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Kieren Fallon

admin May 27, 2026

Born in Crusheen, County Clare on February 22, 1965, Kieren Fallon retired from race riding, aged 51, in July suffering from what Dr. Adrian McGoldrick, chief medical officer for the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) described as “quite profound depression”. At the time of his retirement, Fallon had ridden 2,578 winners in Britain alone, including 16 British Classic winners, and won the Flat Jockeys’ Championship six times. At various points in his career, he had been stable jockey to Sir Henry Cecil, Sir Michael Stoute and Aidan O’Brien.

However, despite his success on the racecourse, Fallon was a rather divisive character, who courted controversy throughout his career. He rode his first winner on British soil, Evichstar, trained by the late Jimmy Fitzgerald, at Thirsk on April 16, 1988 and was a leading jockey in the North of England by the time of a well-publicised disciplinary incident at Beverley on September 14, 1994. After passing the post, Fallon dragged winning jockey Stuart Webster, from his mount, Sailormate, and was banned for six months for “violent and improper conduct”. In December 7, Fallon was acquitted, along with his co-defendants, of conspiracy to defraud Betfair at the Old Bailey, due to lack of evidence, but on January 25, 2008 received an 18-month ban after failing a drugs test, for the second time, at Deauville the previous August.

In happier times, Fallon became stable jockey to the late Sir Henry Cecil in Newmarket in 1997. He rode his first Classic winner, Sleepytime, trained by Cecil, in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 4, 1997 and went on to become champion jockey that year, with 202 winners, in 1998, with 204 winners and, again, in 1999, with 202 winners. Shortly after completing the Derby/Oaks double with Oath and Ramruna, Cecil and Fallon parted company but, notwithstanding a fall at Royal Ascot in 2000, which led to six months on the sidelines, Fallon continued to prosper. He was champion jockey again in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Joe Fanning

admin May 27, 2026

Born in Dublin, Ireland on on September 24, 1970, Joseph ‘Joe’ Fanning graduated from Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) at the Curragh, Co. Kildare, and rode his first winner on British soil, Holdenby, trained by the late Tommy ‘Squeak’ Fairhurst, in a handicap hurdle at Sedgefield on November 14, 1989. However, his career as a National Hunt jockey was short-lived; two fractured cervical vertebrae, sustained in a first-flight fall from Pansong, trained by Fairhurst, in a conditional jockeys’ selling handicap hurdle at Newcastle on March 19, 1990 prompted a switch to the Flat.

As a Flat jockey, Fanning rode his first winner, Henry Will, trained by Fairhurst, in an apprentice handicap at Yarmouth on Jube 6, 1990. He rode 17 winners in 1990, 43 winners in 1991 and 45 winners in 1992, thereby riding out his claim. In his first season as a fully-fledged professional, Fanning won the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle on Highflying, trained by George Moore, on June 26, 1993. By that stage of his career, he had already formed an association with the Kingsley Park yard of Mark Johnston, also in Middleham Moor, North Yorkshire, which would become formalised to years later and has continued to the present day.

Nowadays stable jockey to Charlie Johnston, son of Mark, Fanning enjoyed his most successful season, numerically, in 2012, when he rode 188 winners. He finally won the first Group 1 race of his career, the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on The Last Lion, trained by Mark Johnston, on September 24, 2016, the day on which he turned 46 years of age. At that point, he confessed to having “a feeling of relief”, but has since added two more, the Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp on October 25, 2020 and the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on June 17, 2021, both courtesy of Subjectivist, also trained by Johnston.

Currently the seventh most-prolific jockey in the history of British Flat racing, with nearly 3,000 winners to his name, Fanning has not been seen in competitive action since November 2025 and underwent surgery for prostate cancer in February 2026. He has not, however, ruled out a return to race riding in due course.

Jack Tudor

admin May 27, 2026

Winner of the Men’s Novice Rider award at the National Point-to-Point Championships in 2018/19, Jack Tudor rode his first winner under Rules, Uno Mas, trained by Christian Williams, in an amateur riders’ novices’ handicap hurdle at Fakenham on November 20, 2018. The following August he became conditional jockey to Williams, who is based in Ogmore-by-Sea in the Vale of Glamorgan, and rode his first winner in that capacity, Capitoul, trained by Dr. Richard Newland, in conditional jockeys’ and amateur riders’ selling hurdle at Market Rasen on August 17, 2019.

Indeed, Tudor was still only 17 when, as a 7lb claimer with just a handful of rides over regulation fences, he rode Potters Corner, trained by Williams, to victory in the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on December 27, 2019. Williams said afterwards, “There was no doubt Jack would ride.” Williams finished the 2019/20 season with 20 winners, but increased his seasonal tally to 27 winners in 2020/21 and, again, to 29 winners in 2021/22, riding out his claim in the process.

In April 2023, Tudor was named stable jockey to David Pipe in Nicholashayne, Somerset, succeeding Tom Scudamore, who retired the previous February after 16 years in the role. At that point, he said of Williams, “Christian has been massive for my career, he’s simply the reason I’ve had the opportunity to move yards.”

In his new role, Tudor enjoyed his most successful season so far in 2024/25, reaching a half-century of winners for the first time on Rule Me In, trained by Williams, in a maiden hurdle at Southwell on February 3, 2025 and eventually amassing 70 winners and over £900,000 in prize money. Williams said of him, ” Jack’s brilliant, he’s a very talented and exceptional rider who’s been riding out for me since he was 14 or 15. Honestly, I wouldn’t swap him for anyone else riding at the moment.”

