Asides from betting on all of the big races throughout the season, many punters are keen to have side bets on which rider will come out on top and win the jockeys’ championship. I have put together a list of contenders of who will vye for the title this upcoming season. Silvestre De Sousa has won this three times in the last six years and he will certainly be a player here as he locks horns with the likes of reigning champion Oisin Murphy and Frankie Dettori amongst others. Winners of the Jockeys Championship have tended to have ridden anywhere between 130 – 200 winners in recent years so it pays to see who has the largest amount of ammunition at their disposal.
Jockeys
Oisin Murphy – Oisin is a nephew of three-time Gold Cup winning jockey, Jim Culloty. He made an instant impact when making his professional debut at Ayr Racecourse back in 2013 where he racked up a quick four timer including the main prize itself on Highland Colori. Since then he has been given plenty of opportunities for Andrew Balding and he is the current retained jockey for leading owners in Qatar Racing. He enjoyed notable success in the maroon and gold silks enjoying Grade One success on Roaring Lion in the Eclipse Stakes, the International Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes back in 2018. He rode 168 winners last season seeing off his closest rival by 35 wins. The 24 year old is a force to be reckoned with and with plenty of horse rides likely to come for big yards. He looks sure to give another bold show and betting odds of 1/2 look prohibitive.
BoyleSports horse racing spokesperson had stated that a lot of bets had already been taken on the jockey & expect the odds of all the horses Oisin races to be shortened closer to each race. A good sign for punters of a safe bet.
Danny Tudhope – Danny had a fantastic year racing horses last season and came closest to giving Oisin a fright. He partnered no fewer than 133 picking up plenty of races for northern based trainers including as stable jockey to David O’Meara. He has remained consistent and he operates at around a 20% strike rate. He managed to ride four horses for gold at Royal Ascot last June including a notable win on Lord Glitters in the Queen Anne Stakes. Lord Adeybb in the Wolferton Stakes, Move Swiftly in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes as well as Space Traveller in the Jersey Stakes. Having won over £2 million pounds in prize money, he will be keen to do so again. He should be in with a fair chance at around 5/1 odds.
Silvestre De Sousa – The former Champion Jockey had an unusually quiet spell of horse racing last year. He incurred a heavy fall in a race at Chelmsford racecourse last August and that kept him out of action until the beginning of October. As a result, he picked up just 79 wins from 461 races, but if avoiding another scare, he will be trying his hardest riding at multiple venues on a daily basis. He picks up the majority of his mounts riding for the horses associated with King Power Racing and they have plenty of exciting prospects in training with the likes of Richard Hannon and Andrew Balding amongst others. Silvestre is a dedicated and likeable jockey who will do all he can to win the title. With further opportunities likely to come his way, according to BoyleSports odds on horse racing betting he is in with a shout at 5/1 odds.
Jim Crowley – Jim is an incredibly underrated jockey and found himself just one shy of a century of winners last season. In saying that, he still won almost £3,000,000 in win and placed prized money and had a useful 23% strike rate from his 429 rides. He is the number one jockey for one of racing’s biggest supporters in Sheikh Hamdan Al-Maktoum and a key victory of his came when winning the Nunthorpe on Battash last season. Regular trips abroad mean that he is unlikely to ride as many runners domestically, but if the opportunity presents itself, he will certainly relish the challenge. He won the Jockeys’ Championship back in 2016 when denying former champion Silvestre De Sousa. He is currently a 16/1 odds, but that price will diminish the more he stays at home to ride.
Conclusion:
Oisin Murphy will be a tough nut to crack this horse racing season yet again. He has plenty of decent rides from a lot of top yards to look forward to. If Silvestre De Sousa remains injury free, he looks to be a massive threat. His injury curtailed his winning attitude last season, but with more and more youngsters coming through from the King Power ranks, the thirty-nine year old may well just fancy another crack at regaining his title. Odds of 5/1 may appear a little generous given that he often travels to more than one meeting per day and his thirst for success is unlimited.
Karl Hedley: @KarlHedley1