Billy Loughnane made history by securing his first Champion Jockey title as Qatar Racing British Champions Day brought the British Flat racing championship to a close at Ascot on Saturday. The 20-year-old led the season’s celebrations alongside Jack Callan, who claimed the Champion Apprentice title, and Godolphin, which secured the Champion Owner award for the 18th time.
Loughnane finished the championship with 159 winners, more than 20 ahead of runner-up Oisin Murphy. He became the youngest outright Champion Jockey since 19-year-old Charlie Elliott shared the honour with Steve Donoghue in 1923, marking a significant milestone in his rapidly developing career.
The Irish jockey’s rise through the ranks began with his first winner at Wolverhampton in November 2022. He claimed the Champion Apprentice title the following year before reaching another career milestone this season with his first Classic victory aboard Bow Echo in the Group 1 2000 Guineas.
Bow Echo continued his unbeaten run with victories at Royal Ascot and in the Sussex Stakes, completing six wins from six starts. Loughnane described the Guineas triumph as his standout moment of the year and expressed disappointment that the colt would not return to the racecourse.
Reflecting on his achievement, Loughnane credited the trainers who had supported him throughout his career. He recalled that his original ambition had been to ride a few winners when he began travelling for race meetings, making the eventual championship success an outcome beyond his early expectations.
The new champion also set his sights on Sir Gordon Richards’ record of 269 winners in a calendar year. Loughnane planned to continue riding through the remainder of October and November before assessing in December whether he could challenge the long-standing mark.
Jack Callan Adds Champion Apprentice Crown
Jack Callan secured the Champion Apprentice title after an impressive season that followed a promising start to his riding career. The 19-year-old also continued a family tradition, emulating his father, Neil Callan, who won the same championship in 1999.
Callan began race riding in March 2025 while balancing his A-level studies in Biology, Economics and Mathematics. He finished fourth in the apprentice standings that year before making a strong start to the following campaign.
His performances helped him ride out his apprentice claim at the end of July, and he completed the season with 54 winners. The achievement also gave trainer George Boughey a notable double, with both Callan and Loughnane attached to his Newmarket yard.
Callan credited the support of trainers and other racing connections for his progress, revealing that he had ridden for more than 100 trainers during the season. He also highlighted his determination to improve his annual tally and establish himself among the sport’s leading riders.
The young jockey planned to remain in Britain over the winter to strengthen his professional connections and continue developing his career. He identified winning the Champion Jockey title in the future as a major ambition.
Callan described riding as a profession he had wanted to pursue from an early age. Despite acknowledging the challenges that came with the job, he expressed satisfaction with his progress and hoped to secure opportunities aboard increasingly competitive horses.
Godolphin Claims 18th Champion Owner Award
Godolphin completed the championship celebrations by securing the Champion Owner award for the 18th time. The Dubai-based operation accumulated more than £6.5 million in prize money during another successful British Flat racing campaign.
Ombudsman led the operation’s major-race achievements with victories in the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. Notable Speech and Talk Of New York also recorded top-level successes during the season.
Earlier in the campaign, Notable Speech delivered a dominant performance in the Lockinge Stakes, while Ombudsman became the first horse in 30 years to win the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes in consecutive years at Royal Ascot.
Rebel’s Romance also provided a significant result for Godolphin by winning during the July Festival before bringing his racing career to a close.
The stable’s younger horses offered further encouragement for the following season. Musical Times remained unbeaten after winning the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile, while Desert Castle and Rock Montreal also produced promising performances towards the end of the campaign.
Hugh Anderson, Managing Director of Godolphin in the UK and Dubai, praised the contribution of the operation’s trainers, jockeys, stud teams and staff working behind the scenes. He also acknowledged Sheikh Mohammed’s continued support and expressed optimism about the prospects of the younger horses ahead of the following year’s Classics.
British Champions Day Attendance Nears Record
Qatar Racing British Champions Day attracted 32,140 spectators at Ascot in 2026, representing a three per cent increase on the previous year’s attendance of 31,257.
The latest figure came close to the record attendance of 32,348 set in 2012, providing a strong turnout for the conclusion of the British Flat racing championship.
Billy Loughnane Champion Jockey honours headlined the British Flat racing championship celebrations at Ascot, where Jack Callan claimed the Champion Apprentice title and Godolphin secured its 18th Champion Owner award. The meeting attracted 32,140 spectators, bringing the season’s championship to a close.
For more stories, results, and updates from the world of horse racing, stay tuned to RaceBuzz.