a week before Epsom.

“But Aidan filled me with confidence beforehand,” says Emmet. “He told me that, if things went his way, he was one horse who could win the Derby. I believed him, because if that man tells you something about a horse, you’d believe him. You’d believe him if he told you the sky was green.”

The race itself went like a dream. Emmet says: “I don’t think I stole a march on them early in the race – they were up behind me at halfway. It was in the second half of the race where he really stamped his authority. ‘You stole it’ doesn’t wash with me; he galloped them into submission, rather. When we turned down the hill and I gave him a little squeeze, he took on the downhill run, whereas maybe some of the others didn’t take it on with as much gusto and bravery. He attacked it, which is testament to his balance and his genuineness.”

It seems likely that, when the Ballydoyle riding dice are shaken, Emmet will get the chance of a few more sixes. But if he doesn’t, his brain, temperament and talent will surely mean he achieves something, somewhere, and it will be interesting to see what that is.

Ref Horse & Hound; 23 July 2020

History-making British jump jockey Lizzie Kelly is stepping back from the saddle with the news that she expecting her first child.

Lizzie, 27, was the first woman to ride a Grade One winner over fences when she piloted Tea For Two to victory in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day 2015.

She announced today (Thursday, 9 July) that she would “not be returning to the weighing room this season and in all likelihood not at all” as she is expecting a baby with her husband, bloodstock agent Ed Partridge.

“I want to take the opportunity to thank the huge amount of people who have helped along the way,” she said.

“My husband Ed, Mum and Chester, the team and all the owners at Culverhill Farm, Rodi Green, Neil King, Ginge and the hordes of other people who taught me, helped me and encouraged me over the past 11 years.

“The girls in the weighing room who made it feel like home and the lads on the other side who were always so good to me.

“I really have had a career that I could never imagined and I’ve been blessed to be associated with the horses that I have ridden.”

Lizzie rode around 50 point-to-point winners while at school and university before turning professional aged 21 when she joined Neil King as a conditional.

Other highlights of Lizzie’s 11-year career include Cheltenham Festival wins in 2018 aboard Coo Star Civola in the Ultima Handicap Chase and last year on Siruh Du Lac in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase. She was also the first woman in 33 years to ride in the Gold Cup in 2017, which she contested aboard Tea For Two.

“I will still be heavily involved in racing through mine and Ed’s new venture, Valentine Bloodstock, which will focus on my love of dealing with youngstock and I hope to continue working within the racing media, something I’ve always enjoyed and am passionate about,” she said.

“I’ll really, really miss race riding, but won’t miss those saunas! It’s been a dream. Thanks to all.”

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Lizzie Kelly makes history for female jockeys

Lizzie Kelly became the first woman jockey to ride a Grade One winner in Britain

She added the long-term goal is to train, but “there is nothing that will replace riding in races”.

“The big winners are an important part of a jockey’s career; it’s what you put all your hard work and efforts into getting,” Lizzie told Great British Racing.

“The part of the job I enjoyed the most was riding young horses on their first time on the racetrack and looking after them – I got a real kick out of that.”

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Top Flat jockeys James Doyle and Harry Bentley were put through their paces in a sport completely unknown to them.

Commonwealth Games heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who is also a QIPCO British Champions Series ambassador, set the pair the ultimate heptathlon challenge.

She taught James and Harry the skills required to compete in four heptathlon events — javelin, high jump, 200m and long jump.

The Newmarket-based jockeys, who are also close friends, are used to being competitive in the saddle and this was certainly reflected on the athletics track too, despite James dominating the tough challenge.

“Overall, I think Katarina was pretty impressed with our efforts. She was really nice and it was great fun to do something completely different from what we’re used to,” said James.

“Harry is super competitive, so he was annoyed he couldn’t get one on the board. I was a little sore for the next couple of days after the challenge which surprised me.”

Harry added: “I have the utmost respect for Katarina and other athletes like her — there is so much skill involved in each of the heptathlon events. I think James and I found the fitness side alright, however, the movements are totally different from what we do on a daily basis.”

Katarina highlighted that the boys were more prepared than they realised.

“This was something that I think was new and different for them,” she said. “James and Harry train really hard to ride racehorses. But I think they had plenty of laughs doing a different type of training.

