Ted Durcan
Thomas Edward Durcan (born 25 February 1973) is a retired, two-time British Classic-winning Irish jockey. He was champion jockey in the United Arab Emirates on seven occasions and rode over 1,000 winners in Great Britain in career lasting from 1992 to 2017.[1]
| Ted Durcan | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 25 February 1973 County Mayo |
| Major racing wins | |
| Major races Haydock Sprint Cup (2003) Epsom Oaks (2007) St Leger (2009) Sun Chariot Stakes (2009) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Light Shift, Mastery, Sahpresa, Somnus | |
Career
Durcan was born in County Mayo, Ireland, and went to boarding school in Naas. The school held him back from a riding career for sometime, as it prevented him riding out for stables. Naas had its own racecourse, and several others within easy reach, so although it was against rules for boys to visit the course, his headmaster tolerated it.[2] After leaving, Durcan joined trainer Jim Bolger as apprentice at the same time as Tony McCoy[2]
His first Group 1 victory came in the 2003 Haydock Sprint Cup on Somnus. In the middle of the decade, his biggest victories came in Europe. In France, he won the Group 1 Prix Morny on Silca's Sister for Mick Channon, while in Italy he won the 2005 Premio Lydia Tesio on Dubai Surprise and 2006 Premio Roma on Cherry Mix. Both were trained by Saeed bin Suroor.
He won the 2007 Oaks for Henry Cecil on Light Shift, and 2009 proved his best season domestically for Group 1 wins, winning the St Leger on Mastery and the Sun Chariot Stakes on Sahpresa. This run of success meant that each year between 2007 and 2009 he won over £1 million in prize money, and 2007 proved his most prolific winning year in Britain, when he won 95.[3]
Although only a Group 3 race, the biggest prize money pot of his career was the Dubai Duty Free he won in March 2000 on Rhythm Band for bin Suroor.[3]
In recent years, the number of wins have been fewer, with between 40 and 60 wins per year. He finished second in the 2012 Epsom Derby, riding Main Sequence, 5 lengths behind winner Camelot. His 2017 season was curtailed by an ankle injury sustained in a fall at Leicester. The fall took place after the winning line, after finishing fifth in a five furlong novice stakes race on Plundered.[4]
On 18 February 2018, Durcan announced his retirement from race-riding at the age of 44.[5]
Statistics by year
| Year | Wins | Runs | Strike Rate | Total Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 15 | 199 | 8 | £91,993 |
| 1999 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 23 | 236 | 10 | £176,338 |
| 2001 | 54 | 490 | 11 | £448,827 |
| 2002 | 58 | 545 | 11 | £804,087 |
| 2003 | 29 | 374 | 8 | £548,178 |
| 2004 | 40 | 589 | 7 | £734,528 |
| 2005 | 60 | 707 | 8 | £968,788 |
| 2006 | 71 | 732 | 10 | £928,667 |
| 2007 | 95 | 793 | 12 | £1,364,525 |
| 2008 | 75 | 665 | 11 | £1,372,653 |
| 2009 | 94 | 617 | 15 | £1,329,458 |
| 2010 | 88 | 567 | 16 | £741,534 |
| 2011 | 58 | 465 | 12 | £590,240 |
| 2012 | 56 | 503 | 11 | £710,865 |
| 2013 | 46 | 432 | 11 | £324,391 |
| 2014 | 50 | 353 | 14 | £383,833 |
| 2015 | 51 | 382 | 13 | £602,194 |
| 2016 | 45 | 354 | 13 | £560,046 |
| 2017 | 13 | 161 | 8 | £153,645 |
Major wins
- Haydock Sprint Cup - Somnus (2003)
- Epsom Oaks - Light Shift (2007)
- St Leger - Mastery (2009)
- Sun Chariot Stakes - Sahpresa (2009)
- Prix Morny - Silca's Sister (2005)
- Premio Lydia Tesio - Dubai Surprise (2005)
- Premio Roma - Cherry Mix (2006)
References
- Dench, Graham. "Classic hero Ted Durcan set for next chapter as he brings riding career to end". Racing Post. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- Armytage, Marcus (12 August 2003). "Diary: Durcan is back in one piece again". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- "Profile: Jockey: Ted Durcan - Stats". Racing Post. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- "Ted Durcan suffers more injury woe". itv.com. ITV. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- "Classic hero Ted Durcan set for next chapter as he brings riding career to end | Horse Racing News". Racing Post. Retrieved 19 April 2018.