Flat racing's 'Billy the Kid' wants more than just title

Billy Loughnane had never ridden in a professional race this time four years ago.

Now he is set to be crowned Flat racing's champion jockey.

And, at just 20, he's the youngest person to do so in more than a century - which means he hasn't yet shaken off the nickname "Billy the Kid".

"It's been an extraordinary couple of years, really," said Loughnane.

"I didn't think it would snowball into what it's become."

In January 2023, BBC Sport went to visit Loughnane at his family's racing yard in Worcestershire.

As a 16-year-old, he was taking the racing world by storm, racking up more than 20 winners in the first few weeks of the year - temporarily putting him top of the flat jockey standings.

He insisted then that people needed to "calm down".

While being champion apprentice was his goal, becoming the champion jockey was a dream that felt a "long way off".

Yet, remarkably, here we are.

This Saturday, on Champions Day at Ascot, Loughnane will lift the trophy.

When asked what he would have thought if someone had told him that when he drove up to Newcastle for his first race as an apprentice jockey in October 2022, he said: "I'd have said, 'that's absolutely crazy, what have you been drinking?'"

Despite being in a strong position to take the title, Loughnane admitted he felt the pressure "not to let it slip" until a few weeks ago.

But his nearest challenger Oisin Murphy waved the white flag, knowing he couldn't catch him, and that's when he started to enjoy it.

The final winning margin is likely to be significant - Loughnane currently leads Murphy by 29 with 222 winners.

Yet he is not stopping there.

The young star wants to break Sir Gordon Richards' 1947 record on the Flat of 269 winners in a calendar year.

"Yeah, it's in my sights," added the Irishman, who is the son of trainer Mark Loughnane.

"I'm just going to take the rest of this month in November and then assess in December if I feel it's possible, realistically. But it is in my sights, something that I'm looking towards. I'm not blinkers on full blasting at the moment, but I'm just going to keep riding every day as much as possible and assess the situation."

He could also reach his idol Sir AP McCoy's record of 289 winners, which was set over jumps as he said: "I'll be giving it my best shot until the start of December."

Loughnane's partnership with trainer George Boughey has been pivotal to his career, and the pair have enjoyed considerable success this year.

He rode the Boughey-trained Bow Echo to three Grade 1 victories, the highlight being the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

"I've been searching for that feeling again," added Loughnane.

"I mean, the reception after Goodwood [winning the Sussex Stakes, also on Bow Echo] was pretty electric as well to be fair and I'm glad that I did showcase him after the race at Goodwood because obviously it was his final run. But the best buzz of winning a race was the 2,000 [Guineas]."

While jockeys are known to keep notes, few if any are perhaps quite as meticulous as Loughnane, who has a Whatsapp group just with himself, where he compiles notes on every horse he rides.

Does he think it sets him apart?

"Maybe not sets me apart, but I do think it is an advantage to be able to help," he said. "I sit on a lot of horses in the year. I've sat on over 1,000 already this year, and it's hard to keep track of absolutely every one. I wouldn't be doing my job properly if I wasn't."

So after racing on Saturday is finished and he has the trophy, what could the celebrations look like?

He admits he doesn't really know.

It's a sign of his age - and how busy he's been focused on the championship - that he has not been involved in the planning.

"My mother's actually sorted it out, so I actually don't have a clue where I'm going," added Loughnane.

"But it's with my family, friends, girlfriend, and all the sponsors and people that have helped me, sort of since I've had ponies, the whole way up, will be there.

"So there'll be a big group of us and it's more of a celebration than anything else.