Billy Loughnane: 'On my apprentice course I said I wanted to win the championship one day - but we didn't think it would be this year'
The teenage sensation and his father Mark discuss his journey from rocking horses to racehorses with Lewis Porteous
Back in November, Billy Loughnane was like a bear with a sore head. He was on a losing run of 26 rides and the wait for his first winner under rules was becoming unbearable.
"He kept saying, 'Dad, I need a winner,'" recalls his father, Mark. "We went away for a week to Dubai and on his last ride before we went he was beaten a nose at Lingfield. That trip from Lingfield to Birmingham airport was the longest two hours of my life – he was doing my head in!"
As is often the case, life looks a little rosier after a holiday and, returning to the track on a misty evening at Wolverhampton, Swiss Rowe put the young rider in the winner's enclosure for the first time. He was off and running.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inInterviews
Last updated
Copy- It's been a quarter of a century since we started - here's how we've seen the sport we love change
- 'You can see why people end up struggling - when you're trying to pay the electric bill, losing one ride can be massive'
- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’
- It's been a quarter of a century since we started - here's how we've seen the sport we love change
- 'You can see why people end up struggling - when you're trying to pay the electric bill, losing one ride can be massive'
- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’