UK Horse Racing Tips

With winter setting in and 2016 drawing to a close the Flat Season is almost over for another year. In 2016, the Flat Season runs from 2 April until Saturday 5 November where the season ends at the November Handicap.

The 2015 British Champion title was won by Brazilian-born Silvestre de Sousa, but it looks like he won’t be getting his hands on the trophy for a second year in a row.

With less than a fortnight left of the Flat Season we take a look at the most-successful jockeys in 2016 so far:

Jim Crowley

With 181 wins this season and an incredible 376 places in his 979 rides, Jim Crowley is currently leading the way The Stobart Flat Jockeys Championship. Crowley won his first British Champion Title earlier this year as part of an amazing season is he having.

Born near the famous Ascot racecourse itself, Jim Crowley began his career as an amateur flat racing jockey before switching to National Hunt Racing. He rode close to 300 winners in National Hunt before making the switch back to Flat Racing professionally, riding for his sister-in-law Amanda Perrett.

Jim Crowley’s wins so far this season include the sporting odds of 12/1 winner at Cheltenham earlier this month, riding Omeros.

Silvestre de Sousa

The 2015 British Champion Title winner with 132 runs is some 17 wins back this year on Jim Crowley. Silvestre de Sousa has an impressive 164 wins so far in 2016 with a strike rate of 17.6% and a Place rate of 37.1% – both narrowly behind the soon-to-be 2016 champion.

Born in São Francisco do Maranhão, Brazil, de Sousa joined Irish trainer Dermot Weld at the age of 22, before moving to England to work with Yorkshire-based trainer David Nicholls. His breakthrough came in 2007 before he reached his maiden century of winners in 2010,

Silvestre de Sousa’s most-notable win in 2016 may have been riding 14/1 Foie Gras at Cheltenham in October.

Luke Morris

Branded “Britain’s Busiest Jockey”, the Oxfordshire-born Luke Morris has already racked up an incredible 1,197 runs and 147 wins in 2016. In 2012, he racked up more than a mind-blowing 1,500 rides, truly earning the title. However, a strike rate of only 12.3% puts him 37 wins behind Jim Crowley.

Earlier this month Luke Morris rode Marsha to a 16/1 win at Chantilly.

Adam Kirby

27-year-old Adam Kirby comfortably sits in fourth place – some 18 wins ahead of Joe Fanning and 17 behind Luke Morris as we head into the final days of the 2016 season.

Kirby has registered came in at a brilliant 130 wins and 262 places in his 769 rides so far this season. That gives him a better strike rate than the two jockeys directly above him, but still not match to Jim Crowley’s 18.5% success rate.

The opening day of Royal Ascot 2016 is a moment Kirby will never forget. His partner went into labour at 2am, finishing less than an hour before the start of the first race!

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