As he embraced his father in the parade ring, 18-year-old Billy Loughnane fought back tears as the enormity of his triumph hit home. Racing’s ‘Billy the Kid’ had come of age.
“This is the best feeling in the world,” said Loughnane, having claimed a shock 80-1 victory on outsider Rashabar by a nose at Royal Ascot.
He will celebrate with mates of the same age who have only just finished their A-levels. The beers are on Billy, although the baby-faced jockey will need his ID with him to get a round in with his £8,000 winnings.
Loughnane has long been touted as the next big thing to break through in racing, but nobody, other than in his inner circle, predicted this against-the-odds victory.
He narrowly held on in a photo-finish from the Wathnan Racing-owned pair Electrolyte and Columnist to leave trainer Brian Meehan jumping for joy.
Rashabar was a maiden coming into the race and led home rivals priced at 40-1, 50-1 and 40-1 as the fancied horses failed to shine. Loughnane, his father Mark and Meehan always believed, however.
“What a feeling,” Loughnane said. “Brian was very confident coming into the race. My plan was to go right even though the favourite [Camille Pissarro] was on my left – the quickest way is a straight line and he did it the hard way.
“Wow. As I looked over I thought I might have just won it, I saw the big screen and I just kept driving away. This is the best feeling in the world. It means a lot.”
Since 16 has been the minimum age for a riding licence, teenage breakthrough winners have become rarer. Previously Lester Piggott rode his first winner in 1948 aged 12 while, 10 years earlier, Bruce Hobbs had landed the Grand National on Battleship aged 17.
There was Walter Swinburn winning the 1981 Derby on Shergar as a teenager while more recently, in 2018, James Bowen won the Welsh National on Raz de Maree before he was old enough to take a driving test. Steve Cauthen, meanwhile, rode 487 winners in his second season riding when he was just 17 and, in 1978, aged 18, had the US Triple Crown all wrapped up on Affirmed. Cauthen had presented Loughnane with last year’s apprentice championship.
It has been a remarkable rise for a teenager who only started race-riding when he was 16. Loughnane spent the first seven years of his life in Ireland before moving to Stoke with his family when his father Mark, who has 50 horses, started training there, and only had his first ride on October 24 2022.
Inspired by Littler
In an interview with Telegraph Sport, Loughnane described how he took inspiration from darts’ Luke Littler – although he would not have been able to get away with his diet. “Because I’m quite tall I have to be very careful about what I eat, so unfortunately I wouldn’t be out celebrating a win with a kebab and can of Fanta,” he said.
Rashabar is the longest-priced winner of the Coventry since Nando Parrado won at 150-1 in 2020. “He’s a lovely horse,” Meehan said.
“Chester [last time] was a little disappointing but he missed the break and I think without that he’d have won. The form has worked out well, he’d been training so well at home and the team had done a tremendous job.
“Right now it’s about showing what we can do and the satisfaction as a trainer and for the team at home, it’s very special.”
