Billy Loughnane

Billy Loughnane (born March 2006) is an Irish jockey who is based in Britain and competes in flat racing. He is the current British flat racing Champion Apprentice and twice British All-Weather Champion Apprentice.

Background
Loughnane is the son of Clare and Daniel Mark Loughnane, an Irish trainer based in England. Born in Ireland, Loughnane moved to England with his parents and brother Jack at the end of 2011, living first in Staffordshire and then, from 2017, at a new training yard, Rock Farm, near Kidderminster in Worcestershire.

Loughnane started riding out for his father when he was still at school and also rode on the pony racing circuit, winning the all-weather championship in 2022. He always wanted to be a jockey and went to school dressed as a jockey when asked to dress as what he wanted to be when he was older.

Apprentice jockey
Loughnane took out an apprentice licence after leaving school aged sixteen and had his first ride in October 2022 on Starfighter, trained by his father, at Newcastle. His first winner was another horse trained by his father, Swiss Rowe, at Wolverhampton on 28 November 2022. In April 2023 he was crowned champion all-weather apprentice with 41 winners, in spite of taking a break in February to ride out with trainer David Meah in Miami. On 1 April 2023, on just his third ride on the turf, he rode Doddie's Impact, trained by Robyn Brisland, to victory in the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster. The following month he became the youngest jockey since Lester Piggott in 1951 to ride in a British classic when he partnered Sweet Harmony in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. The 200/1 outsider, trained by Richard Spencer, finished 14th of 20 runners. He had eight rides in his first Royal Ascot, with his best result being second place on Calling the Wind, trained by Richard Hughes, in the Ascot Stakes. He rode out his claim with his 95th winner on 8 September 2023, having had to take three weeks out after injuring his thumb in July in the stalls at Nottingham. On 1 October he won the Apprentices' Derby at Epsom on the favourite Forceful Speed, trained by George Boughey. and at the end of the month was crowned as 2023 Champion Apprentice on Champions' Day at Ascot. He retained his all-weather apprentice title in April 2024.

Professional jockey
Loughnane secured his first Group race victory when he rode Queues Likely, trained by Stan Moore, in the Group 3 Preis Karin Baronin von Ullman Schwarzgold-Rennen at Cologne in Germany on 21 April 2024. On 18 June 2024 he achieved his first win at Royal Ascot, riding the 80/1 outsider Rashabar to a photo-finish victory in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes for trainer Brian Meehan. This was followed three days later by a win on Soprano for George Boughey in the Sandringham Stakes.