Four jockeys to follow in the 2025 flat racing season

The flat season is ramping up, with the Guineas meeting at Newmarket officially getting the British turf campaign underway after teasers at the likes of Doncaster and Newbury.  

The event for the first Classics of the year is also when the race for the prestigious Champion Jockey title starts, with all the top riders from the United Kingdom and Ireland vying for glory.

A good ride can be the difference between winning and losing in the top races, so let’s examine four jockeys to follow this campaign.

Oisin Murphy

Oisin Murphy won the personal accolade for the fourth time last year and regularly mounts well-backed horses in the Royal Ascot tips ahead of the Royal meeting.

The Irishman rode 162 winners across last season, including various Group wins in the likes of the Tattersalls Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.  

However, while he’ll still rack up big wins in Britain this year, Murphy has already indicated that retaining the Champion Jockey is not top of his priority list.

Regularly found riding for Andrew Balding, Murphy has access to some of the top horses in the country and is a hot commodity when there’s a free ride going.

Rossa Ryan

Another top Irish rider, Rossa Ryan had a remarkable year in 2024—which was topped off by winning the hugely prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp aboard Bluestocking.

Ryan, who is the retained rider for Ralph Beckett, broke the 200-win barrier for the second season running last year when hitting 201 victories in 1,176 runs.

In terms of the race for the title, Ryan was second to Murphy with 110 wins, but this season, he could certainly get closer.

With Beckett’s yard getting stronger with each passing campaign, Ryan will have some top rides again this season.  

Billy Loughnane

Another young jockey who’s regularly booked up, Billy Loughnane rode a career-best 162 winners last year.

A former Champion Apprentice and now All-Weather Champion, Loughnane is going into this new turf season on cloud nine.  

The 19-year-old was fourth in last year’s Champion Jockey standings with 97 winners across the flat season proper but is the joint-favourite with Ryan on some operators for the crown this season.

While Loughnane is the stable jockey for George Boughey, he often picks up spare rides for an array of trainers—including his father, Mark, and Godolphin’s Charlie Appleby—only helping his cause.

William Buick

Two-time Champion Jockey William Buick will be disappointed with the manner in which he had to hand back the trophy to old rival Murphy last season.

The Norwegian-British rider was some way back in fifth with just 81 victories for the campaign, although only had 390 rides—almost half of Murphy’s bookings.

He’s unlikely to be in contention to regain the Champion Jockey accolade this season, but he will have a ton of exciting rides as the frontman for global operation Godolphin.

Shadow Of Light, Desert Flower, Notable Speech, Ruling Court and Arabian Crown will be just some of the horses Buick will be excited about riding in the famous royal blue colours this season.