20-05-2025
Irish trio battling to be crowned UK champion jockey as Oisin Murphy's odds cut
An Irish trio are in the running for the UK Flat Jockey Championships, with the season beginning at the start of the month.
The bookies favourite so far is 24-year-old Rossa Ryan from Tuam, who was the 2023/24 British All-Weather Champion Jockey.
Oisin Murphy has impressed with his early-season performances and now lies at joint-second favourite, with the reigning champion hoping to keep his reign going.
Aiming to stop him will be 19-year-old Billy Loughnane, with the reigning All-Weather Champion hot on Murphy's heels.
The season began with the Guineas Meeting in Newgarden on the 3rd of May, with Charlie Appleby's Ruling Court winning under William Buick.
The final day of the championship season will be at Champions Day in Ascot this October.
BoyleSports has slashed the odds on Oisin Murphy being crowned Champion Flat Jockey into just 2/1 (from 7/2) after a four-timer at Windsor on Monday increased his lead at the top of the table to five.
The 29-year-old, who has won four of the last six flat jockey championships, is now rated the joint-second favourite alongside rising star, Billy Loughnane (2/1), who has already been crowned champion jockey on the all-weather last month and champion apprentice in 2024.
Rossa Ryan remains the favourite at 6/4 with BoyleSports as the Arc winning rider looks to go one better than last year's campaign when finishing runner-up to Oisin Murphy, who had a colossal 53 winners in hand when the curtain came down on the season.
In the trainers' battle, Aidan O'Brien remains an odds-on 8/11 shot for an eighth title, with Charlie Appleby (2/1), who has claimed the opening two Classics of the season, and current table topper Andrew Balding (6/1) leading the chasing pack.
Brian O'Keeffe, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said: 'It's very early days in the race to be crowned Champion Flat Jockey, but Oisin Murphy has really hit the ground running and punters are latching onto last year's champion to claim his fifth crown this season.'
With plenty still to play for, it's clear that Ryan, Murphy and Loughnane are all going to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.
