Billy Loughnane, 20, becomes Britain's youngest champion jockey since 1923
The Irish rider collected the trophy at Ascot after beating five-time champion Oisin Murphy, capping a year of more than 220 wins.
Billy Loughnane collected Britain's champion jockey trophy at Ascot on Saturday, 17 October, becoming the youngest rider to hold the title since Charlie Elliott in 1923. The 20-year-old Irish jockey beat Oisin Murphy, a five-time champion, for one of British Flat racing's leading honours.
Loughnane has ridden more than 220 winners this year, according to Reuters and BBC Sport. His title follows a season in which he won his first Classic, the 2,000 Guineas, in May and added four further Group One victories, the BBC reported. Those results put his championship alongside major race wins rather than making the trophy his sole achievement of the season.
Loughnane's rise from first ride to champion
Reflecting on his first ride at Newcastle nearly four years ago, Loughnane said his aim then had been simply to have a few winners. ‘If anyone had said that day that four years later I'd be where I am now I'd have said they were absolutely crazy,’ he said on a Great British Racing media call, according to Reuters. The BBC also reported his recollection of that first trip.
His father, Mark Loughnane, is a trainer. Loughnane told the BBC that, between the ages of six and 12, he went racing with his father at Wolverhampton every Saturday and was upset if Mark did not have a runner. ‘I love my job and I love riding horses – it's all I ever wanted to do,’ the BBC quoted him as saying.
Murphy praised the new champion's discipline, work ethic and results. ‘I get on very well with him and I'm delighted to see his success,’ Murphy said, according to the BBC. His comments followed a title contest in which the two riders had competed closely before Loughnane pulled clear.
The calendar-year wins record in Loughnane's sights
Loughnane is now aiming at Sir Gordon Richards' record of 269 Flat winners in a calendar year, set in 1947, the BBC reported. Reuters also identified that mark as his next target. The BBC said Loughnane had not ruled out trying to retain the champion jockey title in 2027.
Ascot's meeting also brought three wins for William Buick, the BBC reported. Buick rode Ombudsman to victory in the Champion Stakes and Talk of New York in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, then completed his treble aboard Fifth Column in the Balmoral Handicap.
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Sources and context
- Horse racing-Loughnane becomes Britain's youngest champion jockey since 1923Reuters, republished by Channel NewsAsia
- Billy Loughnane becomes youngest champion jockey since 1923BBC Sport (Flora Snelson; image credit PA Media)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.