Jockeys

Who hasn’t heard of Frankie Dettori? Probably one of the most popular race riders ever to have ridden a horse in the UK.

To be fair, I have no idea what a top-ranked jockey earns.

But how much can a jockey earn over their lifetime?

Obviously it is in the millions.

But which country has the high earners? I was surprised to find that most of the top jockeys come from the United States and particularly Japan. In fact, their financial status dwarfs all other countries with 41 of the 50 top earners from those two power houses.

Here’s a question: ‘Is there a jockey so talented, with big, bigger, biggest earnings which comes pretty close to being a billionaire?’

Have you heard of Japanese jockey extraordinaire Yutake Take?

I remember him riding in the UK but never realised he was so successful or rich. With career wins totalling 4,408 he’s amassed a whopping bank balance of $925 million.

Pretty close to the billion, hey.

They say like father like son, and his Dad was also a jockey called ‘The Wizard of the Turf’.

Yutake Take was born in 1969. He made his riding debut in 1987. Within the year, he had ridden 69 winners which had never been seen before by a rookie. The following year he achieved 100 winners. Two years later he was crowned champion jockey, an accolade he held continuously until 1999 (bar 1991).

Race horse Deep Impact saw the jockey achieve the pinnacle of racing in 2005 winning the Japanese Triple Crown.

Other significant horses he rode include: Air Groove, Oguri Cap, Kane Hikili, Kitasan Black, Kizuna, Mejiro McQueen, Silence Suzuka, Smart Falcon, Special Week and Super Creek.

In addition, he has raced at all major countries including: United Kingdom, France, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates.

He has many honours including JRA Grand Prize Jockey, JRA Award for Best Jockey (newcomer), JRA Award for Best Jockey (races won), JRA Award for Best Jockey (winning average), JRA Award for Best Jockey (money earned) & JRA Special Award.

His personal life he is married.

His brother, Koshiro, who was a successful jockey and now trainer.

Today Yutake Take is a legend in Japan.

The short answer in that he wasn’t, at least not in the sense that, say, the late Sir Henry Cecil was knighted, for services to racing, in November, 2011. Unlike his distinguished former colleague, Sir Mark Prescott was not invited to a formal ceremony of Investiture at Buckingham Palace and, consequently, was not ‘dubbed’ a knight by being briefly touched on each shoulder with the traditional Knighting sword by Queen Elizabeth II.

To avoid any confusion, Sir Mark Prescott is not a Knight of the Realm, but is afforded the title ‘Sir’ by virtue of the fact that he is a hereditary baronet. Thus, his name appears on racecards and elsewhere as Sir Mark Prescott, to distinguish him from a knight. Sir Mark is, in fact, third Baronet Prescott, of Godmanchester in the County of Huntingdon, and inherited the title following the death of his uncle, Sir Richard Stanley Prescott, in 1965. As such, in England, he officially ranks above all knights, except Knights of the Garter.

Hereditary dignitaries aside, Sir Mark, who turned 75 on March 3, 2023, has been the master of Heath House Stables, on Moulton Road, Newmarket since succeeding the previous incumbent, the late Jack Waugh, in 1970 at the age of just 22. Interviewed by the ‘Racing Post’ in July, 2022, he reflected on his early career, saying, ‘I didn’t take too many prisoners. I fired three people the first day I started. They were bullies, horrible bullies. I don’t think Mr. Waugh had realised how horrible they were.’ In over half a century at the helm, Sir Mark has saddled over 2,000 winners and, in recent years, has achieved numerous high-profile successes with Alpinista, who was retired to stud after justifying favouritism in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October, 2022.

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).