Racing
Seven jockeys to follow in the 2020 flat season
Taking a break from his daily horse racing tips and ignoring the obvious contenders such as Ryan Moore, Frankie Dettori and Oisin Murphy, Steven Dowler lists his seven jockeys to follow in the 2020 flat season.
BEN CURTIS
What better way to start an article on jockeys to follow in the 2020 flat season than all-weather champion Ben Curtis, who had a tremendous 2019/20 campaign.
He claimed the 2019 all-weather title having banged in 101 winners in total with a high 21% strike rate. Ben looked likely to break Luke Morris’s all-weather record of 102 winners on the surface but unfortunately Covid-19 intervened and stopped that happening.
However, the 30-year-old has improved his seasonal numbers every year since he moved to the UK permanently from Ireland in 2014 and he has now set his sights on the Jockeys Championship. Ben Curtis has ridden many group winners but is still chasing that elusive group one. I feel, though, like it is just around the corner for a man at the top of his game.
He is a rider who gets 110% out of every horse, an example being Certain Lad last season in Dubai. He was sent off at 33-1 and didn’t appear to have any chance but overcame those odds to win in good style. Ben Curtis is officially a freelance rider, with his main employers being Roger Fell and Karl Burke.
However with the ability and determination Ben Curtis has shown since coming to the UK, the top yards might jump at the chance of having the all-weather champion on board. When that option does become available, it will give this top-class jockey every chance of staking a claim for the Jockey’s Championship.
JIM CROWLEY
Jim Crowley seems to have been around forever but he is still only 34-years-old. There are plenty of years left in this legend of the sport to try and reclaim the Jockey’s Championship that he won back in 2016. He is a very talented rider, as consistent as they come, and continued his quest for another championship with a third place finish in last season’s leaderboard riding 99 winners in total.
With the exception of Frankie Dettori, Jim Crowley operated at the second highest strike rate of the season, riding 23% winners and securing over £2 million in prize money. Crowley is Sheikh Hamdan’s retained rider and has won ten group 1 races in his career to date but is on the hunt for more.
His most notable success came in last season’s Nunthorpe aboard the sprint king Battaash, who he has said to be the best horse he has ever ridden. Another big season looks on the cards for this former Champion Jockey and we can expect the man from Ascot to be showing the younger riders that he still has the ammunition to be on the premises for a second title and that he belongs on a list of jockeys to follow in the 2020 flat season.
WILLIAM BUICK
Having won the apprentice championship back in 2008, I don’t think anyone in the horse racing community suspected that William Buick would still be chasing the Jockeys Championship twelve years later. The 31-year-old is a world class jockey who has won multiple group 1 wins around the world.
He won nine group 1 races in 2018 including the Epsom Derby and the Mile Championship in Japan. He also secured more group 1 glory in 2019 aboard the exciting Ghaiyyath, Pinatubo, Blue Point and Old Persian. Many have been quick to criticise and question whether the Norwegian born superstar will ever become Champion Jockey.
However, after a bright start to the 2019/20 campaign, his season was cut short after suffering a terrible head trauma which resulted in him missing three months of the flat season. The courageous rider overcame that horrific injury to win on his first start back and now his attention can turn to the 2020/21 campaign.
He will no doubt be seen on many of the top-class horses for Godolphin again and I am gobsmacked to see him available at 33/1 to become Champion Jockey. I think that clearly underestimates this global top-class jockey who is one of the best in the business. An obvious choice for our jockeys to follow in the 2020 flat season.
JACK MITCHELL
Roger Varian has a strong hand of riders at his yard, one of those being 21-year-old Jack Mitchell. He finished fifth in last season’s All-Weather Championship and landed 40 winners on the surface, operating at a healthy 19% strike rate. He is a man who loves small venues such as Wolverhampton, where he rides winner after winner.
In fact, Mitchell holds a very appealing 30% strike rate at Wolverhampton over the past twelve months. He is unquestionably a future Champion Jockey and his professionalism and skill in the saddle at such a young age is a big advantage. Normally when he is on a Roger Varian banker at a small track, it is very rare they get beaten.
Jack Mitchell is a rider who would seemingly prefer to have a nice book of rides on an afternoon at Hamilton rather than a big handicap on TV somewhere like Sandown, which suggests he would rather ride something he believes can win on. With plenty of stables raring to use Mitchell on board their horses, I honestly believe he will have his biggest season to date and push towards the top of All-Weather Championship leaderboard.
FINLEY MARSH
Finley Marsh is another young talent rising through the ranks and is developing into a potential champion of the future. Therefore he has to be one of my jockeys to follow in the 2020 flat season. He is an all-weather specialist who gained 11 winners from just 54 rides last season on the surface, earning himself a strike rate of 24%. Most of those weren’t on market leaders either.
It is a good statistic considering the majority of all weather races can be a bit of a lottery. Finley Marsh is stable rider to former champion jockey Richard Hughes and, with his yard getting bigger and better, one can assume that Marsh will be riding plenty of winners for him and other trainers this season.
JASON WATSON
A highlights of my list of jockeys to follow in the 2020 flat season is Jason Watson, who established himself as a very talented rider last season. Watson rode 77 winners and secured over £1 million in prize money. He is only 19-years-old and, considering his huge success in a short space of time, we could be looking at the next Ryan Moore, Frankie Dettori or other world-class jockey.
Impressively, Jason is already a dual group 1 winner having landed his first British success aboard 1000 Guineas favourite Quadrilateral and also a group 1 in France for Roger Charlton. Jason Watson was crowned Champion Apprentice in 2018 and has not looked back since, winning other major races including some of the best handicaps around such as the Stewards Cup and Cesarewitch.
Watson finished ninth in last years Jockey’s Championship, a fantastic achievement given how far he could be from achieving his full potential. Looking ahead to the 2020/21 flat season, Jason Watson has some huge rides coming up for various trainers including main boss Roger Varian and therefore could easily improve on last year’s heroics.
HOLLIE DOYLE
The only female rider to make my list of jockeys to follow in the 2020 flat season is Hollie Doyle, one of the best female riders on the surface. She had a brilliant 2019, riding 116 winners, which was more than any other female jockey has managed. She rides for various stables and started 2020 with a bang, riding 35 winners before the racing was forced to stop.
However, there is no doubt that Hollie Doyle will quickly be back among the winners when racing resumes and you know she is going to get 110% out of every horse she sits on, whether they have a winning chance or not. Her talent in the saddle is clear to be seen and I cannot wait to see her carrying on her success from where she left off.
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