Billy Loughnane

Last updated

Billy Loughnane
Occupation Jockey
BornMarch 2006
Ireland
Major racing wins
Schwarzgold-Rennen (2024)
Coventry Stakes (2024)
Racing awards
British All-Weather Champion Apprentice (2022-23, 2023-24)
British flat racing Champion Apprentice (2023)

Billy Loughnane (born March 2006) is an Irish jockey who is based in Britain and competes in flat racing. He is the current British flat racing Champion Apprentice and twice British All-Weather Champion Apprentice.

Contents

Background

Loughnane is the son of Clare and Daniel Mark Loughnane, an Irish trainer based in England. Born in Ireland, Loughnane moved to England with his parents and brother Jack at the end of 2011, living first in Staffordshire and then, from 2017, at a new training yard, Rock Farm, near Kidderminster in Worcestershire. [1]

Loughnane started riding out for his father when he was still at school and also rode on the pony racing circuit, winning the all-weather championship in 2022. [2] [3] He always wanted to be a jockey and went to school dressed as a jockey when asked to dress as what he wanted to be when he was older. [1]

Career

Apprentice jockey

Loughnane took out an apprentice licence after leaving school aged sixteen and had his first ride in October 2022 on Starfighter, trained by his father, at Newcastle. His first winner was another horse trained by his father, Swiss Rowe, at Wolverhampton on 28 November 2022. [1] In April 2023 he was crowned champion all-weather apprentice with 41 winners, in spite of taking a break in February to ride out with trainer David Meah in Miami. [2] [1] On 1 April 2023, on just his third ride on the turf, he rode Doddie's Impact, trained by Robyn Brisland, to victory in the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster. [4] The following month he became the youngest jockey since Lester Piggott in 1951 to ride in a British classic when he partnered Sweet Harmony in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. The 200/1 outsider, trained by Richard Spencer, finished 14th of 20 runners. [5] He had eight rides in his first Royal Ascot, with his best result being second place on Calling the Wind, trained by Richard Hughes, in the Ascot Stakes. [6] He rode out his claim with his 95th winner on 8 September 2023, having had to take three weeks out after injuring his thumb in July in the stalls at Nottingham. [7] On 1 October he won the Apprentices' Derby at Epsom on the favourite Forceful Speed, trained by George Boughey. [8] and at the end of the month was crowned as 2023 Champion Apprentice on Champions' Day at Ascot. [9] He retained his all-weather apprentice title in April 2024. [10]

Professional jockey

Loughnane secured his first Group race victory when he rode Queues Likely, trained by Stan Moore, in the Group 3 Preis Karin Baronin von Ullman Schwarzgold-Rennen at Cologne in Germany on 21 April 2024. [11] On 18 June 2024 he achieved his first win at Royal Ascot, riding the 80/1 outsider Rashabar to a photo-finish victory in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes for trainer Brian Meehan. [12] This was followed three days later by a win on Soprano for George Boughey in the Sandringham Stakes. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Dettori</span> Italian jockey

Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori, is an Italian jockey who was based in England for a career spanning over 35 years. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and rode the winners of 287 Group 1 races including 23 winners of the British Classic Races. His most celebrated achievement was riding all seven winners on British Festival of Racing Day at Ascot Racecourse on 28 September 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Moore (jockey)</span> British jockey

Ryan Lee Moore is an English flat racing jockey, who was Champion Jockey in 2006, 2008 and 2009. He is currently the first choice jockey for Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle operation, a role in which he mainly rides horses owned by Coolmore Stud. He also sometimes rides horses for Juddmonte and The Royal Family. As of 2023, Moore has ridden over 170 Group or Grade 1 winners internationally. He has the most British Group & Listed wins of any active jockey.

Jason Charles Weaver is a former, classic-winning, British flat racing jockey who had his major successes in the mid-1990s. In total, Weaver rode more than 1,000 winners in a career which spanned fourteen years. Since retiring he has worked as a presenter and pundit, and currently works on ITV Racing and Sky Sports Racing. Weaver is one of only seven jockeys to have ridden two hundred winners in a season, a feat achieved in 1994 when he finished runner-up to Frankie Dettori in the jockey's championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayley Turner</span> English jockey

Hayley Turner is an English jockey who competes in flat racing. Originally from Nottingham, she is based in Newmarket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Queally</span> Irish jockey

Tom Queally is an Irish flat racing jockey based in Britain. He rode Frankel in his unbeaten 14-race career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Buick</span> Norwegian-born flat jockey

William Buick is a Norwegian-British flat jockey. He shared the champion apprentice jockey title in 2008 with David Probert and won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008. From 2010 to 2014 he was stable jockey to John Gosden. In 2015 he signed with Godolphin. Buick won his first Group1 race in Canada in 2010 and since then has won Group 1 races in England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. He has won five British Classic Races: the St Leger in 2010, 2011 and 2021, the Derby in 2018 and the 2000 Guineas in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silvestre de Sousa</span> Brazilian jockey

