Jockey

In November 2016, Brian Hughes managed 31 wins. In December, Hughes had already notched 12 others halfway through the month. To say that this man is a force of nature would be an understatement, but you catch the drift. Indeed, Hughes is second only to the prolific Richard Johnson when it comes to hitting winners continuously. His only deterrent is not form, but injuries, but he doeesn’t le them stop him either.

As one of the famous riders from the North, Hughes maintains a calm demeanor and won’t be one to sing praises of himself. He is in fact a little embarrassed at how the hype is building around him and is, at 31, someone the bookies are often running scared of.

Track record

Some of Hughes’s Latest wins include BetBright #realfansonly Novices’ Chase, which occurred in 2016 with the horse See You at Midnight. There are a slew of others as well, dating years back. This month, he has bagged the Totescoop6 Premier Kelso Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) on the saddle of Mount Mews, and things can only get better.

Willie Carson’s long journey to stardom started in Scotland, where he was born in 1942. Like a lot of others in the field, he found out soon enough that the best place to get some real experience was in England, and he duly moved. Carson trained under Captain Gerald Armstrong for quite some time, which set him up for better paydays. In 1962, at the age of 20, Willie attained his first victory at Catterick Bridge Racecourse. His lucky horse was Pinker’s Pond. Arguably, one of the Scotsman’s best years financially was 1990, where he proudly put together 187 winners, a feat few have achieved. He is known to be one of a handful of jockeys that managed 6 winners in a single meeting.

In 1983, Willie became an Order of British Empire attainee, a lucratively loyal recognition given only to the best of the brood in what they do. For most of his career, Carson has had a very close relationship with Dick Hern, who helped him keep winning even when the odds were stacked against. He has always been a gifted individual, which put him in high demand, until he decided to quit the day job in 1996. He was 54 at the time. His competitive spirit has always been touted as inspiration to others.

Career path

Between 1990 and 1991, Willie won the 1,000 guineas (2) while working with the mounts Salsabil and Shayadid. Between 1972 and 1989, he won the 2000 guineas (4) while heading out with Don’t Forget Me, Known Fact and High Top. Apart from the numerous accolades won in England, Carson has also participated in events in Ireland, Germany, France and Italy, winning prestigious trophies in each country.

There is no public record of how much Carson made off races over the course if his career, but his winners, 3,828 in total, tell us that he isn’t strapped for cash

Born 33 years ago in East Sussex, England, Ryan Lee Moore is an accomplished professional in flat racing, having been crowned Champion Jockey 3 times. His entire family is (or has been) in the racing business; his dad, Gary Moore, is a trainer with a good understanding of the landscape, his brothers Jamie and Joshua are also jockeys. Hayley Moore too is a great amateur. It is evident that Moore doesn’t miss much when it comes to having a firm racing background – what with all the family invested in the sport.

Career Highlights

Moore has managed to take the Epson Derby on two separate occasions, which is without a doubt one of the highlights of his career. He has also clinched the Epsom Oaks a couple of times. His yearly stats have impressed, with several stretches where he managed a hundred or more wins each year. 2006, 2009 and 2013 were some of his most successful years with 182, 178 and 194 wins respectively.

Moore has not restricted his racing to one country either. He was won a smattering of trophies around several famous racing locations. He has raced in Italy, Germany, Ireland, Honk Kong, Australia, Japan, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. This makes him one of the most well travelled Jockeys in the world at the moment. His mounts have included Tapestry, Order of St. George, Ruler of the World, Minding, Homecoming Queen, Conduit, Rizeena, Workforce and many more.

Earnings

The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Group 1) (3yo+ No Geldings) (Turf), held in October 2016 raked in £2,100,735 for Moore. In December, he galloped away with £1,247,811 at the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (Group 1) (3yo+) (Turf). From these two gigantic paychecks alone, it would be fair to say that Ryan is quite well off!

Patrick James “Pat” Eddery(1952-2015) was an internationally popular Irish jockey and notable trainer. The eminent rider was made famous by, among other victories, riding three winners in the Epsom Derby. Eddery was also a champion jockey on eleven distinct occasions. With a total of 4,632 victories for British flat races, this iconic racing luminary’s record was only surpassed by Sir Gordon Richards, an equally renowned jockey who thrilled crowds throughout Europe.

Born in the southern suburbs of Ireland, as a young man Eddery spent most of his time around the Curragh racecourse. The fifth child of Jimmy Eddery, the father was also a popular Irish jockey in his prime. Eddery’s mother was the daughter of Jack Moylan, a retired horse man. As such, Pat Eddery’s career choice was largely informed by the horse racing passions of his parents and grandparents. Interestingly too, his wife’s brother (Paul) was also involved in racing, though he didn’t make a serious name for himself in the sport.

Establishing his riding career as an apprentice of the stable of Seamus McGrath, the sterling racer finally moved on to England where he became a protege to Frenchie Nicholson. Shortly after, the then young jockey won a major breakthrough on Alvaro at Epsom Downs Racecourse in 1969. Throughout his successful career, the Irish-born jockey clinched 11 championship titles within a period of less than four years. His last internationally recognised win came in 1996 as he attempted to reclaim his past riding glory.

Eddery also has a colorful training career record to his name. In 2005, and at the behest of his wife, the retired racing veteran launched a stable comprising 40 horses. At the Musk Hill Stud in Nether Winchendon, the former celebrated jockey received a license to train both horses and aspiring jockeys. Eddery’s newly founded racehorse syndicate gave interested sports investors the chance to own shares in these racehorses.

Paul Mulrennan’s career story is as gripping as they come. He had never thought about horse racing before the age of 16. He did so happen to have an uncle that trained horses in Galway but never really thought it was the sport for him, his only fascination at that time being Gaelic football. Forever, that year, at age 16, he was advised to try his hand at being a jockey, seeing as he was too short for Gaelic football. Since that moment, the Ealing-born Irishman has never wavered on his way to the top.

Starting out

After deciding he wanted to be a jockey, Mulrennan chose to enroll at the British Racing School at Newmarket. Up until that time, he had never so much as sat on a horse, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a master of the game and earning the respect of his peers. When he finished his apprenticeship, the jockey decided to head up north and join the racing circuit there.

Victories and prize money

Laundry Cottage Stud Firth of Clyde Stakes was one of Mulrennan’s first big race wins, and he did it with Melody of Love in 2012. Surely a horse with a name like that would have a rider dancing to the rhyme of its saddle! Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes (British Champions Series) (Group 1) was another notable achievement, this time astride Mecca’s Angel in 2015. At the end of 2016, he again roared at William Hill Firth of Clyde Stakes with Delectation. The now 35-year-old managed to forge a strong sense of camaraderie with one of his best winners, Dandino. His maor prizes have ranged between £22,684 and £236,622.