With 2022 here now’s a good time to reflect on and review the UK horse racing season of 2021.
Despite the Covid pandemic’s effect on the industry, crowds were allowed back to race courses in July and they were treated to high quality racing in a year where the depth of fields in group races were considered stronger than most seasons recently.
Amongst the many great races and finishes, controversies and occasional wins by the underdog over the big Newmarket yards; here are my highlights of 2021.
Firstly, Adayar become the first Epsom Derby winner since Galileo in 2001 to follow up at Ascot in the prestigious all-aged race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes as a three-year-old.
Adayar – superb
Galileo, the greatest stallion in Europe for over a century, was unfortunately euthanized in July due to health reasons and Adayar his grandson by Frankel will hopefully follow in his footsteps at stud when retired.
Next has to be Adayar’s trainer Charlie Appleby, who had a fantastic season winning the British Trainers title for the first time. Worldwide, his Moultan Paddock Stable amassed an incredible 17 Gr1 races in 2021, which included seven in the UK. Apart from the two Gr1 wins by Adayar, fellow sophomore and Frankel colt Hurricane Lane was victorious in the Irish Derby, the Grand Prix de Paris and the St Leger at Doncaster. His leading sprinter Creative Force won the Champion Sprint and Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, the unbeaten Native Trail landed the Dewhurst Stakes on his final start of the season.
Leading jumps jockey Rachael Blackmore broke records throughout 2021. The 32-year-old from County Tipperary, was crowned leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival in March. Her six wins included Gr1 victories aboard Bob Olinger, Allaho and the super mare Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle.
A month later at Aintree, she became the first female jockey to win the Grand National in the 182-year history of the famous race aboard Minella Times.
Blackmore finished a narrow second on the Irish Jockey’s Championship Log and was voted Irish Sportsperson of the Year and the BBC Sports Personality – World Sport Star of the Year.
Finally, and ‘Topping the Pops’ as it were, was the British Flat Jockey’s Championship where defending champion jockey Oisin Murphy and William Buick went “tooth and nail” over the last few months, riding all over the country in search of race wins.
Oisin Murphy – hard fought title win (Pic- BHA)
Buick retained by the Godolphin operation with all their major successes, still found the time to raid the smaller country tracks hunting winning rides just to try and stay with leader Oisin Murphy.
Over the last three weeks of the title race, both jockeys and their respective agents had no rest as William Buick closed the gap from 13 to a mere 2 winners on the final day that counted, Champions Day at Ascot.
Both of these great riders (with win strike rates of 22%) certainly gave their followers a lot to cheer home during the run in and when William Buick struck early on the last day to narrow the gap further, a potential for the title being decided on the final race of the day was still a possibility.
Ultimately that did not materialise and a much relieved Oisin Murphy retained his jockey’s title by a mere 2 wins.
After a titanic contest with all the effort from both jocks that lasted months, it’s a pity that there could only be one winner.
