Billy Loughnane to collect champion flat jockey trophy at Ascot
Billy Loughnane will collect the champion flat jockey trophy this Saturday on Champions Day at Ascot; at 20 he is the youngest person to win the title in more than a century and remains widely known as "Billy the Kid".
"It's been an extraordinary couple of years, really," Loughnane said, recalling a rapid rise that began after he had never ridden in a professional race this time four years ago. In January 2023 BBC Sport visited him at his family's racing yard in Worcestershire when, aged 16, he had more than 20 winners in the first few weeks of the year and briefly topped the flat jockey standings; he then urged people to "calm down" and said being champion apprentice was his goal while becoming champion jockey felt a "long way off".
He said he would have dismissed the idea of becoming champion when he drove up to Newcastle for his first race as an apprentice in October 2022, adding: "I'd have said, 'that's absolutely crazy, what have you been drinking?'" Loughnane admitted he felt the pressure "not to let it slip" until a few weeks ago, but his nearest challenger Oisin Murphy effectively conceded the contest and Loughnane began to enjoy the run-in. The final winning margin is likely to be significant: Loughnane currently leads Murphy by 29 with 222 winners. Recent flat jockey champions and their tallies are 2016 - Jim Crowley (England) 148; 2017 - Silvestre de Sousa (Brazil) 155; 2018 - Silvestre de Sousa (Brazil) 148; 2019 - Oisin Murphy (Republic of Ireland) 168; 2020 - Oisin Murphy (Republic of Ireland) 142; 2021 - Oisin Murphy (Republic of Ireland) 153; 2022 - William Buick (Norway) 157; 2023 - William Buick (Norway) 135; 2024 - Oisin Murphy (Republic of Ireland) 163; 2025 - Oisin Murphy (Republic of Ireland) 143.
Loughnane has publicly set his sights on historic seasonal targets, naming Sir Gordon Richards' 1947 Flat record of 269 winners as one he would like to challenge. "Yeah, it's in my sights," he said, and he also mentioned the possibility of matching Sir AP McCoy's 289 winners over jumps, adding: "I'll be giving it my best shot until the start of December."
His relationship with trainer George Boughey has been central to his campaign; Loughnane rode the Boughey-trained Bow Echo to three Grade 1 victories, the highlight being the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, and also rode the horse to victory in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. Reflecting on those wins, he said: "I've been searching for that feeling again. I mean, the reception after Goodwood [winning the Sussex Stakes, also on Bow Echo] was pretty electric as well to be fair and I'm glad that I did showcase him after the race at Goodwood because obviously it was his final run. But the best buzz of winning a race was the 2,000 [Guineas]."
Loughnane keeps meticulous records on every mount, maintaining a WhatsApp group just with himself to compile notes, and defended that practice as helpful to his riding: "Maybe not sets me apart, but I do think it is an advantage to be able to help," he said. "I sit on a lot of horses in the year. I've sat on over 1,000 already this year, and it's hard to keep track of absolutely every one. I wouldn't be doing my job properly if I wasn't."
He said celebration plans for Champions Day have been organised by his family, with his mother arranging the arrangements and a group expected to attend: "My mother's actually sorted it out, so I actually don't have a clue where I'm going. But it's with my family, friends, girlfriend, and all the sponsors and people that have helped me, sort of since I've had ponies, the whole way up, will be there. So there'll be a big group of us and it's more of a celebration than anything else. But as to what I'm eating, I'm not actually sure."
After lifting the trophy, Loughnane said he will "take the rest of this month in November and then assess in December if I feel it's possible, realistically. But it is in my sights, something that I'm looking towards. I'm not blinkers on full blasting at the moment, but I'm just going to keep riding every day as much as possible and assess the situation."