Jockey

Since his retirement from the saddle in 1983, Robert ‘Bob’ Champion has probably been best known to the general public as the founder of the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, which was established that same year and has since raised over £15 million for cancer research. Indeed, Champion was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for charitable services in that sphere.

Of course, as a National Hunt jockey, Champion was no slouch; in fact, far from it. He rode his first winner, Altercation, in a novices’ chase at Plumpton on January 17, 1968, as a 19-year-old amateur, and turned professional the following season. In his career as a whole, Champion went on to ride 500 or so winners, with notable successes including Highland Wedding in the Eider Chase at Newcastle, Approaching in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury and Henry Bishop in the SGB Chase at Ascot. In 1977/78, he reached his highest finishing position, in the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship, third behind Jonjo O’Neill, with 56 winners.

However, Champion will always be best remembered for just one ride, that on Aldaniti, trained by Josh Gifford, in the 1981 Grand National. Indeed, their fairytale-like story was immortalised in the 1984 film, ‘Champions’, starring John Hurt as Champion. In July 1979, aged 31 and at the peak of his powers, Champion was diagnosed with testicular cancer, requiring surgery, followed by a gruelling course of chemotherapy, if he was to have any hope of survival. Thankfully, the treatment proved successful, eventually, and Champion returned to racing. So, too, did Aldaniti, having recovered fron life-threatening leg injuries to take his place in the Aintree lineup. ‘Porcelain’ legs or not, Aldaniti led over the final fence and held on to win by four lengths, on what was just his second start in the best part of 18 months.

Born in Dublin on January 11, 1973, Richard Hughes is, of course, the son of Dessie Hughes, who, as a jockey, won the Champion Hurdle on Monksfield in 1979 and, as a trainer, did so again with Hardy Eustace in 2004 and 2005. However, despite standing 5’10” tall, and riding at now lower than 8st 8lb in the latter part of his career, between July 1994 and July 2015, he rode 2,428 domestic winners and was British Champion Flat Jockey three years running in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

A retained jockey for Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, founder of Juddmonte, between 2000 and 2007 – and first-choice jockey from 2003 onwards, following the retirement of Pat Eddery – Hughes subsequently rode for his father-in-law, Richard Hannon Snr., and his brother-in-law, Richard Jnr. His second title-winning season, 2013, in which he rode 208 winners, was his most successful numerically. That season also yielded two British Classic winners, namely Sky Lantern, trained by Hannon Snr., in the 1,000 Guineas and Talent, trained by Ralph Beckett, in the Oaks.In his career as a whole, Hughes rode 169 winners at Glorious Goodwood, 31 at Royal Ascot and won three French Classics, the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches on Zenda in 2002, the Prix de Diane on Nebraska Tornado in 2003 and the Poule d’Essai des Poulains on American Post in 2004.

Born in Birmingham on September 25, 1971, Seb Sanders rode his first winner, Band On The Run, in an apprentice maiden stakes race at Pontefract on June 12, 1990. After a modest start to his riding career, he enjoyed a breakthrough season in 1995, when he rode 61 winners, becoming Champion Apprentice and riding out his claim in the process. In 1997, he rode over a hundred winners in a season for the first time, including the first of his eight career Group 1 winners, when Compton Place, trained by James Toller, sprang a 50/1 surprise in the July Cup at Newmarket.

In 2004, Sanders succeeded George Duffield as stable jockey to Sir Mark Prescott and, after riding 165, 142 and 177 winners in 2004, 2005 and 2006, he enjoyed far and away his most successful season numerically in 2007. In the calendar year, he rode 213 winners, of which 190 fell within the ‘traditional’ turf Flat season, on which the jockeys’ championship was decided. The title race went down not just to the final day, but the final race, of the season, which was won by his main rival, Richard Hughes, who thereby earned himself a share of the jockeys’ title.

Paul Hanagan retired from the saddle in August 2023 after an impressive, 25-year career, during which he rode over 2,000 winners, including 10 at the highest, Group 1 level, and British Champion Flat Jockey twice, in 2010 and 2011. Born in Warrington, Cheshire on September 8, 1980, Hanagan graduated from the British Racing School on the outskirts of Newmarket and had his first ride in public on Stone Beck, trained by Malcolm Jefferson, at Haydock Park on September 4, 1998. On the recommendation of Jefferson, he subsequently became apprenticed to Richard Fahey in Malton, North Yorkshire and so began a fruitful association that would take him to the apprentices’ title in 2002 and both senior jockeys’ titles.

Indeed, it was the successful alliance with Fahey that led Hanagan to be announced as retained rider for owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2012, following the retirement of the previous incumbent, Richard Hills. Highlights of that four-year partnership, which came to an end in November 2016, included winning the Oaks and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes on Taghrooda and the Coral-Eclipse Stakes on Mukhadram in 2014, and both the July Cup and the British Champion Sprint Stakes on Muhaarar in 2015.