“The focus jockeys put on their core training is amazing and there are many similarities in how we all train in the gym,” she added. “The guys were good sports, they picked up the heptathlon challenge events quickly and definitely showed their competitive sides too.”

So should James and Harry consider changing sports anytime soon?

“Their technique could still do with some work, but I could never ride a racehorse like they do,” she said. “I think they have more of a chance of becoming multi-event athletes than I do of becoming a jockey!”

In this week’s Horse & Hound (12 July), don’t miss our ‘Rider fitness’ special including what top riders eat, fitness for across the disciplines and more.

Plus, read our interview with Royal Ascot-winning trainer Eve Johnson Houghton and in this week’s ‘Vet clinic’ we take a look at bacterial meningitis in horses. We also have reports from eventing action at Barbury, racing from Sandown Park and much more.

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Having gone for 28 years without breaking a bone in my body, my time came on a freezing February morning this year while riding out racehorses.

I had previously wondered whether you know straight away when you break a bone and I can now confirm YES you absolutely do know — the pain was excruciating (thank god for morphine).

I can also confirm (having now tested it out) that falling from a horse onto sheer ice is not to be recommended and can result in a broken femur (thigh bone) in two places.

After being pinned back together and sporting a pair of crutches, the rehabilitation began and now, over two months later, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

And the main reason for this surge of positivity, is because I have been one of the many fortunate riders, jockeys and sportspeople to benefit from the incredible rehabilitation centre that is the Injured Jockeys Fund’s Oaksey House in Lambourn.

This place is like no other that I’ve come across; you have access to brilliant facilities — now boosted thanks to the addition of a hydrotherapy pool — and a top-class team of physiotherapists and conditioning coaches.

The racing industry and the wider equestrian community are so lucky to have Oaksey House available to them. So much so, even other sports, such as rugby, are sending their athletes for rehabilitation at Oaksey House.

Because I hold a point-to-point jockey license, I had free access to all the treatments/gym sessions and just had to pay a small fee for the accommodation — staying in one of their lovely self-catered flats.

I enjoyed four days of intense rehabilitation at Oaksey House, which included three sessions a day varying from physiotherapy to hydrotherapy and gym sessions. I say “enjoyed” because it was so amazing to get back doing exercise, regain focus and kick start my goal to get back walking without crutches or a limp.

Most of my sessions were in the gym and the hydrotherapy pool with strength and conditioning coach Gavin Egan. I’d say he had his work cut out with me, and he certainly worked me hard. However, if you’d told me on day one that, by the end of the week, I’d be standing on just my broken leg throwing and catching a ball, I would have laughed — he worked miracles.

In the gym

Having effectively been inactive for two months, Gavin firstly explained that my muscles basically needed reactivating — especially my core muscles and my “glutes”. He also wanted to get me off the crutches and get me back walking without a limp.

The loss of strength in my knee was also an issue and contributed to my limp. Gavin introduced a resistance band (placed just above my knees) to stop my knees falling inwards during the lower body strength exercises, such as squats and bridges.

To get my glutes back in action, Gavin had me doing lots of lower body exercises and leg lifting in the gym (pictured, below) which involved contracting (squeezing as hard as I could!) my glutes.

Some of the exercises caused, not pain, but a weird feeling in my leg — a bit like an elastic band being pulled. Gavin explained this was the iliotibial band (IT band) being stretched. The IT band runs from the knee to the hip joint and provides attachment for the glutes and “thigh muscle” for hip abduction, also providing stability to the knee. He added that this was probably cut through during surgery (eurghhh).

I also did a lot of work on the TRX suspension trainer and by the end of the week I was doing step ups on only my broken leg, having started off as wobbly as jelly.

After each gym session, I was hooked up to the Game Ready ice machine, which was pretty cool. It wraps around the leg, while the control unit it’s connected to continuously circulates cold water through the wrap and pneumatically applies compression.

The hydrotherapy pool

This recent addition to Oaksey House is remarkable — a specially heated pool (pictured, below) with not only a treadmill in it, but jets and underwater cameras, so you can analyse the range of movement and for me, in particular, my gait in walking on the screens in front of you.

Going in the hydrotherapy pool meant I could achieve a variety of exercises that I would struggle with out of the water, because the water makes it non-weight bearing and reduces the pressure on my joints and broken leg.

