Robert Hornby (born 28 May 1995) is a British

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

who competes in

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

as a freelance, achieving notable victories for trainers

Andrew Balding Andrew Matthews Balding (born 29 December 1972) is a British racehorse trainer based at Park House Stables, Kingsclere, near Newbury, Berkshire. Balding attended Caldicott School, a boys' preparatory school, and Radley College, a public school. ...

and

Ralph Beckett Ralph Michael Beckett (born June 1971) is a British racehorse trainer who specialises in training horses for Flat racing. He is based at Kimpton, Hampshire. Beckett comes from an aristocratic racing background. He is the grandson of Ralph Beck ...

Background

Hornby grew up on a farm in

Chelmarsh Chelmarsh is a village and civil parish in the English county of Shropshire. It lies 4 miles south of Bridgnorth on the B4555 road to Highley. Notable buildings The main feature of the village St. Peter's church. This is an example of the De ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

, and attended

Bridgnorth Endowed School Bridgnorth Endowed School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in the market town of Bridgnorth in the rural county of Shropshire, England. Founded in 1503, The Endowed School is a state school and is a specialist ...

, leaving at the age of sixteen to become an apprentice at the

Kingsclere Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. Geography Kingsclere is approximately equidistant ) from the towns of Basingstoke and Newbury on the A339 road. History Kingsclere can trace back its history to a p ...

yard of Andrew Balding.

Career

Hornby achieved his first

Group race Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as, in Europe, the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'A ...

success on 25 August 2018 when he rode the Balding-trained Maid Up to victory in the Group 3

March Stakes The March Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs (2,816 metres), and it is scheduled ...

at Goodwood. His first Group 1 win was on

Scope Scope or scopes may refer to: People with the surname * Jamie Scope (born 1986), English footballer * John T. Scopes (1900–1970), central figure in the Scopes Trial regarding the teaching of evolution Arts, media, and entertainment * Cinem ...

, trained by Ralph Beckett, in the

Prix Royal-Oak The Prix Royal-Oak is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres (about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs), and ...

at Longchamp in Paris on 24 October 2021. It was Hornby's first ride in France, and came after he had missed part of the season with a shoulder injury sustained during a fall at

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

in December 2020. In 2022 Hornby rode the Beckett-trained Westover in the

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

. It was his first ride in the Derby. He had already ridden Westover in three of his four races, winning a maiden stakes at

Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake, Isle of Wight, Lake in between. Together ...

in August 2021, coming second in a conditions stakes at Newbury in September 2021 and then winning the Group 3

Sandown Classic Trial The Sandown Classic Trial is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards ( ...

in April 2022. Westover started at odds of 25/1 in the Derby and finished in third place, having failed to get a clear run. Westover went on to win the

Irish Derby The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

, but the ride had been given to the more experienced Irish jockey

Colin Keane Colin Keane (born 12 September 1994) is an Irish jockey who competes in flat racing. He was Irish flat racing Champion Jockey in 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Keane was born in County Meath and rode his first race winner at Dundalk in December ...

. There was consolation for Hornby when he won two Group 1 races at the Newmarket July Festival, taking the

Falmouth Stakes The Falmouth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,60 ...

on the Beckett-trained Prosperous Voyage and the

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...

on the Balding-trained Alcohol Free. He continued his winning streak on the July Course at Newmarket when landing the

Grey Horse Handicap The Grey Horse Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to grey horses aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres) on the July course at Newmarket in August. History The r ...

on Strike a month later.

Major wins

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

- (1) - ''Prosperous Voyage (2022)'' *

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...

- (1) - '' Alcohol Free (2022)'' France *

- (1) - ''

(2021)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornby, Rob 1995 births Living people British jockeys Sportspeople from Shropshire