Horse Racing: Famous Jockeys Who Ruled the Racetracks

While there are many iconic runners who have transcended the sport of horse racing, we’ve seen some incredibly famous jockeys through the ages, too.

 

These include the legendary Frankie Dettori and Lester Piggott, who are responsible for some of the sport’s most incredible wins and accomplishments.

 

But what sets these famous jockeys apart from their rivals, and who are the emerging stars most likely to fill their shoes? Let’s get into it!

The Role of Jockeys in Horse Racing

Let’s start by appraising the role that jockeys play in the sport of horse racing. In simple terms, a jockey is tasked with guiding their runner during a race as they look to stay the course successfully and achieve optimal performance levels.

 

One way they achieve this is through the strategic use of their whip. This both motivates and focuses their runners during the heat of battle, encouraging them to reach their full potential and top speed.

 

Jockeys must also develop a deep understanding of their horse’s core strengths and weaknesses. This range of attributes can include physical traits (such as speed and jumping ability) and the horse’s temperament, while trainers will often develop partnerships with specific jockeys to aid this process (such as Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore).

 

Jockeys are also incredible athletes. They must follow strict diets and fitness regimes to remain within the sport’s stringent weight limits. They must also boast exceptional balance and agility, so they often combine flexibility workouts with strength and conditioning training and regular cardiovascular exercises.

 

This type of physical exertion can also aid endurance, which is crucial over longer courses and National Hunt meetings. From a psychological perspective, jockeys must also possess a speed of thought and the ability to make informed, real-time decisions that factor in their knowledge of a horse and a particular race’s dynamics.

Legendary Jockeys in Horse Racing History

Now that we know what riders bring to horse racing, it’s time to turn our attention to the most famous jockeys of all. Here’s our pick of the sport’s top three!

Bill Shoemaker: The Icon

Let’s start with ‘the icon’ Bill Shoemaker, who boasted incredible longevity and once held the world record for the most professional victories as a jockey. 

 

He held this record for an astonishing 29 years while eventually winning an incredible 8,833 races. His career spanned 51 years, starting as an enthusiastic teenager in 1949 and ending with his retirement in 1990.

 

His monumental tally of wins includes several Triple Crown races stateside. In fact, he claimed an exceptional four Kentucky Derby wins from 26 mounts, with only Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack prevailing more often (five times). He also won five Belmont Stakes between 1957 and 1975 while adding two Preakness Stakes in 1963 and 1967.

 

Shoemaker also won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1987. However, his best accomplishment came in the 1976 Marlboro Cup, which took place at Belmont Park. Riding Forego, he found himself eighth in a field of 11 as the horses arrived on the backstretch before mounting an incredible charge that eventually saw him pip the dead-game Honest Pleasure by a nose.

 

This equated to one of the best comebacks in the sport’s history, while it was no surprise when Shoemaker named Forego as the best horse he had ever ridden.

Lester Piggott: The Long-Standing Champion

Lester Piggott is perhaps the best-known and most revered jockey ever, especially among UK fans. His stellar career also started as a teenager in the 1950s, while he retired for the final time in 1995.

 

Interestingly, Lester was known as a teen sensation in the racing world. He rode his first winner of the Epsom Derby (Never Say Die) in 1954 at the tender age of 18. Incredibly, he went on to win the Derby nine times in total, while his tally of 30 British Classic race victories remains unmatched.

 

This astonishing haul includes five 2,000 Guineas wins and two triumphs in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. He also won six Epsom Oaks renewals at Epsom while triumphing in eight separate St Leger Stakes. Interestingly, 25 of his 30 classic wins came on different horses, which is highly unusual given how modern racing is structured.

 

There’s little doubt that Piggott is the greatest flat racing jockey of all time, notching 4,493 career wins in Britain and an estimated 5,300 globally. 

 

Affectionately referred to as “The Long Fellow”, Piggott was also incredibly competitive and committed to the sport. However, this had negative and positive connotations as he was known to restrict his weight significantly and overuse the whip at times (such as during the 1972 Derby).

Frankie Dettori: The Modern Legend

No list of famous jockeys would be complete with reference to Frankie Dettori. A modern legend who only retired from the British scene in the summer of 2023, Dettori amassed wins in 24 different countries and continues to race with distinction in North America.

 

Dettori was crowned British flat racing Champion Jockey thrice in 1994, 1995 and 2004. During the entirety of his career, he rode 287 Group 1 winners and prevailed in 23 British Classic races, including four 1,000 Guineas and four 2,000 Guineas iterations. He also won a staggering nine Ascot Gold Cups, most recently with Courage Mon Ami in 2023.

 

Royal Ascot was the scene of Dettori’s greatest-ever achievement on September 28th, 1996. This was the British Festival of Racing (a precursor to British Champions Day), while it saw Dettori power through the card and win all seven scheduled races.