Gavin had me walking both forward, backwards and sideways while also throwing a ball at me (lucky I did a bit of netball at school…) and with weights around my ankles. It took some multitasking to think about two things at once — catching the ball while trying not to come off the end of the moving treadmill.

Among other exercises, I did some squatting, jumping, static swimming against the jet streams and some balance exercises. It was a great feeling to have that range of movement back again and I can’t recommend hydrotherapy highly enough.

Before the hydrotherapy pool was built at Oaksey House, the Alter G anti-gravity treadmill (pictured, below) was the go-to machine for non-weight bearing rehabilitation, it is an awesome piece of kit and still used a lot there.

It’s impressive technology works by reducing the bodyweight. Once zipped in, it fills with air below the waist, effectively lifting you slightly off your feet, and allows you to do exercise with decreased bodyweight. For me, it was so nice to walk without a limp and I was able to focus on my stride pattern.

Physiotherapy

During my stay, I also had physiotherapy from both Emma Edwards and Heidi Preece, which usually started with a soft tissue massage because the muscles in my leg were so tight and there was tightness in my hip and knee joints too.

We also ran through strengthening exercises that involved using a resistance band.

I was also introduced to “electrotherapy” which is when electric energy is used to mimic the nerve impulses that cause muscles to contract — the electrodes taking the place of the nerves that normally cause the muscles to move. The electrode “pads” were put on my leg which was the weirdest sensation, especially when your leg is moving without you doing anything.

The muscles are exercising independently, in turn increasing strength in my leg and improving the healing process, helping the muscles recover faster.

I am due back at Oaksey House at the end of May for further rehabilitation and Gavin has promised he’ll have me running out of the door…

On a final note, I cannot give enough credit to the whole team at Oaksey House, the work they do is brilliant and I found staying there an eye-opening experience — I met people with much worse injuries than mine and it certainly put everything in perspective.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

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One year after being diagnosed with cervical cancer, amateur lady jockey Laura Wilson made her comeback to the saddle a winning one, following a rollercoaster 12 months.

The 34-year-old rode the Brian Ellison-trained mare, Our Kylie, to an emotional victory in the lady amateur riders’ Derby at Ripon (22 June) — her first race-ride since the devastating news last summer.

“I found out I had cervical cancer in June 2016, but I initially kept it quiet because I wanted to ride in the Queen Mother’s Cup at York, which I’d won the year before,” said Laura. “I then went on holiday — where I got engaged — before coming home to start my chemotherapy and radiotherapy.”

Remarkably, the Northern-based rider continued to work for her boss Brian Ellison — something she credits for getting her through her treatment.

“I was riding out my lots each morning and Brian and the team were brilliant and so supportive. I was then offered the head girl job, which was a great opportunity,” added Laura.

“I was desperate to one day get my riding licence back so I continued to go to the gym and go running in the hope it would happen.”

Following her successful treatment, the jockey was given the all clear at the start of this year.

“It took a while to get my licence back because the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) were so thorough with their checks.”

Laura was on track to have her first ride back in this year’s Queen Mother’s Cup, however the ground was too firm for her intended mount. Laura’s patience was rewarded when Brian jocked her up on the five-year-old mare at Ripon.

“I couldn’t believe it when she went and won, it was not expected,” said Laura. “It was so nice to have my family there to watch it — my parents were there and my fiancée, Andy, led me up. It was emotional because it was around the same time it all started last year. But I just wanted to prove that I could make a comeback — let alone win.”

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Trailblazing jockey Michelle Payne has taken “full responsibility” after testing positive for a banned substance.

Racing Victoria held a stewards inquiry today (29 June) after a urine sample taken at Swan Hill race meeting on 11 June tested positive for the appetite suppressant phentermine. She was prescribed the drug, but said she did not check whether it breached anti-doping rules.

Michelle admitted the breach and was suspended for four weeks from 23 June.

A statement from Racing Victoria said stewards took into account her “guilty plea, good record and remorse” when considering their decision.

“Ms Payne was also advised that she must provide a urine sample clear of any banned substances before being permitted to ride trackwork and in trials,” added the statement.

Speaking to journalists after the hearing, Michelle gave her “sincere apologies”.

“I would like to make it clear that I take full responsibility for what has happened today,” she said.

