Racing's new star suffers setback just a day after amazing punters with 359-1 treble
Apprentice Billy Loughnane, hailed as the biggest riding star since Lester Piggott, will not be in the saddle for the next few weeks. The 17-year-old fractured his thumb in a stalls incident at Nottingham Racecourse
Racing's new star jockey has had his incredible run of form temporarily halted by an injury setback.
Billy Loughnane fractured his thumb before the start of a race on Friday– only 24 hours after he starred with a 359-1 treble.
His father Mark confirmed the 17-year-old, compared to legend Lester Piggott in recent days, is set for a spell on the sidelines. Loughnane hurt his hand when his horse Lucidity got under the stalls at Nottingham and was withdrawn from the 1m½f handicap.
He was due to travel up to Doncaster for three rides this evening, a fixture which is part of the Go Racing in Yorkshire Festival.
Loughnane's break comes amid a sensational season – and he has raced to a clear lead in the apprentice championship.
The teenager is rapidly closing in on losing his riding claim, given to inexperienced jockeys starting out in the sport.
"The claim is great at the minute, I'll make use of it while it lasts," Loughnane told At The Races earlier this week.
At Chepstow on Thursday, Loughnane added three victories to his tally, taking him up to 85 overall since his first racecourse appearance in October.
In an interview at the Welsh venue, trainer Rod Millman said the young sportsman could be the biggest star since the late Piggott, who had 4,493 career wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby titles.
"I have been watching him ride, I should think all he has ever thought about is being a jockey since the age of three," Millman said.
"He has come in, met me, told me all about how the horse has run his last five or six races. He has done his homework."
At the start of next week, Loughnane, who competed in the 2,000 Guineas earlier this year, plans to see a specialist to assess the injury further.
