Tom Marquand

Tom Marquand
OccupationFlat racing jockey
Born (1998-03-30) 30 March 1998 (age 26)
NationalityBritish
Spouse
​
(m. 2022)​
Significant horses

Tom Marquand (born 30 March 1998)[1] is a British jockey who competes in flat racing.

Background

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Marquand spent his childhood near Cheltenham and, although not from a racing background, grew up around horses. After pony racing and riding out for local trainers, he joined the Wiltshire yard of trainer Richard Hannon as an apprentice at the age of 16.[2]

Career

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Marquand rode his first winner in 2014 and was champion apprentice jockey in 2015. That year he reached the finals of the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.[2] On 7 September 2017 he rode his first Group race winner (40/1 outsider Anna Nerium in the Group 3 Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes at Salisbury).[3] In 2018 he rode more than 100 winners, including Anna Nerium in another Group 3 race, the Supreme Stakes at Goodwood.[3] Over Christmas and the New Year he spent six weeks in Australia riding for the Sydney trainer John O'Shea.[2] There were two more Group 3 victories in 2019: the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom Downs on Anna Nerium and the Prix Belle de Nuit at Saint-Cloud, France, on Monica Sheriff.[3] Another trip to Australia in March–April 2020 provided Marquand with a Group 1 double on the William Haggas-trained Addeybb in the Ranvet Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.[4] Marquand also had several successes in Group 3 races in Australia and was nicknamed 'Aussie Tom' by Australian racing fans.[1]

On 4 July 2020, Marquand had his first ride in the Epsom Derby. He had ridden English King to win the Lingfield Derby Trial but lost the Derby ride on the fancied runner to Frankie Dettori. Instead he secured a ride on 50/1 outsider Khalifa Sat and finished in second place behind Serpentine.[5][6]

Marquand's first Classic win came on Galileo Chrome in the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster on 12 September 2020. He had only been given the ride the previous day, when jockey Shane Crosse tested positive for Covid-19.[7]

Marquand (and Doyle to his left holding a placard) at the ceremony celebrating his first Japanese victory in 2022

Marquand had a career-best 176 winners in Great Britain in 2021, including a Group 1 victory in the July Cup on Starman, trained by Ed Walker. Addeybb provided him with a further Group 1 in Australia when he won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the second year in a row.[3] In 2022 there were three Group 1 victories, with Marquand finishing the season in joint second place in the jockeys' championship with his partner Hollie Doyle before the couple set off to ride in Japan for two months, having ridden in Hong Kong the previous two winters.[8][9]

In February 2023 Marquand was injured in a fall at Randwick soon after arriving in Australia, suffering a concussion and a shoulder injury, but was able to ride Dubai Honour, trained by Haggas, to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in April.[10] Back in England, Marquand received another injury when he was kicked on the way to the start at Newmarket on 5 May 2023 and missed rides in the 2000 and 1000 Guineas that weekend.[11] A highlight of the 2023 season was Marquand's victory in the Goodwood Cup when 16/1 outsider Quickthorn, trained by Hughie Morrison, streaked clear of the field in the early stages of the race and never relinquished his lead. He had used similar tactics on Quickthorn to win the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup at York the previous August. After the Goodwood Cup, Marquand said "I've had a bit of fun on him before on some big days and he just loves bowling away.... There was no masterplan. Everybody knows what he is going to do and it's testament to him."[12]

On 4 September 2023 Marquand rode his 1000th winner in Britain. The next day he rode the joint shortest-priced loser in British racing history when 1/25 favourite Doom came second in a two-horse race at Ripon, equalling the record held by Royal Forest (ridden by Gordon Richards) since 1948.[13] From November to December, he and Doyle would again ride in Japan.[14]

Personal life

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Marquand is married to jockey Hollie Doyle. The couple met in their pony racing days, and they were for a time apprentices together at Richard Hannon's yard.[2] They became engaged in 2020 and married on 21 March 2022 in the parish church of the village of Ivington in Herefordshire.[15]

Major wins

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United Kingdom Great Britain

Republic of Ireland Ireland

Australia Australia

France France

United States United States

References

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  1. ^ a b "'Aussie Tom' Is A Pom At Heart". Thoroughbred Daily News. 1 April 2020. the jockey [...] celebrated his 22nd birthday on Monday
  2. ^ a b c d "Making his mark". The Owner Breeder. 7 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Tom Marquand". Racing Post.
  4. ^ "Prince of Wales's Stakes: Tom Marquand bids to extend Group 1 streak on Addeybb". Racing Post. 16 June 2020.
  5. ^ "No English King, no problem: Tom Marquand keen on Derby ride Khalifa Sat". Racing Post. 28 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Epsom Derby: Serpentine stuns rivals to give Aidan O'Brien record eighth victory". BBC Sport. 4 July 2020.
  7. ^ "St Leger: Galileo Chrome wins final 2020 Classic at Doncaster". BBC Sport. 12 September 2020.
  8. ^ "'How can you not want to go?' - Marquand and Doyle set for Japanese adventure". Racing Post. 23 September 2022.
  9. ^ "クリスチャン・デムーロ騎手、ホリー・ドイル騎手およびトム・マーカンド騎手に短期免許交付 JRA". jra.jp (in Japanese). Japan Racing Association. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  10. ^ "'It's just insane' - Marquand and Haggas take another Australian scalp as Dubai Honour strikes in Queen Elizabeth Stakes". Racing Post. 8 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Tom Marquand ruled out of Guineas weekend after being kicked in the arm prior to Newmarket race". Racing Post. 5 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Goodwood Cup: Quickthorn powers to victory as Frankie Dettori misses out". BBC Sport. 1 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Doom: 1-25 favourite beaten at Ripon to become shortest-priced loser". BBC Sport. 6 September 2023.
  14. ^ "外国人騎手への短期免許の交付 JRA". jra.jp (in Japanese). Japan Racing Association. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Jockeys Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand get married in lavish ceremony". Daily Mirror. 22 March 2022.
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