“The onus is 100% with me as a rider to know what I am taking and the rules around it regardless of whether is has been prescribed to me or not.

“I regret not seeking all guidance and making certain that any treatment would lead to a breach of the rules and why we are here today.

“I wasn’t thorough and that was completely my fault.

“My sincere apologies to everyone that this has happened in the manner that it has.

“I accept the stewards’ decision and appreciate that it is in keeping with other penalties for riders in the breach of this rule.

“I am very much looking forward to finding a solution and working with my surgeon.

“I look forward to working hard and being in great shape on my return to racing.”

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First female jockey to win Melbourne Cup does so at 100-1

Michelle Payne told critics of female jockeys to

Michelle shot to international fame when she became the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup in 2015.

Last year she was hospitalised for weeks after a career-threatening fall in May 2016, in which she split her pancreas. She recovered and returned to race riding in September last year.

Michelle made her Royal Ascot debut aboard Kapersky in the Group One Queen Anne Stakes last week (20 June), where she finished fifth. Her ban will be lifted in time for the Shergar Cup at the racecourse on 12 August.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

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What happens when two highly competitive athletes go head-to-head? In the name of research, dual Grand National-winning jockey Leighton Aspell took up the challenge against Bristol Rugby Club player (and record try-scorer) Tom Varndell. See them both in action below.

Jockey Leighton Aspell and rugby player Tom Varndell embarked on four physically demanding exercises that tested their aerobic fitness, power and isometric strength at Liverpool John Moores University — including a VO2 max test, a vertical power jump, a plank and a wall squat (pictured, below). Eurghh! Those of us at H&H headquarters feel tired just at the thought of it…

Credit: Great British Racing

The study was conducted under the watchful eye of leading sports scientist Dr George Wilson, who has worked extensively with jockeys — helping riders improve their performance through targeted diet and fitness plans.

“The difference in the physical requirements of a jockey to that of a rugby player are obviously quite stark given that fitness is sports-specific — muscular endurance for a jockey versus power, strength and speed for a rugby player,” says George. “However, despite the physical difference between them, some of the tests were closer than you would expect.”

“Leighton is an excellent example of the ‘jockey athlete’ and I’d encourage other jockeys to take a leaf out of his book — there would not be many who could match his level of fitness and conditioning.”

Describing Tom as a “tough competitor”, Leighton added: “I’d say that my general fitness levels were above average based on the amount of exercise I do — I ride horses every day and if I am not I will head to the gym or go running.

“I was really pleased with the results and I thought it was a really interesting exercise to compare the abilities from two different sports.”

The rugby player may have been twice the size of the Irish jockey but some of the tests still pushed him to his physical limits.

“Leighton is incredibly fit and it took all my competitive nature to keep with him on some of the tests,” said Tom. “I am a big fan of horse racing and this has given me a renewed appreciation for how tough and resilient the riders are.”

The challenge:

VO2 max test

This is a gauge of the maximum volume of oxygen that an athlete can use during physical exertion. It is measured in millilitres per kilogramme of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min).

Leighton and Tom were placed on a treadmill running at 8km/h with the incline of the treadmill increasing by 2% every two minutes.

1^st Leighton (65ml/kg/min, pictured below)

2^nd Tom (51 ml/kg/min)

Credit: Great British Racing

Power jump test

This test is a physical fitness test that is used to demonstrate power in the lower body. The main goal of the test is to measure how high an athlete can jump from a standing position based on their explosive lower limb power.

1^st Tom (69cm)

2^nd Leighton (39cm)

The plank test

Another isometric assessment, it is a simple fitness test of core muscle strength. The plank test measures the control and endurance of the back and core stabilising muscles.

1^st Tom (3min 31secs)

2^nd Leighton (3min 28secs)

The wall squat

An isometric test designed to measure the strength endurance of the lower body, particularly the quadriceps muscle group.

1^st Leighton (2min 06secs)

2^nd Tom (1min 49secs)

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British jockey George Baker is being treated in intensive care after his horse fell and was fatally injured at St Moritz on Sunday (26 February).

George’s horse, Boomerang Bob, was one of three horses that came down in the opening race, but the other two and their riders escaped injury.

The classic-winning rider was taken to a trauma hospital in Chur, Switzerland, by air ambulance.

