Billy Loughnane Lands Godolphin Dream Job Alongside Buick

Horses can't talk.

That's what trainer Yoshito Yahagi said after Forever Young's deflating defeat in the Breeders' Cup Classic — that the horse couldn't tell him why he hadn't run his usual race.

It makes horse racing an unusual sport.

The main athletes, the ones that should be the biggest stars, are unable to communicate with the audience.

But jockeys can talk.

Some of them do it really well.

Hong Kong's champion Zac Purton is one.

Any number of U.S.-based riders you'd like to name are others.

On Saturday at the Breeders' Cup, it was the seasoned Kendrick Carmouche stealing the show.

"They call me Gator," he said, almost rapping with delight after he out-manoeuvred William Buick with a positive ride to win the Breeders' Cup Mile.

He reversed the result from Woodbine in September.

The man has charisma and it was out there for everyone to see.

"Y'all stood me up last time in Canada but I knew at Keeneland I was gonna turn the tables on y'all, so here it goes, Deterministic."

The first 't' emphasised, the final 'i' stretched out for effect and punctuated by the hard 'c'.

"It's the best sport in the world, horse racing," he added.

"If you never saw it yet, you need to come out and see it because you're gonna meet cool people like me, and some of the top jockeys in the world, so come and see the horse racing. We love y'all. Woooo!"

Saffie Osborne's rounded vowels are a contrast to Carmouche.

But Hong Kong fans will soon know that she can be an engaging character.

Then there's Hollie Doyle, always good with fans and media, fresh back from injury and announced as starting her own Hong Kong stint in a few weeks' time.

Jockeys are key to telling racing's stories.

They're the sport's main human heroes, legends in some cases.

Like the late, great Lester Piggott or Yves Saint-Martin or George Moore.

The inimitable Frankie Dettori.

Bill Shoemaker or Eddie Arcaro in the U.S.

Japan's greatest, Yutaka Take.

Their charisma captivated fans and that is needed now more than ever given racing's general global decline.

But in the past decade or so, there's not been a truly engaging personality emerge at the very top of the jockey ranks internationally.

Ryan Moore, for example, is a genuinely great jockey.

He has a sense of humour, a dry wit, by all accounts, and an acute sense of professionalism as a horseman.

But he is not an outgoing character.

He's cautious and often closed around the media.

He's certainly not one for fist bumps and flying dismounts.

Yet that's the kind of vibrancy racing needs.

Enter Billy Loughnane.

At 20 years old, he is Britain's new champion jockey.

He has just been signed as a retained rider for Godolphin, the global racing operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed.

He will ride alongside William Buick, who has been Godolphin's retained jockey for over 10 years.

Godolphin announced the appointment in November 2026.

Hugh Anderson of Godolphin said: "Godolphin is delighted to have signed the most exciting young jockey riding in Europe. Billy Loughnane is an outstanding rider with a great future in our sport. We are thrilled that he has chosen our silks at this early stage in his career and he will formally start with us at the Dubai Carnival in December 2026. William Buick has ridden for us with distinction for over 10 years and we are very happy that he will continue as one of our two retained jockeys."

Loughnane himself said: "I am absolutely ecstatic that Godolphin has given me this opportunity. It is a huge honour to become a retained jockey for one of the best racing operations in the world. I want to thank His Highness Sheikh Mohammed for giving me the opportunity to ride his outstanding horses at the highest possible competitive level. I rode my first G1 winner in the royal blue silks on Rebel's Romance last year and I look forward to carrying them to victory in many more top-class races over the coming years."

Loughnane's 2026 season was outstanding.

He claimed the title of Champion jockey along with numerous Group 1 races, including the 2,000 Guineas on Bow Echo.

He also won a Breeders' Cup race.

Now he joins Godolphin.

But this is not just a contract.

It is a piece of succession planning.

Loughnane has been swatting away comparisons with Frankie Dettori, Godolphin's first and most successful No 1 rider, almost since his earliest days as an apprentice.

Dettori was a relative veteran when he won his first title at 23.

Loughnane is 20.

He is engaging and articulate.