Emirates stop for the Flying Englishman next

DUBAI – It is easy to believe Jack Mitchell when he says he gets on with everyone.

The 37-year-old British jockey is cheerful, chatty and on the crest of a wave having recently ridden his first Group 1 winner.

That win came on Saddadd in the Grosser Preis von Baden (2,400m) in Germany, in the colours of the late Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. With the confidence of that win behind him, Mitchell will arrive in the United Arab Emirates on Oct 29 relishing the challenge ahead.

He will join the prolific Simon Crisford stable, whose Fairy Glen won the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup (3,200m) on Dubai World Cup night on March 28.

“I’m excited about working for Simon, I’ve ridden for the stable for quite a while and we’ve had quite a lot of success and a good relationship, so hopefully that continues,” said Mitchell.

“I’ll effectively be freelance, but ride for Simon when he needs me.”

The records show that Mitchell has only ridden twice in Dubai, most recently finishing seventh on German challenger Sisfahan in the 2023 Dubai Gold Cup. However, he is something of a regular visitor.

“I’ve holidayed there before and I’ve always loved it – I think it’s a brilliant place,” he said.

“I’ve talked about coming out for the past four or five years but been busy here (in the UK) and the kids were so young. And I was riding nice horses in novices on the all-weather, so it was easier to stay at home.

“This year I thought “why not?” I’m 37 now, not 21. You’re always worried about coming back into the fold in England, but I’d like to think my jobs here are pretty good and secure.

“That Group 1 winner helped a bit in that I’m more established for when I come back, so I don’t have to worry too much.”

It was fitting that the Group 1 win came for one of Mitchell’s biggest supporters, trainer Roger Varian. It was a victory which took a while to sink in.

“We were confident enough as on form he only really had to beat (Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic third) Giavellotto,” said Mitchell.

“I ride in Germany a bit, so there was trust in me knowing the track and the other riders. It was weird, I was probably less nervous going into that race than any other big one.

“I knew I’d won but I still wasn’t sure until I saw the car cameraman who follows you around. I looked across and saw him and thought “ahh, brilliant!”

Mitchell was flying both metaphorically and literally after the biggest success of his career. He is currently the UK’s only jockey to hold a pilot’s licence.

It is a skillset which he intends to use while in the UAE, where he will enjoy much more free time than at home, which demands a seven-day riding schedule.

“It’s pretty relentless here, which is good, but being over there (in Dubai) and riding three or four times a week appealed a bit more than going to Newcastle in -4c for one ride,” said the father of three.

“I’m going to pick up padel, which everyone has told me to do, a bit of golf and I’ve looked into a flight school, maybe in Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah. I’ve got my licence and I’m all qualified.”

Mitchell, who has joined top agent Carl Hodgson, has a minimum riding weight of 55kg for his Dubai foray and brings with him plenty of experience on Arabians as well as thoroughbreds.

Of his first time going around on dirt, he sounded unfazed at the prospect.

“It’s a new challenge, but another aspect to our riding as jockeys,” he said. DUBAI RACING CLUB