Billy Loughnane is a youngster making a name for himself in the Flat rankings, touted by some as Champion Jockey material, and the teenager has already marked cards by winning last season’s Champion Apprenticeship. He will have done his chances no harm at all in riding a double at Ripon last night.
There’s little doubt that it’s become harder to rack up winners simply by riding at two meetings a day nowadays. Efforts to protect riders from themselves by limiting their participation to one fixture each day have also given chances to lesser lights who can now take up riding engagements, but it means the hungriest riders cannot necessarily swap quality for volume. Time was when Piggott and Eddery might ride six at Ascot, then head up the M40 to a Warwick evening fixture for a further six, which is of course no longer permissible. But there’s little doubting Loughnane’s appetite for work; he’s currently partnered over 600 horses since January 1st for 120 different trainers.
Last night’s account opened with a two year old winner for Newmarket-based James Tate in the opener, Daneh of Dandy, making a 1 1/2l winning debut, and wrapped up with a 10 3/4l third on Sabrimento for George Boughey in the concluding 6f handicap. In between times, there was an unplaced effort and a further winner for Ed Dunlop in the Sky Sports Racing 415 handicap over 1m 4f with comfortable winner Iwantmytimewithyou, breaking his duck at the fifth attempt.
The Flat Jockeys Championship runs from May 3rd to October 18th, British Champions Day. Loughnane currently sits in 5th place, 25 winners behind market leader Oisin Murphy on 57. The leading two riders, Murphy and William Buick, often have international commitments which may allow that gap to narrow as the season progresses. Without the focus on the core Spring-Autumn calendar, Loughnane would likely be the chapionship leader, adding a further 60 winners to that score from the winter all-weather.
The tendency for the leading riders to focus on the big events rather than chasing numbers gives a chance to up-and-coming riders to shine, amply illustrated in the evening’s other winners, three of which were ridden by apprentices riding out their claims.
At the opposite end of the spectrum to Loughnane, Mohammed Tabti has enjoyed just 50 rides to date this year, and five winners, the latest being a half length 4/1 winner for Dumfries trainer Iain Jardine in the restricted maiden fillies race over a mile. All five of Tabti’s winners have been for Jardine, his other seven rides for just five other trainers. He’s yet to break through into a wider circle of trainers that would accelerate his experience.
Also starting on that career ladder is 7lb claimer Lewis Chalkley, who furthered his own chances when getting up to win by a neck in the final stages on Call To Action for Mick and David Easterby in the 5f City of Ripon Handicap. This was a season-opening winner for Chalkley for his retaining stable, and the stable’s 23rd of the year to date.
Nephew of Mick and cousin to David, Tim Easterby is rarely one to ignore races at Ripon, sending 6 runners the short distance from Sherriff Hutton, and returning home with a winner, and three in the frame. The winner on this occasion was Thatsmyboyluke, finally finding the sweet spot at the sixteenth time of asking in the 1m handicap under David Allen.
Lightweight apprentice Mason Paetel is another hitting the sweet spot this summer. At a riding weight of 7st 11, he’s able to pick up on low weights in handicaps, which may be just one reason he’s ridden 18 winners this term against one last. He headed for bed without needing to break sweat on the Michael Dods’ trained Novamay, who made all to win the concluding 6f handicap comfortably by 9l from Tim Easterby’s Spring Corn.
