Daniel "Danny" Tudhope (born 1 December 1985) is a Group 1-winning Scottish jockey. He is stable jockey to David O'Meara, for whom he has won most of his major races.

Daniel Tudhope
OccupationJockey
Born (1985-12-01) 1 December 1985 (age 38)
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight8 st (112 lb; 51 kg) 11in
Major racing wins
Major races
Haydock Sprint Cup (2014)
Prix de l'Abbaye (2014)
Arlington Million (2016)
Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (2017)
Sun Chariot Stakes (2018)
Queen Anne Stakes (2019)
Significant horses
Custom Cut, G Force, Laurens, Lord Glitters, Mondialiste, Move In Time, Penitent, Suedois

Background

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Tudhope grew up in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland. He had no family connection with racing, and only considered a career as a jockey when it was suggested to him by a careers advisor. He graduated from the Northern Racing College and was apprentice to Declan Carroll in Yorkshire.[1]

Career

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He had his first professional rides in 2003, and won his first race at San Rossore, Pisa, Italy in October of that year as part of an initiative for young riders to compete across Europe.[1] It wasn't until 2004 that he registered his first domestic victory at Southwell. His first black type victory was not until several years after that, when he won the 2008 Listed Land o' Burns Fillies Stakes at Ayr on an outside ride for Alan Berry. His filly, Look Busy, got up late to win by a short head from Princess Ellis.[2]

With O'Meara, Tudhope's career took off. In 2011, he won his first group race, the Group 2 Henry II Stakes on Blue Bajan, a horse he also finished second on in the Yorkshire Cup and third in the Goodwood Cup.[1] He also began a very profitable partnership with miler Penitent, on which he won the 2012 Bet365 Mile at Sandown, the 2012 Joel Stakes at Newmarket and the 2014 John of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock, as well as several Listed races. Another miler, Custom Cut, proved equally successful, also winning the Bet365 Mile and Joel Stakes, as well as the Strensall Stakes and Leopardstown's Desmond Stakes and Boomerang Stakes. Over the course of a month in 2014, he won his first and second victories at Group 1 level, the 2014 Haydock Sprint Cup on G Force and the Prix de l'Abbaye on Move In Time. Both were trained by O'Meara.[2]

This period of success meant that in 2013, he first topped 100 winners in a year and in 2014, he first won more than £1 million in prize money.[2]

Throughout 2016 and 2017, he won several notable British handicaps - the Old Newton Cup on Tawdeea, the Lincoln on Bravery, and the Wokingham at Royal Ascot on Out Do.[2] His biggest wins have come in America, however. On Mondialiste, he won the 2016 Arlington Million and in 2017, he won the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes on Suedois, his biggest prize to date of nearly £500,000. In 2017, he also won over £1.5 million in UK prize money.[2]

In 2019, he won four races at Royal Ascot and was an early contender for Champion Jockey,[3] although he would ultimately lose out in the championship to Oisin Murphy. He also passed the 1,000 winner mark in June.

He is currently retained jockey for businessman Steve Parkin and has to lose 3lbs every morning to meet his riding weight of 8st 11lb.[3]

Personal life

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He is married to Kate, who runs a nursery school in Thirsk.[4]

Statistics

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Flat wins in Great Britain by year[2]

Year Wins Runs Strike rate Total earnings
2003 0 14 0 £864
2004 28 219 13 £136,848
2005 33 355 9 £233,007
2006 53 470 11 £290,199
2007 46 367 13 £237,700
2008 22 261 8 £242,827
2009 23 301 8 £281,168
2010 6 124 5 £66,386
2011 43 385 11 £471,222
2012 76 488 16 £700,842
2013 100 575 17 £841,234
2014 110 666 17 £1,428,400
2015 84 485 17 £933,926
2016 90 595 15 £1,089,471
2017 122 735 17 £1,612,101
2018 116 696 17 £2,042,707

Major wins

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  Great Britain

  France

  Ireland

  United Arab Emirates

  United States

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Stars: Jockeys - Daniel Tudhope". British Champions Series. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Profile: Jockey - Daniel Tudhope - Stats". Racing Post. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  3. ^ a b Richmond, Tom (29 June 2019). Yorkshire Post https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/more-sport/top-praise-for-daniel-tudhope-as-he-faces-battle-with-his-weight-in-bid-to-land-the-title-1-9848210. Retrieved 17 October 2019. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ Armytage, Marcus (20 July 2019). "The remarkable rise of Danny Tudhope; the man in the driving seat for flat season's champion jockey title". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 October 2019.