Silvestre de Sousa is a Brazilian flat racing jockey who is based in Britain and was three times champion jockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Hanagan</span> English jockey (born 1980)

Paul Hanagan is a Classic-winning British flat racing jockey. Hanagan was twice been crowned champion jockey on the flat in Britain, riding 165 winners in 2011 to defend his title, having won his first title with 191 winners in 2010. Over a career spanning 25 years, he won a total of ten Group 1 races including the Epsom Oaks. From 1999 to 2022 he rode for the Malton-based trainer Richard Fahey, except for a four-and-a-half year break when he was retained by owner Sheikh Hamdan. He announced his retirement from race riding in August 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Doyle (jockey)</span> English racing jockey

James Doyle is a flat racing jockey. He is the son of former trainer Jacqueline Doyle. Since 2014, he has been one of the retained riders to Godolphin Racing in the UK, mainly riding horses trained by Charlie Appleby, but has announced he will ride for the Emir of Qatar from the start of 2024.

Jim Crowley is an English jockey who was British flat racing Champion Jockey in 2016. He has ridden as first jockey to Shadwell since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Kirby</span> British jockey

Adam Kirby is a Group 1-winning British jockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Fanning</span> Irish jockey

Joseph Kevin Fanning is a Group 1 winning Irish jockey. He has won races at every flat racecourse in Great Britain and has twice been All-Weather Champion Jockey. Since the 1990s, he has been stable jockey to Mark Johnston, for whom he has won most of his races. He is the 7th winningmost jockey in British flat racing history and has the most winners of any jockey not to have won the Jockeys' Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollie Doyle</span> British jockey

Hollie Doyle is a British jockey who competes in flat racing. She set a new record for winners ridden in a British season by a female jockey in 2019. She came third in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award 2020, and was also named The Sunday Times sportswoman of the year. In June 2022 she became the first female jockey to win a French Classic and the first female jockey to win a European Group 1 Classic when she rode Nashwa to victory in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly. In 2022, she came joint second in the Flat Jockeys' Championship, the highest result for a woman to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cieren Fallon</span> British jockey

Cieren Richard Fallon is a British jockey who competes in flat racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Marquand</span> British jockey

Tom Marquand is a British jockey who competes in flat racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Egan (jockey)</span> Irish jockey

David Egan is an Irish jockey who is based in Britain and competes in flat racing. He was British champion apprentice in 2017. From 2019 to 2022 he was retained by owner Prince Faisal, for whom he won the 2021 Saudi Cup on Mishriff. Since July 2022 he has ridden freelance, and achieved two Classic victories on the Roger Varian trained Eldar Eldarov.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Kingscote</span> British jockey

Richard Kingscote is a British jockey who competes in flat racing. He won the 2022 Epsom Derby on Desert Crown.

Shane Crosse is an Irish jockey who competes in flat racing.

Rossa Ryan is a Group 1 winning Irish jockey who competes in flat racing and is based in Britain. He was the British All-Weather Champion Jockey of the 2023-24 season.

Callum Shepherd is a Group race winning British jockey who competes in flat racing.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Interview with trainer Mark Loughnane and star apprentice Billy Loughnane". Sporting Life . 31 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 "'Pony racing helped me massively' - all-weather champion apprentice Billy Loughnane shines again". Racing Post . 7 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Billy Loughnane: The teenage jockey taking Flat racing by storm". BBC Sport . 27 January 2023.
  4. ↑ "'What a story' - poignant Brocklesby win for rising star Loughnane on horse named after rugby legend Doddie Weir". Racing Post. 1 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "1,000 Guineas: Oisin Murphy and Mawj pip favourite Tahiyra to victory at Newmarket". BBC Sport. 7 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Horse racing analysis: Three apprentice jockeys to follow". Sporting Life. 19 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "'It's been flabbergasting' - blazing Billy Loughnane rides out claim, just 11 months on from debut". Racing Post. 8 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Billy Loughnane lands Apprentices' Derby on fine afternoon for George Boughey". Racing Post. 1 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "William Buick and Billy Loughnane crowned champion jockeys, Shadwell secure British Champion Owner title". Sporting Life. 21 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Final-day drama doesn't stop Mick Appleby as trainer is crowned all-weather champion for eighth time". Racing Post. 30 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "Billy Loughnane the best young rider 'since Walter Swinburn' says Stan Moore after Group 3 strike in Germany". Racing Post. 21 April 2024.
  12. ↑ "80-1 Rashabar prevails in photo finish to provide Billy Loughnane with a first Royal Ascot winner". Racing Post. 18 June 2024.
  13. ↑ "'She's coming of age, just like her jockey' - Billy Loughnane's brilliant week continues with Soprano's Sandringham success". Racing Post. 21 June 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.