Of the Derby and the Oaks, which is the older Classic?

Given the value of a Classic-winning colt to global racing and breeding powerhouses, such as Coolmore and Godolphin, it should come as no real surprise that, in recent years, the second fillies’ Classic, the Oaks, has been increasingly overshadowed by the Derby. The fact that the Derby is worth £1,125,000 in guaranteed prize money, whereas the Oaks is worth just £375,000, is indicative of their current standings.

However, far from being an afterthought, the Oaks is, in fact, the older – albeit only slightly – of the Epsom Classics. The Oaks was founded, in its current guise, by Edward Smith-Stanley, Twelfth Earl of Derby, in 1779 and named after his residence in nearby Carshalton. Smith-Stanley won the inaugural running of the Oaks and, during the subsequent celebration, he and Charles Bunbury, Chairman of the Jockey Club, came up with the idea for a similar race, open to colts and fillies, which they co-founded, as the Derby, in 1780. Until 1784, the Derby was run over the ‘last mile of the course’, before being extended to a mile and a half. It is worth noting that neither the Oaks nor the Derby were dubbed ‘Classics’ until shortly after the inaugural running of the 1,000 Guineas in 1814.

Where, and when, did Richard Johnson ride his first and last winners?

At the time of his shock retirement in April, 2021, Richard ‘Dicky’ Johnson had ridden 3,819 winners, a figure surpassed only by his great friend and rival Sir Anthony McCoy. Johnson rode his first winner, Rusty Bridge, trained by his mother, Susan, in a hunters’ chase at Hereford on April 30, 1994. He won the Conditional Jockeys’ Championship in 1995/96 and, over the next two decades, finished runner-up in the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship, behind McCoy, on no fewer than 16 occasions. McCoy retired in April, 2015 and Johnson finally emerged from his shadow to win the jockeys’ title four years running, in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Interestingly, on the day of his retirement, at Newton Abbot, Johnson gave up his last scheduled ride on the card, such that his last actual ride was Brother Tedd, on whom he’d won McCoy’s final race at Sandown Park six years previously. His last winner, though, was Camprond, fittingly trained by Philip Hobbs – to whom he had been first jockey since 1999 – in a maiden hurdle at Taunton on March 23, 2021. In his 27-year career, Johnson took over 20,000 rides.

How much money are jockeys paid?

How much money are jockeys paid? Notwithstanding lucrative contracts, or ‘retainers’, to ride for leading owners, such as Sheikh Mohammed or J.P. McManus, which can bolster earnings to hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of pounds a year, the vast majority of jockeys are self-employed. As such, they are not paid a fixed salary but, rather, on a ride-by-ride basis, with income stemming from riding fees, prize money and, if applicable, sponsorship.

Riding fees are negotiated annually by the Professional Jockeys’ Association (PJA) and the Rachorse Owners’ Association (ROA) and, as of April 1, 2022, stood at £142.90 and £194.63, respectively, for Flat and National Hunt jockeys. If a proposed mount is declared a non-runner after a jockey has been declared, that jockey receives 50% of the riding fee. Prize money is more complicated, but, according to the PJA, Flat jockeys typically receive 8.50% and 2.61%, respectively, of advertised win and place prize money, while National Hunt jockeys receive 11.03% and 3.44%, respectively.

Of course, jockeys’ earnings are subject to tax and a whole raft of deductions, including PJA, Weatherbys, agent and valet fees. Take-home pay varies widely but, on the whole, jockeys earn much less than other professional sportspeople, such as footballers, golfers and tennis players. An average jockey, under either code, can expect to earn in the region of £30,000 a year after tax and deductions, but an apprentice or conditional jockey could certainly earn less than half that amount.

Which was the last horse to win the Chester Vase and the Derby?

Which was the last horse to win the Chester Vase and the Derby? The Chester Vase is a Group Three contest, run over an extended mile and a half at the Deeside venue during its May Festival. The race was established in 1907, but was restricted to three-year-old colts and geldings in 1959, since when it has been considered a Derby trial. Chester Racecourse does not feature a ‘Tattenham Corner’ per se, but is not wholly dissimilar to Epsom Downs insofar that there is a sharp, left-handed turn into the straight and crowds assemble on both sides of the track.

Undoubtedly the most famous winner in the history of the Chester Vase was Shergar who, in 1981, won by 12 lengths en route to his record-breaking 10-length win in the Derby. No Chester Vase won the Derby again until 2013, when Ruler Of The World, trained by Aidan O’Brien, easily justified odds-on favouritism on the Roodeye before following up at Epsom. The Galileo colt was the last horse to win both races but, in 2017, Wings Of Eagles finished runner-up to stable companion Venice Beach in the Chester Vase before springing a huge 40/1 surprise in the Derby.

1 … 45 46 47 48 49 … 153