“George has woken up, and with the hospital releasing the news I can only imagine they are pleased with his progress,” said his agent Guy Jewell.

“He’d already had a CT scan and that has come back clear.

“They will obviously need to check that everything is working properly and his wife is on her way out there.”

The remainder of the meeting was cancelled.

At St Moritz, horses race on a snow-covered track over a frozen lake.

Race organiser White Turf said a crack was found in the ice after George’s fall.

“Following a detailed investigation by the race management and those responsible for White Turf, a crack in the ice had occurred on the inner rails of the racetrack, some 150m from the finishing line,” said a White Turf spokesman.

“This meant that water had come up to undermine the racetrack. The safety of the horses and the riders could no longer be guaranteed.

“That is why the race day had to be cancelled, which was acknowledged with applause by the spectators.

“After first medical examinations, the hospital released the positive news that jockey George Baker had not sustained any serious injuries.”

Thomas Walther, president of the management board of the St Moritz Racing Association, told spectators: “As we could not estimate how conditions on the racecourse would develop, we unfortunately had to call off the race meeting.

“The safety of the horses and the riders are paramount. There is no danger for spectators anywhere on the lake.”

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While most people around the country will be tucking into the roast turkey and all the trimmings on Christmas Day, jockeys have to keep a strict eye on the food they consume during the festivities so a low calorie Christmas dinner is on the cards for these hard-working athletes.

It is, of course, the season of over-indulgence and the average person will eat a whopping 7,000 calories alone on the 25 December.

But with Boxing Day being one of the busiest days in the racing calendar — the highlight of which is the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park — National Hunt jockeys will eat no more than 1,000 calories in order to control their weight.

To discover the secrets for achieving this, some of the top jump jockeys in Britain have revealed the lighter way they enjoy Christmas, with low calorie, healthy recipes.

Dual Grand National-winning jockey Leighton Aspell swears by his steak salad for a low calorie Christmas dinner comprising one 200g sirloin steak, avacado, feta cheese and a handful spinach — it takes just 10 minutes prep time and a further 10 minutes to cook.

“It’s my one big meal of the day,” said Leighton. “It’s full of protein and carbohydrates and it is just what I need to help me recover after a long day.”

Champion jockey Richard Johnson meanwhile has come up with his version of a low calorie Christmas lunch, using one 200g turkey steak accompanied by new potatoes instead of roasties.

“This time of year revolves around the 23^rd December when the declarations are made for Boxing Day and we find out what weight we’ve got,” said Richard. “With a big family — three children — and plenty of food around, if I’ve got a light weight this is what I’ll eat.”

Thistlecrack’s regular jockey Tom Scudamore prefers his salmon parcel which takes just 20 minutes to cook.

“When I come home from the races, I like to have a nice salmon salad, maybe with brown rice — so I get all the protein and carbohydrate I need after a long day and get me ready for the early morning and cold start the following day,” added Tom.

So if you’re watching your weight over the festive season, perhaps one of these low-calorie options would be ideal for your Christmas dinner? Or if you have a go-to alternative that you think our jockeys are missing out on, let us know what that is below.

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Jockey Wilson Renwick has decided to swap saddles in what he has called ‘a Pendleton in reverse’ after announcing his retirement from racing on Monday (17 October).

The 36-year-old jump jockey revealed his hopes to become an elite cyclist this week, having suffered multiple injuries and nerve damage last year — he has been sidelined from race-riding since a bad fall at Market Rasen in May 2015.

“As well as the concussion, I broke a vertebra in my neck, my collarbone, my jawbone and a couple of ribs, and they’ve all healed,” Wilson told BBC Sport.

“But nerve damage in my left arm means some of the muscle has wasted away and I’ve lost power in it, which won’t come back, so that’s it.”

The Scottish rider is now attached to Italian cycling team Parentini and will be competing in endurance events.

Wilson’s dramatic career change is not dissimilar to the challenge achieved by Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton, who made the leap from cycling to racing in 2015. The gold medallist succeeded in her goal to ride in the Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, where she finished fifth.

“I have no solid plans, but doing a Pendleton in reverse and becoming a professional cyclist is the dream,” he added.

“Victoria did brilliantly getting to Cheltenham, and going some way to trying to emulate what she did would be quite something.”

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Wilson, who started his career as a jockey in 2000, rode for trainers such as Donald McCain, Micky Hammond, Howard Johnson, Peter Monteith and Lenny Lungo.

