Since 2015, because of concerns about the health and well-being of participants, the Flat Jockeys’ Championship has been decided on the number of winners ridden during a foreshortened season. That season runs from the Guineas Festival at Newmarket to British Champions Day at Ascot or, in other words, in 2024, from May 4 until October 19, which equates to exactly 24 weeks.
Not entirely surprisingly, according to bookmakers, the leading contenders for the 2024 Flat Jockeys’ Championship are the top five from 2023 competition, who are priced up according to their respective finishing positions. Last year’s runaway winner, William Buick, is priced up at 1/2 to win his third title in a row, after chalking up 135 winners from 616 rides, at a healthy 22% strike rate, in 2023. Retained by Godolphin since January 2015, Buick rides as first jockey for Charlie Appleby, so, with plenty of ammunition at his disposal, looks a worthy favourite.
Of course, Buick may faced renewed opposition from his old rival, Oisin Murphy, who was handed a 12-month suspension by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in February 2022, after a sequence of misdemeanours, but had previously been Champion Jockey in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Murphy rode 168, 142 and 153 winners, respectively, in those three seasons and 106 following his return to action in 2023, so, at 3/1, appeals as one of the more likely winners.
Beyond the front pair in the betting, Rossa Ryan (4/1) lost his retainer with Kia Joorabchian in August 2022, but that didn’t stop him finishing third in the Flat Jockeys’ Championship, with 104 winners, in 2023. Indeed, he finished the calendar year as the most prolific jockey in the country, ahead of both Buick and Murphy, so his chance of becoming Champion Jockey should not be underestimated. Husband and wife pair Tom Marquand (8/1) and Hollie Doyle (16/1) can always be relied upon to give their all, while, at much bigger prices, potential ‘dark horses’ include three-time former Champion Jockey Ryan Moore and former Champion Apprentice Billy Loughnane (both 66/1).