Jockey

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.

Charlie Deutsch

admin May 27, 2026

Born in Chipping Camden, Gloucestershire, Charlie Deutsch is the son of former point-to-point jockey and trainer John Deutsch. A graduate from the field of pony racing, Deutsch Jnr. joined Charlie Longsdon, in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, straight from school and rode his first winner under Rules, Fitandproperjob, trained by Anthony Middleton, in a handicap hurdle at Folkestone on December 4, 2012 as a 16-year-old amateur. He turned conditional at the end of the 2012/13 season, before returning to amateur status late in the 2014/15 season and subsequently joining Venetia Williams in King’s Caple, Herefordshire, again as a professional.

Deutsch rode out his claim on on Luckime, trained by Williams, in a novices’ hurdle at Catterick on February 12, 2018. However, in the early hours of March 30, 2018 his career came to a shuddering halt (no pun intended) when he was stopped by police following a night out in Cheltenham. After repeated attempts to take a roadside breath test, Deutsch panicked and fled the scene, resulting in a high-speed car chase. He subsequently plead guilty to dangerous driving while over the drink-drive alcohol limit and escaping from police custody and was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment, of which he served two-and-a-half.

Thankfully, Venetia Williams, to whom he is now stable jockey, stood by him, writing in a letter to owners, “I will ensure that he [Deutsch] knows how highly I regard him as our main jockey, and that he will be straight back into the saddle at Aramstone on his return. ” Indeed, Deutsch has undergone a renaissance since, reaching a career-best 48 winners for the first time in 2021/22. That season, he recorded his first Grade 1 winner, L’Homme Presse, in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown on February 5, 2022, and followed up, on the same horse, in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on March 16, for his maiden Cheltenham Festival win.

Sean Bowen

admin May 11, 2026

Stable jockey to Olly Murphy in Wilmcote, Warwickshire, Sean Bowen has proved a force majeure in National Hunt racing in recent seasons. He was arguably unlucky not to lift the jump jockeys’ title in Britain for the first time in 2023/24, eventually finishing second behind Harry Cobden after being sidelined for six weeks as the result of a heavy fall at Aintree on Boxing Day, when holding a healthy lead in the championship. Bowen has since sent the record straight, though, winning the British Jump Jockeys’ Championship in 2024/25 with 180 winners and, again, in 2025/26 with an eye-watering 241 winners.

The latter seasonal tally was, in fact, the highest since Tony McCoy rode 258 winners in 2002/03 and far and away the highest since jockeys were restricted to riding at one meeting per day when racing returned, behind closed doors, during the Covid-19 pandemic. After winning his second jockeys’ title in as many years, Bowen told the BBC, “I can’t wait to get back to zero and start all over again, to be honest.”

Bowen was born in Little Newcastle, Pembrokeshire, South West Wales on September 5, 1997 to a racing family. His older brother, Mickey, nows holds the licence at the Yet-Y-Rhug yard, having taken over from his father, Peter, in 2025 and his younger brother, James, is also a successful National Hunt jockey, who finished third in the 2025/26 Jump Jockeys’ Championship with 105 winners. Sean Bowen was champion conditional jockey in 2014/15, only to be usurped by James as the youngest ever winner of that title in 2017/18.

Sean Bowen reached the landmark of 1,000 career winners on Kefir d’Oudairies, trained by Olly Murphy, in a National Hunt Flat race at Fakenham on February 14, 2025. Despite his remarkable tally, though, he has yet to ride a Grade 1 winner or a Cheltenham Festival winner of any description. On reaching the milestone, he said, “It’s been a great season and I’d also love to have a Cheltenham Festival winner.” However, Bowen already has dozens of Graded and Listed winners to his name, so both are surely only a matter of time.