His career highlight was winning the Grade Two Premier Kelso Hurdle at the Scottish track aboard the Peter Niven-trained Clever Cookie in 2014.

He also built up a solid partnership with the Martin Todhunter-trained Presenting Junior, with whom he racked up seven wins.

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AP McCoy has spoken out about the mental battles, such as depression, and the unique pressures that jockeys face on a daily basis.

The former 20-time champion jump jockey features in a new documentary about mental health and wellbeing released today (10 October) to coincide with World Mental Health Day.

The eight-minute film is part of the ‘Jockey Matters’ series produced by the Jockey Employment and Training scheme (JETS) and the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA). The short films focus on a range of issues surrounding jockey welfare, including nutrition, fitness, rehabilitation and now mental health.

“Sport is not a very level thing, it’s not like a nine-to-five job where the same things happen every day,” said AP. “You experience the highs and the lows, but it’s coping with the lows that’s the most difficult part.”

Other jockeys speaking openly on film about personal battles include Daryl Jacob, Mark Enright and dual Grand National-winning jockey Leighton Aspell, who briefly retired from race-riding in 2007.

Mark Enright was the first jockey to speak publicly about suffering from depression and it is hoped the film will encourage jockeys to speak out about their experiences.

The documentary also signposts the 24-hour PJA confidential wellbeing phoneline set up to help jockeys who are struggling with the day-to-day pressures of the weighing room.

“The world’s best coach I’ve ever met in sport recently told me the greatest strength you have is to ask for help. In the past it was seen as a sign of weakness, but that is total nonsense,” stresses sports psychologist Michael Caulfield.

In July this year, six-time British champion Flat jockey Kieren Fallon was forced to retire from the saddle following an ongoing battle with depression, for which he received medical treatment.

Continued below…

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‘I credit Murphy with getting my head straight’: when horses have healing powers

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Both the British Horseracing Authority and Racing Welfare signed the Mental Health Charter this year — joining the PJA as signatories.

“Given the unique pressures faced by jockeys, we knew how important it was to offer them a service such as the PJA helpline,” added Paul Struthers, the chief executive of the PJA.

“More and more jockeys are using it and we’re hoping that the one-to-one confidential sessions will play a vital role in improving the mental wellbeing of jockeys across the country.”

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Jumping a chase fence during a hurdle race — without reins — was not exactly conditional jockey Harry Bannister’s plan when he was legged up onto Vif Argent at Kempton Park.

However, the jockey’s skills in the saddle were tested to the limit when he found himself reinless after the first hurdle, during the eight-runner race.

“I was coming down to the first hurdle and he took off way too early and dived through the hurdle. His head hit the floor and I was thrown forward on to his ears, it was at that point I lost my reins,” said Harry, who was riding the Andrew Reid-trained gelding for the first time. “I grabbed the buckle of the reins before realising both reins were on the right-hand side of his neck and the bridle was now just over one ear.”

With no means of pulling the seven-year-old to the left, the horse veered right, away from the field, and on to the chase course, with a brush fence — approximately 4’6″ in height — fast approaching them.

“I didn’t actually think he would take the jump on — I thought he might slow down. I was trying to reach down and get the reins back over his head, but I think that just made him go faster,” Harry told H&H.

“When I realised he was going to take the jump on, I stopped trying to get the reins back and just grabbed hold of his mane. He jumped the fence beautifully!”

With the chase and hurdle courses at Kempton sharing bends, horse and jockey — with the reins now wrapped around Vif Argent’s front leg — re-joined the field.

“About five strides before the next hurdle, the reins snapped. At this point I wasn’t really panicking, I was just focusing on staying balanced and keeping ourselves out of trouble as much as possible,” recalled Harry, who is conditional jockey for Lambourn-based trainer Warren Greatrex.

“We carried on for near enough a full circuit with the rest of the field before the bend coming round to the grandstand, where we broke away from the field again. This time he went straight for the white rail, which he tried to jump,’ said Harry. “But about a stride off he jibbed slightly and lost momentum, which meant we both ended up on the floor.

“During the race, I was more worried about how I was going to stop him and also about not getting in the way of the other runners — it could have been really nasty, but thankfully we both got up from it absolutely fine.”

