Born in Warrington – which was, historically, in Lancashire, but is now in Cheshire – on November 8, 1884, Steve Donoghue was one of the most prolific and popular jockeys in Britain in the early years of the twentieth century. After a rather chequered start to his riding career, Donoghue eventually became apprenticed to Edward Johnson in France, for whom he rode his first winner, Hanoi, at Hyéres in April 1905. After a success spell with Philip ‘Phillie’ Behan in Co. Kildare, Ireland, where he became Champion Jockey in 1908, he returned to Britain in 1910, replacing Danny Maher as stable jockey to Henry ‘Atty’ Persse at Chattis Hill, near Stockbridge, Hampshire.

In 1913, Donoghue rode The Tetrarch, trained by Persse, to all seven victories, including the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. The following season he became British Champion Flat Jockey for the first time and did so again for the next nine years, including a final title that he shared with Charlie Elliott in 1923.

All told, Donoghue rode 14 British Classic winners, including six Derby winners, the first two of which, Pommern (1915) and Gay Crusader (1917), both went on to land the Triple Crown, making him the only jockey ever do so twice. He also remains the only jockey to win the Derby three years running, which he did on Humorist, Captain Cuttle and Papyrus in 1921, 1922 and 1923. Just for good measure, Donoghue added his sixth and final Derby winner, Manna, trained by Fred Darling, in 1925.

Other claims to fame include winning the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot six years running between between 1929 and 1934 on legendary stayer Brown Jack, winning the Irish Derby five times and the Grand Prix de Paris twice. Dongohue retired from the saddle in 1937, with 1,847 British Flat winners to his name, and died suddenly from a heart attack, aged 60, in Paddington, London eight years later.

Suffolk-born Elnathan ‘Nat’ Flatman had the distinction of being the first official British Champion Flat Jockey, taking the inaugural title in 1846 and retaining it until 1853, when he was succeeded by John ‘Tiny’ Wells. Indeed, in winning his third consecutive title, in 1948, he rode 104 winners, thereby becoming the first jockey to reach three figures in a single season.

Initially apprenticed to Newmarket trainer William Cooper at age of 15, Flatman did not make his racecourse debut until April 20, 1829, when he finished unplaced on Gold Pin, owned by Lord Exeter, in the Craven Stakes. Nevertheless, as his career progressed, he would enjoy the patronage of several leading owners up and down the country, including the likes of Lord George Bentinck, Lord Chesterfield, Lord Derby and Lord Zetland.

Flatman rode his first British Classic winner, Preserve, owned by Charles Greville, in the 1,000 Guineas in 1835, and went on the win the first fillies’ Classic of the season twice more, on Clementina in 1847 and Imperieuse in 1857. He also won the 2,000 Guineas and the St. Leger three times apiece, but his one and only Derby “victory”, on Orlando in 1844, came under controversial circumstances, when the first past the post, “Running Rein”, was subsequently discovered to be the ineligible four-year-old Maccabaeus. Classics aside, his career tally included a sackful of high-profile victories, such as the Cambridgeshire (four times), Cesarewitch (twice), Stewards’ Cup (twice) and Goodwood Cup (twice).

Described in his epitaph as an “honest, sober, discrete and plain-living man”, Flatman rode for a total of 31 seasons, but, in 1859, suffered a series of injuries that brought about the end of his career and, ultimately, his untimely demise. He died of consumption, or turbeculosis, at Woodditton, in East Cambridgeshire, on August 20, 1860, aged just 50.

Richard ‘Richie’ McLernon hails from Churchtown, near Mallow, County Cork and is, of course, the nephew of Tommy Carmody, who won the Irish Jump Jockeys’ Championship twice, in 1985 and 1988. He rode his first winner, of any description, Killultagh Thunder, trained by Adrian Maguire, on Punchestown Point-to-Point Course on February 13, 2005 and added four more ‘point winners, all trained by Maguire, during his last year at school. After completing his education, aged 18, McLernon joined Lombardstown trainer Eugene O’Sullivan, for whom he rode his first winner under Rules, Teo Perugo, in a handicap chase at Tralee on June 20, 2006.

After riding half a dozen winners under Rules in his native land, four in 2006/07 and two in 2007/08, McLernon sought to further his career by crossing the Irish Sea to join Jonjo O’Neill in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. His initial two-week trial proved successful and, having ridden his first winner on British soil, Castlecrossings, owned by John Patrick ‘J.P.’ McManus and trained by O’Neill, in a mares’ novices’ hurdle at Towcester on October 28, 2007, McLernon has been a fixture at Jackdaws Castle ever since.

McLernon, 37, enjoyed his most successful season so far, numerically and fiscally, in 2023/24, when he rode 39 winners from 339 rides, at a strike rate of 12%, and amassed nearly £397,000 in total prize money. At the time of writing, he lies ninth in the 2024/25 British Jump Jockeys’ Champopmship, having ridden 14 winners from 92 rides, at a strike rate of 15%.

McLernon has three Cheltenham Festival winners to his name, namely Alfie Sherrin, in the JLT Specialty Handicap Chase in 2012 and Holywell, twice, in the Petemps Final in 2013 and the
Baylis & Harding Affordable Luxury Handicap Chase in 2014. He has never won the Grand National, but came closer than most when touched off by the minimum margin, a nose, on Sunnyhillboy in 2012.

Born in Heywood, Preston on May 11, 1957, Jimmy Bleasdale did not come from a racing background, but harboured the ambition to become a jockey from an early age. As a 16-year-old, he became apprenticed to Sam Hall at Spigot Lodge in Middleham, North Yorkshire – on the recommendation of neighbouring trainer Tommy Fairhurst – and, after attending the Levy Board Apprentice School, duly made a winning racecourse debut on Croisette at Redcar on April 24, 1975.

After riding three winners from 24 rides in his first season and 17 from 99 in his second, Bleasdale rode 67 winners in 1977, including the Ebor Handicap at York – arguably the highest-profile victory of his career – on Move Over, trained by Jack Calvert, on his way to becoming champion apprentice. Sam Hall died that year and Bleasdale opted to remain loyal to his successor, Chris Thornton, at Spigot Lodge, rather than heading south to further his career.

However, Bleasdale never really fulfilled his earlier potential. The combination of a virus at Spigot Lodge and a series of falls, including a particularly serious one at Haydock Park in 1981, which would ultimately sound the death knell for his competitive riding career, limited his opportunities. In what he later described as a ‘horrible experience’, his mount, Bally Seal, fell fatally and, in so doing, threw head first into a concrete post, putting him out of action for four months. Bleasdale recovered sufficiently to continue riding for another decade, with no little success, including back-to-back victories in the Singapore Derby at Bukit Timah on Andermatt in 1983 and Win-Em-All in 1984.

In 1991, the onset of epilepsy, as a result of brain damage suffered in his earlier fall, meant that Bleasdale was not longer allowed to ride competitively. At the time of his retirement, he had ridden 414 winners.