Teenage star Billy Loughnane gets first ride in £1.5m Derby on huge outsider
The 19-year-old rising talent has been booked to partner the Charlie Johnston-trained Green Storm at Epsom on Saturday, one of two runners for the Yorkshire trainer
Teenage talent Billy Loughnane is to make his debut in the £1.5 million Betfred Derby on a huge outsider. The 19-year-old has been on the path to stardom ever since he burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old.
He claimed the apprentice championship in 2023, finished fourth in the senior Flat jockeys' championship in 2024 and earlier this year was crowned champion all-weather jockey. Loughnane ranks fourth in the 2025 title race with 16 wins, despite missing a significant chunk of the campaign due to suspension.
Last summer he rode two winners at Royal Ascot and will have his first start in Saturday's Derby on the Charlie Johnston-trained Green Storm. He will be the same age as Walter Swinburn, Mickael Barzalana and Joseph O'Brien who each won the Derby as 19-year-olds.
Green Storm recorded his only victory under Loughnane, winning a Yarmouth maiden by nine and a half lengths.
Although he is a 200-1 chance, he is owned by Derby fanatic Ahmad Al Shaikh, whose Hoo Ya Mal finished runner-up at odds of 150-1 in the 2022 Derby.
Al Shaikh also runs Al Wasl Storm while Johnston could also saddle 100-1 chance and Chester Vase second Lazy Griff (Christophe Soumillon) if the ground is satisfactory.
Johnston said: 'I think Green Storm has been running here since the hammer fell in Goffs about 20 months ago. It's been the plan for a while.
'Billy won on him last year at Yarmouth and Ahmad was quite keen for a young and ambitious jockey to be in the saddle.
'He's only had 11 rides at Epsom so he's maybe not got quite the experience of a few of the others in there but I'm sure it's something he will be getting plenty of in the years to come.'
Johnston will be saddling his first runners since he took over the training licence on his own after working jointly with his father Mark. Their best Derby finish together was with Dubai Mile, who was ninth in 2023.
'Although they are two outsiders, one is a Group 1 placed two-year-old and the other was a good second in an obvious trial and both warrant being there,' Johnston added.
'Lazy Griff is a little bit ground dependent. He will be looking for as much of the forecast rain as possible. If there is any good to firm he will probably bypass it.
'Green Storm will need to settle better than he did in the Feilden Stakes so the initial stages of the race will be key for him. I'm confident Lazy Griff has the requisite class to be in a race like this.'
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