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From a canteen in the changing room to surviving a deluge of rain on course, H&H's Hannah Lemieux spends the day at Wincanton racecourse and discovers all the action behind the scenes

With attendance at racecourses breaking the six million barrier last year, record number of people are enjoying days at the races. But not many will know what goes on behind the scenes and what it takes for a raceday to run smoothly.

Ahead of Wincanton’s Kingwell Hurdle Day (20 February), I join the team at the Somerset track during a weekday meeting and find out what really goes on — both in the depths of a racecourse weighing room and out on the course.

Wincanton racecourse is popular not only with spectators in the south-west but also the area’s top trainers including champion trainer Paul Nicholls and Colin Tizzard. The number of racedays has increased to 16 meetings over the years — all held between October and May, meaning it is now a busy period for the team who make the racedays happen.

Breakfast time

The day begins with a tasty cooked breakfast courtesy of Anita Buckling, who also oversees the jockeys’ canteen too. I join clerk of the course, Barry Johnson, over breakfast as we get fuelled up for the day.

Wincanton has been one of the more fortunate racecourses to have survived a recent deluge of rain. Barry was out on the course at 7am and has given the raceday the green light.

“Today we have survived the bad weather and there is no waterlogging. Other racecourses have not been so lucky,” says Barry, who has been at Wincanton for eight years but is also clerk of the course at Exeter racecourse — having worked his ways up the ranks there for 35 years.

“Today two fences have been taken out because of a boggy patches around the course. We have a weather station and the rain is measured at specific points around the course so we know exactly how much rainfall there has been,” he adds.

“Our big days at Wincanton include Boxing Day and the Kingwell Hurdle but I treat every raceday the same. The priority is always to make sure the course is safe for both horse and jockey.”

Setting up

By 9am preparations are well under way at the racecourse, as people busily go about setting up for the day before gates open at 11.30am.

Today in the Kingwell restaurant, which overlooks the paddock, there are 55 booked for lunch — many of whom are annual members. On a big raceday the room can hold up to 150 people. There are also 13 private boxes in total.

Not for the faint-hearted

Huw Williams, the racecourse general manager, briefs the stewards who will be manning the gates and entrances.

“There has been four millimetres of rain in 48 hours and the going on the track is not for the faint-hearted,” he tells them. “Today we have 53 runners and 2,000 racegoers are expected.”

At 11.30am, I join Barry on a coursewalk with head groundsman James Martin, Richard Linley, the senior inspector of courses for the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the racecourse chairman Jo Hepburn (pictured below).

It is a miracle the course has survived the recent rainfall and the chase fences have been moved to the left by four yards — so the course runs on fresh ground from the previous raceday.

“Patchy ground is the worse type of ground to have, which is why we have decided to omit two fences because of the boggy patches,” explains Barry. “It is worse for horses to go from soft ground to even softer ground and then back on soft ground.”

James and his team of groundsmen have been busy during the week building up to the raceday doing final preparations to the track — levelling it out using a soil and sand mixture and also adding more spruce to the chase fences to bulk them up. They have been doing everything within their powers so today can go ahead and make sure it is safe for both horse and jockey.

“You can never beat nature, you just have to find a way to work with it,” says Richard Linley.

Barry tells me that the hurdle track also gets fresh ground, every two meetings. The upheaval of these substantial fences takes a whole day.

Half-naked jockeys

Back in the warmth and dry of the weighing room, Barry gives me a tour of all the areas where the real behind-the-scenes action happens.

The entrance of the weighing room is where the scales, for weighing-out and weighing-in, are located. Although now updated with an electric one, the traditional one still remains and has been known to come in handy during a power cut on raceday. Feeling paticularly brave I have a sit on them myself (pictured top).

One of the first things the trainers do when they arrive is head to ‘Declarations’ where they declare their runners for the day (pictured below).

I have a quick peak inside the jockey changing room before it is filled with around 30 half-naked jockeys. There are two — one for the lady jockeys and another for the men, the latter is considerably larger (pictured below).

The valets, who are responsible for cleaning all the gear and ensuring the jockeys’ equipment is transported between racecourses, arrive at about 10am. They start setting up and putting the correct saddles and gear on the right jockey’s peg.

