Jim Has Plenty To Crow About!
Jim Crowley kept up his sensational run of form last week and is now the firm favourite, in our 2016 Flat Jockeys Title betting market. He bagged a treble at Ffos Las on Friday, before landing the spoils on Berkshire, Officer Drivel and Fairway To Heaven, at Windsor on Saturday.
Crowley was out at work again on Sunday, picking up a brace of winners at Goodwood. Zhui Feng beat New Caledonia by just a nose, in the 3.10, at odds of 5/1. The 5.30 also featured a very-close finish and Babyfact hung on to deny Kiringa by a short-head.
There’s still 7-weeks to go and Silvestre de Sousa is likely to push him all the way, for the title.
“You have to go out there and think you can win on everything, otherwise what’s the point in going out there? You’re only as good as the horses you’re riding. If you’re getting good rides, your confidence is up and you feel like you can win on anything.”, said Crowley.
Win or lose, he’s now established himself as an elite jockey and his upward journey is one of the stories of a remarkable flat campaign.
5 Jim Crowley Fun Facts
Crowley’s racing hero is Mick Kinane, who he describes as ‘the ultimate professional’.
He believes that Cathy Gannon is the hardest-working rider, in the business. “She works twice as hard as any other jockey”, he has said.
He’s already ridden in well-over 600 races, this season.
Crowley’s win-rate, for the 2016 campaign is almost 17%.
His victory aboard Babyfact was his 107th of the season.
Check out our 2016 Flat Jockeys Championship live betting market here!
No Joy For Jamie, In Japan
Top jockey, Jamie Spencer endured a frustrating time of it, at the World All-Star Jockeys’ challenge at Sapporo in Japan. None of his 4 rides yielded better than 8th place, in an event dominated by champion Mirco Demuro and Joao Moreira who equalled the record for consecutive winners.
He matched Yutake Take’s best of 6 on the spin and followed that with a 2nd and a 3rd place. It’s no wonder that the Brazilian is known as ‘The Magic Man’ in Hong Kong, where he is currently based.
The incredible feat was not enough to crown Moreira though, as some of his winners came in races that did not count in the actual challenge.
As for Spencer, he’ll no doubt be back to winning ways very soon. The 36-year-old Irishman has already scooped 75 winners this season.
5 Jamie Spencer Fun Facts
Jamie is the world’s most-famous hold-up rider, specialising in winning races with late surges.
His father George trained the 1963 Champion Hurdle winner, Winning Fair.
Spencer has previously won the Champion Jockey title, in both Ireland and Great Britain.
He actually announced his retirement, back in 2014, before changing his mind at the end of the year.
When he won the 1998 Irish 1,000 Guineas, on-board Tarascon, he became the youngest-ever jockey to win a Classic.
Firing Apprentices
The 2016 Apprentice Jockeys Championship is really starting to hot-up, with Josephine Gordon locked in a titanic duel with Tom Marquand. After a lean few days, Gordon was again building her points score by riding Brick Lane to victory at Wolverhampton on Thursday.
Marquand responded with a superb ride aboard Procurator, at Goodwood on the following day. The horse gave him all sorts of trouble, first pulling hard and later edging under pressure, so he deserves a huge amount of credit for the 1-length win. These 2 great young jockeys are now well out in front, but which one grab win the title?
Check out our 2016 Apprentice Jockeys Championship live betting market here!
