Flat Jockey of the Year

FLAT

JOCKEY of the Year

WILLIAM BUICK

HOLLIE DOYLE JIM CROWLEY

RICHARD KINGSCOTE

FLAT JOCKEY OF THE YEAR by Adam Houghton THE NOMINATIONS

WILLIAM BUICK

Rewind the clock to late April and it would be fair to say that William Buick’s quest to be crowned champion Flat jockey for the first time didn’t get off to the ideal start.

On the same afternoon that the title race officially began in Britain, William once again experienced the pitfalls that come with being number one jockey to a yard as powerful as that of Charlie Appleby, choosing to ride Native Trail in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and, ultimately, choosing wrong as stablemate Coroebus swept to a smooth success. The runner-up spot is one that no jockey ever wants to find themselves in and after that Newmarket reversal William set about avenging another near-miss from the previous year when he came up two short of Oisin Murphy’s tally at the end of a bruising battle for the jockeys’ championship. Nearly six months later and it was very much mission accomplished for William, who partnered no fewer than 157 winners – 66 more than Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand who finished in a share of second – between that afternoon at Newmarket and QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot where he was finally presented with the trophy surrounded by his family and friends. William may have been out of luck on Champions Day itself, but there was certainly plenty of quality to go with the quantity in a campaign which saw him ride 11 Group/Grade 1 winners in six different countries, sealed with a double at the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland. That haul also included two classic victories courtesy of Native Trail in the Irish 2000 Guineas and Modern Games in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, while Coroebus made amends for the one that got away when carrying William to victory in the St James’s Palace Stakes, one of five winners for the rider at Royal Ascot.

JIM CROWLEY

When the day comes that Jim Crowley announces his retirement from the saddle, it seems unlikely that he will remember any year in his career as fondly as 2022, all because of the sheer enjoyment he got from riding Baaeed and showing the world just how good he was.

Put simply, horses like Baaeed just don’t come along that often. Jim already knew that, of course, even at the start of this season, and it was clear every time they stepped onto a racecourse together this year that he was going to enjoy it like it was the last. And boy did we enjoy watching them. By the time the pair went to post for the Juddmonte International at York in August, Baaeed was unbeaten in nine starts having picked up where he left off as a three-year-old with a hat-trick of Group One wins in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. The step up to a mile and a quarter was the big question mark on the Knavesmire, but Jim never had any concerns about Baaeed’s stamina and the confidence he had in his mount’s superiority was clear to see throughout that race. After breezing into the lead a furlong out, Baaeed just needed to be shaken up from there to leave his rivals toiling in his wake, ultimately winning by six and a half lengths in devastating fashion. It was a performance which few present will ever forget – nor the reception afterwards – and that image will be the abiding memory of Baaeed’s career rather than that of his surprise defeat on his final start in the Champion Stakes at Ascot. Will we see another Baaeed in 2023? Probably not, but Jim can at least look forward to the return of his full brother Hukum who, along with Haydock Sprint Cup winner Minzaal, provided the rider with further top-level success last season when winning the Coronation Cup at Epsom.

HOLLIE DOYLE

Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand couldn’t be split in this year’s jockeys’ championship on 91 winners apiece, a fitting end to a year which had begun with the pair tying the knot in March.

If that was a memorable day, then it certainly wasn’t to be the last in 2022 for Hollie, who continued to rack up the milestones upon her return to the saddle, including at Chantilly in June where she celebrated arguably the most significant victory of her burgeoning career so far. The filly in question was Nashwa and the race in question was the Prix de Diane. Sent off the 3/1 favourite after finishing a good third in the Oaks at Epsom just 16 days earlier, Nashwa responded gamely to her rider’s urgings in the final furlong as the pair fought off La Parisienne and Gerald Mosse to get the verdict by a short neck. That win made Hollie just the second female jockey to land a European classic and neither she nor Nashwa were finished there as the partnership went on to double their tally at the top level together when also winning the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. The prolonged drought during the summer caused Hollie’s old ally Trueshan to miss several big-race targets, but he still provided his rider with a couple of memorable days when conditions were more in his favour, first when defying a lofty mark in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle and then when winning the Long Distance Cup at Ascot for the third year in a row. At the other end of the distance spectrum, the speedy two-year-old The Platinum Queen gave Hollie another Group 1 success when holding on gamely to win the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp on Arc weekend, becoming the first of her age group to win that race since 1978. A trip to the Breeders’ Cup ultimately proved a step too far for that filly – and so too for Nashwa – but just to have a ride at that meeting was another significant occasion in a year full of them for Hollie, both on and off the track.

RICHARD KINGSCOTE

There were few more popular results in the latest season than when Desert Crown won the Derby at Epsom for Sir Michael Stoute and Richard Kingscote. For Sir Michael it was a sixth win in the blue riband but a first since 2010 following a few difficult years in between, while Richard was winning the race on just his second attempt having previously beaten only one home when riding Knight To Behold in the 2018 renewal.

Desert Crown had been favourite for the Derby ever since his convincing success under Richard in the Dante Stakes at York, so the rider could have been forgiven if he was feeling the pressure when the day finally arrived at Epsom. In the event, he produced a textbook ride which was testament to his steady temperament, even having the opportunity to enjoy the moment late on after Desert Crown had sealed victory with a devastating turn of foot entering the final two furlongs. That afternoon at Epsom provided the highlight of an association with Sir Michael which has given Richard lots more opportunities at the top level since they joined up last year. Sadly, Desert Crown spent the rest of the season on the sidelines due to injury, but Richard still managed to double his Group 1 tally by also winning the Champion Stakes at Ascot on Bay Bridge. Those two victories alone rewarded all the hard yards Richard has put in since having his first ride back in August 2004. Five times before the rider had earned more than a million pounds in prize money in a calendar year, but 2022 was when things went to another level altogether as he pocketed more than three times that amount. Most exciting for Richard is the news that Bay Bridge and Desert Crown are both set to stay in training, hopefully giving him more opportunities to shine on the biggest stages in 2023.