As the talented youngster continues to rack up the wins, many may be wondering – who is Billy Loughnane? Read on to find out all you need to know about the teenager getting rides for some of the top UK horse racing trainers.
Who Is Billy Loughnane?
Billy Loughnane is an Irish jockey based in the UK and he competes in flat racing. He started riding horses when he was still in school and also competed on the pony racing circuit, where he won the All-Weather Championship in 2022.
Loughnane always wanted to be a jockey and when he was in school he dressed up as one when asked what he wanted to be when he was older, and he now has over 100 winners in just over a year riding on UK racecourses. Growing up, AP McCoy was one of his heroes, but as he became more invested in the flat, Tom Marquand was another he looked up to.
Billy is also the son of Mark Loughnane, an Irish trainer based in England. The family moved to Staffordshire at the end of 2011, before then moving to a new training yard, Rock Farm in Worcestershire in 2017. He started riding his dad’s horses when he was still in school.
How Old Is Billy Loughnane?
Loughnane is just 17, and was born in March 2006 – meaning he will turn 18 in 2024.
Billy Loughnane: Career So Far
Starting Out
The 17-year-old took out an apprentice licence after leaving school ages 16, and had his first ride at Newcastle races in October 2022 on a horse named Starfighter, trained by his dad.
It took roughly a month before he would be in the winners enclosure for the first time, when he guided Swiss Rowe to victory at Wolverhampton races, another horse trained at home.
In April 2023, around seven months after his first ever ride, Loughnane was crowned Champion All-Weather Apprentice with 41 winners to his name over the winter. He achieved this despite taking a month out in February to ride out with trainer David Meah in Miami, Florida.
The biggest win of his career so far came on just his third turf ride on April 1st 2023 where he rode Doddie’s Impact to glory in the Brocklesby Stakes (see below) at Doncaster.
What a way to kick off the Flat season! @loughnane_billy and Doddie’s Impact land the Pertemps Network EBF Brocklesby at @DoncasterRaces! pic.twitter.com/gEmqKqEfpC
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 1, 2023
Just a month later, Loughnane became the youngest jockey to rider in a British classic since Lester Piggott in 1951, partnering Sweet Harmony in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Loughnane also had eight rides at his first Royal Ascot meeting, with his best result coming in the Ascot Stakes when finishing second on Calling The Wind for Richard Hughes.
Riding Out His Claim & Beyond
Topping off a memorable first year on the flat, Loughnane rode out his claim with his 95th winner on 8th September 2023.
October was a special month too, as he won the Apprentices’ Derby at Epsom on SP favourite Forceful Speed trained by George Boughey and owned by Amo Racing. Later on that month he was crowned the 2023 Champion Apprentice on Champions’ Day at Ascot.
Loughnane rode in his 1000th race on 16th January at Lingfield, and it was a winning ride aboard Tribal Wisdom for Ian Williams.
Another memorable moment for Loughnane was when he rode his first winner for Charlie Appleby in the Godolphin colours. He lifted Sapphire Seas up to win by a nose at Wolverhampton in January 2023.
He has gone on to form strong relationships with some top trainers in the UK, and has recently been regularly riding for the George Boughey team.
It’s fair to say he has been hugely successful so far in his career and his meteoric rise is only expected to take off even more in 2024. Now you know the answer to the question – who is Billy Loughnane? See a little more about his winners below.
How Many Winners Does Billy Loughnane Have?
Since riding in his first race back in October 2022, Loughnane has gone on to win 145 times (correct as of January 19th ’24) from 1009 rides.
He has accumulated £1,425,608 in total prize money, with £778,735 of that coming on winning horses.
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