Posted on 15th November 2019
Setting the pace and leading a string of horses on the gallops is a responsibility which should never be underestimated. Not only do you have to be aware of what your own horse is doing but also what the other horses in behind you are doing. You have to maintain a consistent pace and communicate with your fellow riders. Now, add to that responsibility a jockey in your string who has ridden more than 1,000 British winners and was runner-up in the 2019 Flat Jockey Championship and you might be forgiven for feeling a little hot under the collar.
Yesterday, Danny Tudhope, himself a former National Horseracing College student returned to where his career started and enjoyed a morning riding and teaching our Foundation Course students. Keen to ride Danny received a leg up and rode alongside the other students.
We always enjoy welcoming former students back to the College and yesterday was an absolute pleasure. Our students thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Danny and learning that his background is no different to many of their backgrounds.
We will share with you over the next few weeks a series of videos but for those who are not familiar with Danny’s rise to fame he attended the NHC in 2002 as a 16-year-old who had not so much as stroked a horse let alone ridden one. Coming from a family who had no involvement with horses Danny will openly admit he was nervous and at times a little frightened about learning to ride but he persevered and upon graduating was placed, after a brief stint at Mary Reveley’s yard in Cleveland, at Declan Carroll’s racing yard in Malton, North Yorkshire where his hard work was rewarded by a great number of opportunities including taking out his Apprentice Jockey Licence.
Since those early days Danny has ridden in just shy of 7,500 British races where he has amassed a healthy 1,107 winners. He has also ridden winners abroad including America where in 2017 he won the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes worth a staggering £500,000 and in 2016 the Arlington Million.
If Danny’s story has inspired you to explore a career in the horseracing industry then we’d love to hear from you, or even better, we’d love to meet you on Friday, 29 November 2019 during our Open Morning.
