Jockey

Nowadays, Daniel Tudhope is stable jockey to David O’Meara, who, since 2016, has been based at Willow Farm, on the outskirts of York, near Upper Helmsley. Born in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland on December 1, 1985, Tudhope enrolled at the National Horseracing College (or the Northern Racing College, as it was known at the time) in Doncaster as a 16-year-old, despite having never previously sat on a horse and, by his own admission, having ‘no interest at all’ in horse racing. He graduated, nevertheless, and went on to become apprenticed to Declan Carroll in Malton, North Yorkshire.

Tudhope rode his first winner on British soil, Rust En Vrede, trained by Carroll, in a lowly Class 7 banded stakes race at Southwell, on the original Fibresand surface, on February 29, 2004. He rode 28 winners in 2004, 33 in 2005 and 53 in 2006, such that by halfway through the latter season he had exceeded the 95 winners required to ride out his claim. His riding career reached its nadir in 2010, when he partnered just six winners, but, in 2012, Silvestre de Sousa, who had effectively been riding as first jockey to O’Meara, was offered a retainer by Godolphin, presenting Tudhope with new opportunities.

As stable jockey at Willow Farm, Tudhope enjoyed is most successful season, numerically and fiscally, in 2019, when he rode 159 winners from 792 rides, at a strike rate of 20%, and amassed nearly £2.9 million in total prize money. In the most recently completed season, 2023, he rode 85 winners, including 65 during the ‘window’ on which the Flat Jockeys’ Championship is decided, to finish in ninth place.

Tudhope reached the landmark of 1,000 career winners on Ingleby Hollow, trained by O’Meara, at Thirsk on June 3, 2019. Thus far, he has a total of nine Group 1 wins to his name, the most recent of which came aboard Fallen Angel, trained by Karl Burke, in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh on May 26, 2024.

Born on April 12, 1937 in the village of Stanton Lacy, near Ludlow, Shropshire, Edward Hide was just 13 years old when he had his first ride in public, Copper Wire, trained by his father, Bill, at Birmingham on August 29, 1950. He rode his first winner, Ritornello, also owned and trained by his father, at Chepstow on September 22, 1951 and went on to become champion apprentice three times, in 1954, 1956 and 1957.

By the time he won his first apprentices’ title, Hide had forged an association with Captain Charles Elsey, who was based at Highfield Stables in Malton, North Yorkshire. Indeed, it was for Elsey that he rode his first Classic winnner, Cantelo, in the 1959 St. Leger. In a career spanning 36 years, Hide would add five more to his tally, namely Pia in the 1967 Oaks, Waterloo and Mrs. McArdy in the 1972 and 1977 1,000 Guineas, respectively, Morston in the 1973 Derby and Julio Mariner in the 1978 St. Leger.

Considered one of the most tactically astute jockeys of his generation, Hide went on to ride a total of 2,593 winners and, at the time of his retirement, aged 49, was the sixth most successful jockey in the history of British Flat racing. He never managed to add a senior jockeys’ title to his apprentices’ titles – runner-up behind Arthur ‘Scobie’ Breasley in 1957 was his highest placing in the senior jockeys’ championship – but he did win the prestigious ‘ Cock O’ The North’ title no fewer than 16 times.

Redcar, where Hide won three Zetland Gold Cups, on Henry VII (1962), Move Off (1977), and Say Primula (1987), proved a particularly happy hunting ground. At the first meeting after his death, the
‘Celebrating The Life of Edward Hide Restricted Novice Stakes’ was run at the North Yorskshire course in his memory.

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.