There is also a washroom, a shower room and sauna. In the corner of the changing room is a small canteen. Spencer is in charge of keeping the jockeys fuelled today. He has come to know what the jockeys like to eat and drink including chicken wraps, fruit, sweets and energy drinks.

Outside the changing room, there is a magnetic map of the racecourse outlining where each fence is and where the rails are placed. This is updated on raceday by Barry and means the jockeys can see where both the hurdle and chase tracks run — as a number won’t walk the course.

Adjacent is the ‘Medical room’. The doctor and a nurse arrive 90 minutes before the first race. If a jockey has a fall, they must be checked over by the doctor and be signed off on the database, which is kept by the BHA.

Barry also shows me into the ‘Stewards room’, this is where all the decisions are made. There are two BHA stewards on raceday called stipendiary stewards, as well as two voluntary stewards who are not from the BHA. The “stipe” stewards’ role is to interpret the BHA rules for the voluntary stewards.

If an issue comes before the stewards, all the stewards will discuss the issue before the voluntary stewards relay the information to the jockeys involved.

In the stewards room there are four TV screens, showing different angles including head on, side and rear view.

The jockeys will be called into the Stewards room and the incident will be watched on TV and discussed. The jockeys then leave before a decision is made and the jockeys are informed.

Best turned out

The first race kicks off at 1.30pm and runners start to come into the paddock ahead of it.

TV presenter Luke Harvey hands me an envelope containing £50 and asks if I want to choose the best turned out. I don’t have long to choose as the bell goes for the jockeys to get on — it is not an easy task for someone indecisive like me, but in the end I opt for a handsome bay horse with an immaculately plaited tail. I hand over the envelope to the winning stable lass.

At the start

For the following race, I pile into a car with today’s starters, Simon McNeil and Will Jordan as we drive down to the start.

Today Will is starting and Simon is ‘whipping-in’ — standing behind with a whip to encourage any tricky horses to jump off.

As the horses arrive at the start, Simon and Will check girths (pictured below) and equipment, before horses and jockeys walk into start — it is now a requirement that jockeys walk their horses in towards the starting tape.

During each race, a vet, doctor, ambulance and the grounds team truck all follow the runners on the inside of the course. In the back of the latter are screens incase there is a fallen horse or jockey who need privacy. There is also equipment should a fence need quickly repairing. The grounds team are also on hand to catch any loose horses on the course.

An important role

Clerk of the scales, Graham Ford, invites me to join him at the table (pictured below) in front of the scales, where I watch him do the important job of weighing-out and in the jockeys. His role is to make sure they are riding at the required weight for the race.

Each race has a speadsheet that Graham updates and this is sent to the BHA and the handicappers also have access to the documents.

“Jockeys can weigh-in [after a race] up to and including 1Ib lighter than they weighed out, and they can weigh-in up to 2Ib heavier than they weighed out — they are the allowances,” Graham explains.

During the raceday Graham will decide how many jockeys need to weigh in after a race.

“Some races it will just be the placed jockeys that need to weigh-in but there has to be one ‘all weigh-in’ per day. The jockeys get told on the door if this is the case and whether they need to weigh in.”

The weighing has to be accurate. The jockeys get a 2Ib allowance for the body protector but in jumping — particularly in heavy going — one pound can be the difference between winning and losing.

“It is not that unusual for jockeys to have to declare overweight, it probably happens a couple of times a week,” adds Graham.

The final decision

For the final race, I venture up to the ‘Judge’s box’ with today’s judge Guy Lewis (pictured below). There are two screens for Guy to watch on, while a colleague upstairs swiftly provides him with the photo finish picture if required.

Upstairs there are two cameras, one films the nearside action and the other films the reflection off a mirror — that is placed on the far side of the finishing line and captures the far side action. It means Guy can see both angles of a finish. He will then announce the result over the racecourse tannoy.

Guy has the final decision when it comes to final placings but connections and jockeys can appeal that decision.

With the last race done and dusted and all the horses and jockeys back in one piece, the packing up and clearing commences for the hard-working Wincanton team. It has been a long day but very enjoyable.

I have been given a fortunate insight into the side of racing few spectators get to see. With this raceday finished and a success, the following morning all eyes will turn to their next big raceday and preparations will begin all over again.

The first race for the Kingwell Hurdle Day this Saturday (20 February 2016) is at 1.40pm

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now