 

This historic feat, which has yet to be repeated, was referred to as the “magnificent seven” and priced at a staggering 25,095/1 by bookmakers. Although sportsbooks started to slash the odds of Dettori’s horses winning as the rider closed in on history, his accomplishment still cost the betting industry as estimated £40 million.

 

Recently, he recorded six successive wins on a single day at the Santa Anita track in California at similarly prohibitive odds of 77,000/1. So, he’s a special jockey who remains capable of the truly extraordinary.

Each of these jockeys has left an incredible legacy, especially in terms of their on-track achievements and how they inspired the next generation of riders. Dettori was probably inspired in part by the accomplishments of Shoemaker and Piggott, who demonstrated incredible consistency during these years.

 

Along with Dettori, these riders have undoubtedly raised standards in terms of performance and horsemanship. They’ve also set a new bar regarding fitness, discipline and weight control, with the sport’s most famous jockeys managing to remain in peak physical condition for the duration of their careers.

 

Of course, each of these riders has also created their legacy at specific racetracks. In the case of Dettori, for example, the Italian will forever be synonymous with Ascot, following his nine Gold Cup wins and aforementioned “Magnificent Seven’ feat. If you’ve frequented Ascot, you’ll know that there’s even an Italian statue beside the track’s entrance.

 

Piggott is a rider who excelled at Epsom, winning 15 classics at the venue, including nine Derbys and six Oaks titles. Shoemaker’s legacy is most prominent in North America and US Triple Crown races, winning 11 such events during his career. This includes four Kentucky Derby wins between 1955 and 1986.

Emerging Stars: Jockeys to Watch

It’s interesting to note that Dettori himself followed in the footsteps of Piggott and Shoemaker. In fact, he launched his career as an apprentice in 1987, just eight years before Piggott retired in 1995. Unsurprisingly, several jockeys are now competing to fill the void left by Dettori, but which riders are best placed to achieve this aim?

 

• Ryan Moore: Ryan Moore is the heir apparent to Dettori and the first-choice jockey for Aidan O’Brien’s famous Ballydoyle operation. Moore already has 17 British Classic race victories, including five Epsom Derbies between 2010 and 2024. He has also won five Epsom Oaks titles and four 1,000 Guineas crowns. He has achieved international success, too, winning the Melbourne Cup in 2014 and Breeders’ Cup Turf five times between 2008 and 2023.

• William Buick: The 35-year-old William Buick is another emerging star. Since 2010, he has won G1 races in Canada, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and the US. He has five classic wins to his name, including three St Leger Stakes victories in 2010, 2011, and 2021. He also prevailed in the 2024 2,000 Guineas. To date, Buick has won 731 of his 3,204 rides and accumulated a win rate of 23%.

• James McDonald: Perhaps the most famous jockey from an international perspective, New Zealander James McDonald has already won 98 Group 1 races despite being just 32 years old. This includes a victory in the 2021 Melbourne Cup (when riding Verry Elleegant), which helped him win the World Jockey of the Year award that same year. McDonald won four Chipping Norton Stakes titles in Sydney and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2014.

Challenges Faced by Jockeys

These riders continue to lead the next generation of jockeys, and they’ll have the opportunity to match the career achievements of Shoemaker, Piggott, and Dettori over time. Of course, they’ll also face many of the same challenges as their predecessors, but which are the most pressing?

 

• Weight control and management: This is perhaps the biggest challenge for jockeys, especially as they age. For example, Ryan Moore currently maintains a weight of around 114 lbs, while McDonald weighs in only slightly heavier at 121 lbs. Remaining at this weight requires a strict diet and unrelenting exercise regime, as well as incredible discipline and self-control.

• Pressure and expectation: The best-emerging jockeys (notably Moore and McDonald) have already amassed many G1 and classic race wins. They, therefore, continue to represent the world’s best trainers and horses on the biggest stages, creating immense pressure and expectation. Coping with this requires significant mental strength and focus over an extended period.

• The risk of injury: Of course, stables and trainers can also provide support networks for riders. However, jockeys must also contend with the perennial risk of physical injury, especially when riding sprinters or contesting National Hunt races. Falls are commonplace in the sport, as are serious injuries that can significantly impact a jockey’s career. So, riders must contend with this and take reasonable steps to maintain optimal weight and balance over time.

 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, some of the world’s most famous jockeys have managed to transcend the sport and blaze a trail for the next generation to follow. In this respect, they’ve helped to popularise the sport globally, so the legacy of riders like Piggott and Dettori cannot be underestimated.

 

These jockeys should also be admired for their incredible commitment to the cause and their consistent success levels over decades. If you’d like to learn more about the current generation of jockeys or follow the sport of kings more closely, visit the Betsquare site at your earliest convenience.