Luke Morris reflects on 2022 and aims to ride in Epsom Derby next season
The 34-year-old is well known as one of the busiest jockeys in the weighing room, clocking up more than 1,000 rides a year, and he made headlines around the world back in October when piloting superstar mare Alpinista to success in the richest horse race in Europe – the Group One Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
That Arc victory proved to be Alpinista’s final start and the five year old bowed out in style, picking up her sixth straight top level success and providing both Morris and her trainer Sir Mark Prescott with their marquee moment.
Alpinista provided Morris with his first ever ride in the Arc and he revealed that he was dreaming of another first in 2023 – a ride in the Derby at Epsom Downs.
He said: "It’s been a fantastic year with Alpinista and numerically it hasn’t been a bad year for myself either, so I’m very happy.
"Obviously I was excited to be riding such a good horse in a prestigious race like the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. I’d been lucky to have had a couple of winners on Arc day before, but this was my first ride in the big race itself.
"Once the rain came I was slightly nervous that her chance had been diminished, but everything went perfect in the run and she turned into the straight travelling so well. I think she surprised everyone with the authority with the way she travelled into the race, but it just shows the class she has and how good she is.
“It’s probably the best race in the world and winning the race is something you dream of but never actually think you’ll be able to do it – so when we crossed the line it was quite surreal. It was a special day and I’d love to bottle up the emotions really, they’re once in a lifetime emotions.
“Looking ahead, I think every young jockey growing up would love to have a ride in the Derby. I’ve never ridden in the race so it’s certainly one I’d jump at the chance to tick off.
“If you’d have said to me at the start of my career that I’d have won an Arc I’d have been absolutely thrilled – but Epsom is one I’d love to win. It’s extremely difficult to get a ride in the race let alone win it so it’s something I’ll be dreaming to cap my career off with.”
Morris spent his formative years in Oxfordshire before moving to Newmarket at around six or seven years old and having been brought up in a racing family, he explained that there was never any doubt about what he wanted to do growing up.
He continued: “I’m originally from Didcot. My mother’s side of my family are very racing orientated and when I moved to Newmarket when I was six or seven, I was just kind of engulfed in it from then. Everyone on that side of the family were involved in racing to some level.
“As soon as I moved to Newmarket and started to follow racing, I was fairly sure what I wanted to do and that was to be a jockey. I was riding out every day before school since I was 12 or 13-years-old, so it was pretty set in stone what I was going to do from a young age.
“It’s hard work from myself and my agent (Neil Allan) and also having so many loyal connections for so many years. It gets harder every year because there’s always new people coming through and some of the trainers you ride for are maybe getting a bit older or don’t quite have the ammunition that year, so you’ve got to keep evolving and keep finding new connections.
“I’d do about 75,000 miles a year, but I don’t particularly like driving! I have a driver at certain points to take some of the strain off, but you’ve just got to get on with it. I generally go through a car every two years or so!
!The year isn’t quite over and I certainly want to get to 100 winners now. It's going to be quite tight but I’m going to work hard until the last day of 2022 to get there. I’ve managed the feat for the last 11 years so if I didn’t get there I’d be disappointed!"
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