Hollie Doyle

admin May 27, 2026

At the time of writing, Hollie Doyle faces a spell on the sidelines, not for the first time in her career, after suffering a serious leg injury when her mount, Vault Of Heaven, trained by Kevin Frost, went wrong before halfway in a sprint handicap at Bath on May 22, 2026. Back in 2017, but for three falls, including one from Pearl Spectre, trained by Phil McEntee, after passing the post in an apprentice handicap at Goodwood on June 16, in which she broke her collarbone, Doyle may well have won the apprentices’ title that year. Having missed about eight weeks of the season, though, she eventually finished fourth, rode out her claim on Hidden Stash, trained by William Stone, in a handicap at Lingfield on November 25, 2017 and finished the year with a then career-best 59 winners.

Born in Ivington, Herefordshire on October 11, 1996, Doyle rode her first winner under Rules, The Mongoose, trained by David Evans, in a lady amateur riders’ handicap at Salisbury on May 5, 2013. She subsequently became apprenticed to Richard Hannon and in 2019, just her second season has a fully-fledged professional, rode 116 winners, beating the previous record of 106 winners set by Jospehine Gordon two years earlier. Doyle subsequently beat her own record twice in as many years, riding 150 winners in 2020 and 172 winners in 2021, the latter seasonal tally being her highest so far.

Nowadays stable jockey to Archie Watson at Saxon Gate in Upper Lambourn, West Berkshire, Doyle rode her first Group 1 winner for the yard, Glenshiel, in the British Champion Series at Ascot on October 17, 2020. She has since added 10 more, the most recent of which was Bradsell, also trained by Watson, in the Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh on September 15, 2024. On March 24, 2025, Doyle reached the landmark of 1,000 career winners on British soil on Handle With Care, trained by Marco Botti, in a fillies’ handicap at Lingfield, thereby becoming just the second female jockey, after Hayler Turner, to do so.

Frankie Dettori

admin May 27, 2026

Born in Milan, Italy on December 15, 1970, Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori is the son of 13-time Italian champion jockey Gianfranco Dettori. Dettori Jnr. rode his first winner, Rif, at Turin, Italy on November 16, 1986 and his last, Bet You Can, at Gavea, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 1, 2026. Following the latter, he said, “Racing has been my life. I began riding in Italy as a 15-year-old boy nearly 40 years ago, and this sport has given me everything.”

In Britain, Dettori became apprenticed to compatriot Luca Cumani in Newmarket in 1987 and rode his first winner for the yard, Lizzy Hare, in a handicap at Goodwood on June 9, 1987. Two seasons later, he rode 75 winners – riding out his claim on Versailles Road, trained by Susan Piggott, in handicap at Beverley on July 18, 1989 – en route to becoming champion apprentice. The following season, in which became the first teenager since Lester Piggott to ride over 100 winners in a season, he also recorded his first Group 1 win on Markofdistinction, trained by Cumani, in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on September 29, 1990.

In September 1993, Dettori signed a retainer with Goldolphin, under the auspices of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and so began a profitable association, during which he would become champion jockey three times, in 1994, with a career-best 233 winners, 1995 and 2004. Of all his achievements on British soil, Dettori will probably always be best remembered for his so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ at Ascot on September 28, 1996. At the British Festival of Racing, he rode all seven winners on the card, which, even at starting price, amounted to cumulative odds of 25,095/1 and cost the bookmakers tens of millions of pounds. At the end of his career, Dettori had ridden 3,336 winners on British soil.

Derek Fox

admin May 27, 2026

Born in Sligo, Ireland on May 14, 1992, Derek Fox began pony racing as a child before obtaining an amateur jockey licence, as a 16-year-old, and progressing to riding in point-to-points. He rode his first winner under Rules, Mighty Whitey, trained by Noel Kelly, in a ‘bumper’ at Sligo on May 19, 2010. He subsequently became conditional jockey to Charles Byrnes in Ballygarry, Limerick, but after a year returned to Sligo, where he became best known for his association with Charlie’s Vic, trained by Kelly. All told, he won four races on the Old Vic mare, including the Grade 3 Dawn Run Mares’ Novice Chase at Limerick on March 17, 2013.

The following October, while still claiming 5lb, Fox crossed the Irish Sea to join his cousin, Stephen, at the yard of Lucinda Russell in Milnathort, Kinross, Scotland. He rode a winner on his first ride for the yard, The Friary, in a novices’ handicap chase at Hexham on November 8, 2013 and finished the 2013/14 season with 12 winners on British soil. In 2015/16, he rode 26 winners, finishing second in the conditional jockeys’ championship and riding out his claim in the process. Peter Buchanan, who had been stable jockey to Russell for 13 years, retired at the end of that season and Fox was promoted to the number one spot.

As a fully-fledged professional, Fox is best known for winning the Grand National twice, on One For Arthur in 2017 and Corach Rambler in 2023, both saddled by Russell. He also has two Grade 1 victories to his name, the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle on April 9, 2021 and the Mildmay Novices Chase on April 8, 2022, both at Aintree and both on Ahoy Senor, again trained by Russell. Fox has also suffered his fair share of serious injuries, breaking his wrist and collarbone in a fall at Carlisle just a month before his 2017 Grand National victory and his first lumbar vertebra, collarbone and rib in another at Sedgefield in March 2025, leading to six months on the sidelines.