The Top 5 Contenders for the 2019 Champion Apprentice Championship

5th March 2020

The battle for the 2019 Apprentice Championship began last Saturday and runs through to Saturday 19 October on QIPCO British Champions Day.

There will be a number of high flying young jockeys in contention for the championship once again this year. The highly coveted prize can propel a young unknown rider into the limelight, previous winners include Oisin Murphy, William Buick, Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori.

Here are leading lights (in no particular order) to take the Champion Apprentice title this year.

Cieren Fallon Jr

Son of six-time Champion Jockey and 16-time British Classic winner Kieren, Cieren has a lot to live up to. However, he’s shown a tremendous amount of promise and he has a huge amount of talent like his Dad.

Cieren rode his first winner at Leicester last September in the saddle of 25/1 outsider Plucky Dip on only third ever ride!

A moment he will never forget – Cieren Fallon, son of great champion jockey Kieren, wins his first race on only his third ride aboard 25-1 chance Plucky Dip at Leicester. pic.twitter.com/BAv1yYUHr4
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 24, 2018

The Irish jockey is currently second favourite 3/1 to win the Championship (with William Hill), and it’s easy to see why with his famous father to lean on for advice. Cieren has also started the championship in great form claiming his first ever double at Windsor on Monday.

Sean Davis

The 20 year old Irishman is favourite for the 2019 Apprentice Championship (with William Hill). Davis enjoyed a breakthrough moment two years ago when he won on Irish Champions weekend with Maudlin Magalen in the Premier Handicap.

Davis claimed another big winner last year in the 2018 Galway Festival landing a €100,000 handicap. After a successful start to his career in Ireland, Yorkshire-based trainer Richard Fahey noticed Davis’ talents and picked him up as his apprentice.

Davis moved to the UK in early 2019 and he’s a certain to get a number of good quality rides throughout the season due to his association with such a top trainer.

Tom Greatrex

Tom Greatrex has a Jumps pedigree being the son of Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Warren, but, like twin brother Eddy, he has now set his sights on the Flat.

The former conditional rode his first winner as an apprentice last June trained by Greatrex snr. The classy young jockey has a great chance to become the 2019 Champion Apprentice because of his association with the young and upcoming trainer Archie Watson.

Watson hit over 100 winners in 2018 and those numbers look to be on the rise which is only positive news for Tom and his bid for the Apprentice Championship.

Georgia Dobie

The young apprentice to Eve Johnson Houghton has recently come into the spotlight with an impressive start to the year. Dobie landed a first career double at Windsor in April, then soared to greater heights with success on Goring for boss Eve Johnson Houghton on All-Weather Finals Day at Lingfield.

Dobie also credits Jo Hughes with giving her plenty of backing over the winter. She has as much of a chance as anyone else with her nice book of contacts and if she can build on her early season form.

Pierre-Louis Jamin

The Frenchman has certainly got the right men in his corner to mount a challenge at the Apprentice title.

The youngster has previously picked up rides in the famous Godolphin Blue whilst he currently holds the position of apprentice jockey for Archie Watson who, as we said before, will have several shots to fire this summer.

The Go Racing In Yorkshire Apprentice Championship
The 10-race series begins at Doncaster in March and ends on the same course in November with rounds at every Yorkshire racecourse in between.

How it works? In each race, riders score 18 points for a winner, nine for second, six for third, three for fourth, two for fifth and one for sixth.

The 2018 series winner Kieran Schofield said that “winning the series was a career highlight so far.”

Here’s the current standing for the 2019 championship.