After returning from Australia, Billy Loughnane lost no time in joining the winners. He is looking forward to a busy year, with a potential title challenge. The teenage star swiftly took up where he left off, partnering 2-9 favorite Stage Winner to victory at Lingfield after concluding his Southern Hemisphere stint with a triumph over Yorkshire at Wyong in New South Wales over the weekend. When asked about his experience in Australia, he told Sky Sports Racing: “I had a great time, learned a lot, and enjoyed every minute of it out there.”
“I learnt a lot from riding work in the mornings, particularly about how they handle things in terms of timing and how they train two-year-olds outside and gate speed. “There, you have to be very sharp and aware of what’s going on around you. They jump and are sharp away from the gates and very much in stride a hundred yards into the race, whereas over here, especially on the turf, you can find your time a little bit more and get a position more easily.” In the BetMGM: It’s Showtime Novice Stakes, Stage Winner easily won for George Boughey, who just grew his business with the purchase of new training facilities from Godolphin.
Loughnane will be his first-choice jockey this season, according to the Newmarket handler, and the two appear to be forming a strong alliance. “I’m really fortunate to be riding for George, and it’s really exciting,” Loughnane continued. This season, we have a fantastic group of two-year-olds turning three, and it appears that several lovely yearlings will be joining us.This year will undoubtedly be successful now that we have a lovely yard to train in. “I’ve been with George since I started claiming, and I love working with him. He’s helped me a lot over the last two years, and I will definitely be trying to repay him.”
The 18-year-old acknowledges that vying for the jockeys’ championship will be difficult after finishing fourth in the standings behind Oisin Murphy the previous season, but he maintains that he is “100 percent” up to the task. “This year, I have a lot of goals that I’ll be disappointed if I don’t accomplish,” he stated. I have a lot of things I want to accomplish. It will be quite difficult to match the number of winners, but I’m eager to have a look. “I’ll definitely be going for it.”In addition to trying to achieve some group success along the way, I want to strive to surpass my numerical total from the previous year once more.The amount of racing has decreased in Australia, so I had a little bit more time to myself, recharge the batteries a little bit and in the gym every day, so I’m fitter and ready to take on a big season.”
