Loughnane sets record with 222nd winner of 2025 on New Year's Eve

Teenage jockey Billy Loughnane has broken the record for the most wins in a calendar year this century.

Having equalled Kieren Fallon's 2003 total of 221 winners at Wolverhampton on Tuesday, Loughnane went one better when he took victory in Wednesday's 14:30 GMT mile handicap at Lingfield Park.

The 19-year-old Irishman had five opportunities to beat the record at the final flat meeting of the year.

Having been unable to take his first three chances, Loughnane steered favourite Invited to victory on the all-weather track.

"It's a relief to get it done - the last few days have been full on," Loughnane told Sky Sports Racing.

"I've been trying to ride as much as possible. I'm bored when I'm not riding.

"I was looking at the list of jockeys last night and to be in there is extraordinary. I'm nowhere near as good as a lot of them yet but hopefully one day I will be."

Loughnane led on the George Boughey-trained Invited heading into the home straight and found enough to hold off a late challenge from Hitched.

His 222 winners have come from 1,320 races in 2025 and it was also a 100th winner of the year for Boughey.

"There was a little bit of pressure today but I'm delighted to get it done and it means a lot for George," Loughnane said.

"I wouldn't be where I am without George, he's been everything since I started and supported me the whole way up. I'm delighted to get his 100th winner as well."

Ireland-born Billy and his younger brother Jack learned to ride at their flat trainer father Mark Loughnane's yard at Rock, near Kidderminster.

Wolverhampton has been the teenage star's lucky 'local' course and is where he rode his first winner in November 2022.

During his stellar year, he secured the Annual Flat Jockey Championship title, which is based on the total number of wins across a calendar year from 1 January to 31 December.

That is a separate award to the British Flat Jockeys' Championship, which was decided by the total number of wins between 3 May and 18 October and was this year won by Oisin Murphy - ahead of runner-up Loughnane.

The outright record for the number of winners in a British flat racing season remains the 269 achieved by Sir Gordon Richards in 1947.

Loughnane first raced as a professional in 2022, before going on to ride 23 winners in January 2023 at the age of just 16.

He has been riding since he was a toddler and gained experience of race riding on the pony racing circuit.

After riding his 220th winner of the year at Newcastle on Monday, Loughnane admitted the record had been "in everyone's minds".