Jockey

Billy Loughnane is the son of Tipperary-born trainer Daniel Mark Loughnane, who, since 2017, has been based at Rock Farm, a state-of-the-art facility in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. A graduate from the sphere of pony racing, which he readily acknowledges was a ‘massive help’ in his development as a jockey, Loughnane Jnr. did not have his first ride under the Rules of Racing until October 24, 2022. On that occasion, he finished fifth on Starfighter, trained by his father, in a handicap at Newcastle, but chalked up his first winner, Swiss Rowe, also trained by Loughnane Snr., in a similar race at Wolverhampton just over a month later.

Thereafter, it would be fair to say that Loughnane has been a jockey on a meteoric rise to the top of his profession. After riding just six winners, all bar one of which were trained by his father, in his inaugural season, he increased his seasonal tally to an astonishing 130, from 875 rides at a strike rate of 15%, in 2023. In so doing, he won the apprentices’ title and reached the 95 winners required to ride out his claim less than a year after taking his first ride.Indeed, his performance was all the more remarkable for the fact that he missed a total of six weeks of the season, spending three weeks at Gulfstream Park in Florida and three more on the sidelines, after breaking his thumb in a stalls incident at Nottingham at the height of the summer.

Twice crowned all-weather champion apprentice, in April 2023 and April 2024, Loughnane has continued the good work into the new turf season. On June 18, 2024, he rode his first Royal Ascot winner, Rashabar, trained by Brian Meehan, in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes and currently lies fifth in the Flat Jockeys’ Championship, having ridden 42 winners from 291 rides at a strike rate of 14%.

The late Brian Taylor was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex on July 6, 1939, less than two months before Hitler invaded Poland, precipitating World War II. He died, under tragic circumstances, in a Hong Kong hospital on December 10, 1984, aged 45, after suffering fatal head and neck injuries when his mount, Silver Star, stumbled and threw him to the ground crossing the finish line in a race at Sha Tin Racecourse two days earlier.

Taylor began his riding career as apprentice to Harvey Leader in Newmarket and rode his first winner, Creole, at Great Yarmouth on September 18, 1956. However, his first five years with Leader yielded just two more winners and, in 1962, after a total of eight years, he was appointed stable jockey, despite still having not ridden out his claim. By that stage, Taylor was too old to claim a weight allowance in any case, but Leader received just reward for his belief, with his stable jockey winning back-to-back renewals of the Yorkshire Oaks in 1967 and 1968, on Palatch and Exchange, respectively and the Free Handicap (subsequently the European Free Handicap) on No Mercy in 1971.

Leader retired in 1971 and Taylor subsequently rode regularly for the likes of John Winter, under the auspices of German-Jewish émigré Daniel Prenn, the former tennis player, Ryan Price, Jeremy Hindley and Gavin Pritchard-Gordon. He will always be best remembered for winning the Derby on 50/1 outsider Snow Knight, trained by Major Peter Nelson, in 1974, but rode a total of 1,254 winners on British soil, including 108 in 1976, which proved to be his best-ever season. That year he won the Royal Lodge Stakes on Gairloch and the November Handicap on Gale Bridge, having completed a notable Chester Vase – Cesarwitch double on Shantallah in 1975.

Readers of a certain age, by which I mean those who remember the days when the BBC still held at least some of the terrestrial TV rights to horse racing, may remember Jimmy Lindley as a paddock commentator. Indeed, he succeeded Clive Graham shortly after his retirement from the saddle, on medical advice, in 1974, and continued in the role for the better part of three decades.

However, it should not be forgotten that, despite fighting a battle with the scales for most of his career, Lindley was, in fact, one of the best jockeys of his generation. Weight problems meant that he never received the recognition he deserved, finishing a best-ever ninth in the Flat Jockeys’ Championship, with 71 winners, in 1963. Nevertheless, he rode a total of 907 winners in Britain, including 25 under National Hunt rules during two seasons with his future father-in-law, Matthew Feakes, at Rhonehurst Stables in Upper Lambourn, Berkshire, in 1956/57 and 1957/58.

Born in Wembley, North London on May 16, 1935, Lindley rode his first winner, Sweet Phoenix, in an apprentices’ handicap at Brighton, on June 11, 1952 and his last, Rouser, in a handicap at Newbury on September 20, 1974. In between times, he recorded numerous high-profile victories at home and abroad. He won the 2,000 Guineas twice, on Only For Life, trained by Jeremy Tree, in 1963 and Kashmir, trained by Mick Bartholomew, in 1966, and the St. Leger on Indiana, trained by Jack Watts, in 1964.

Lindley never won the Derby, but may have done, on Royal Palace in 1967, if he had chosen to succeed Lester Piggott as stable jockey to Noel Murless, rather than remaining with Jeremy Tree. As it was, the closest he came to winning the Epsom Classic was on Indiana, who finished second, beaten just a length, behind Santa Clause in 1964.

Born in Chadderton, near Oldham, Greater Manchester on September 6, 1949, Mark Birch left school at 15 to become apprenticed to Geoffrey Brooke in Newmarket and rode his first winner, Bollin Charlotte, at Chester on July 26, 1968. He subsequently joined Miles Henry ‘Peter’ Easterby

at Habton Grange Stables, near Malton, North Yorkshire, with whom he would enjoy a 30-year association until his retirement from race-riding in 1998.

Of course, Birch won many big races in the North, including the Lincoln Handicap on Bronze Hill in 1973, the Great St. Wilfrid Handicap twice, on Day Two in 1973 and Golden Ancona in 1978, the Northumberland Plate on Dawn Johnny in 1981, the Ayr Gold Cup on Able Albert in 1984 and the November Handicap twice on Swingit Gunner in 1987 and Young Benz in 1988.

However, he is best remembered for his association with the prolific, and versatile, Sea Pigeon, on whom he won back-to-back renewals of the Chester Cup in 1977 and 1978. Of course, the following year, Sea Pigeon would carry a record 10st 0lb to victory in the Ebor Handicap at York, but under his regular hurdles jockey, Jonjo O’Neill, rather than Birch. Nevertheless, in 1981, deputising for Brian Taylor, who could not make the required weight of 8st 1lb, Birch, too, would win the Ebor Handicap on Protection Racket, trained by Jeremy Hindley.

Affectionately nicknamed ‘Archie’, Birch was one of one of the most successful and popular Flat jockeys of his generation in the North of England, with 1,339 winners and seven the traditional ‘Cock O’ The North’ titles to his name. He enjoyed his most successful season, numerically, in 1979, when he rode 77 winners. Six of those victories, including the Gimcrack Stakes at York, were contributed by the champion Northern two-year-old, Sonnen Gold, trained by Easterby. After hanging up his boots, he became assistant trainer to Kevin Ryan at Hambleton Lodge, near Thirsk. He died of lung cancer, aged 67, on October 19, 2016.