Thirsk rider Ben Curtis delighted to be handed plum Derby ride

The Thirsk rider received the call up after connections decided to replace young Rossa Ryan, who was in the saddle at the Royal meeting, with a more experienced jockey.

And it is further recognition of the high regard that Curtis, currently the country’s most prolific rider, is now held.

He’d recorded 98 winners since New Year’s Day before yesterday’s meeting at Doncaster and is currently vying with champion jockey Oisin Murphy for the lead in this year’s title race.

Yet Curtis believes it is the quality of his more recent wins that helped catch the eye of the Hey family, who own Highland Chief, and the father and son training team of Paul and Oliver Cole.

His recent run of success has included a pair of Group Three successes – Karl Burke’s Dubai Station in the Pavilion Stakes at Newcastle and then Mark Johnston’s Nayef Road in the Sagaro Stakes at Haydock.

Both North Yorkshire trainers have turned to Curtis with increasingly frequency, this was topped by the jockey’s success on Burke’s exciting two-year-old filly Dandalla in the Albany Stakes at the Royal meeting.

And then the Monday morning call from agent Simon Dodds to confirm the ride on Highland Chief, who was third to the top juvenile Pinatubo at Royal Ascot last year before landing the Golden Gates Handicap at last month’s meeting.

“It’s brilliant. Every jockey going into the weeks hopes to get that call and hopes there is a spare that comes their way,” Curtis told The Yorkshire Post.

“To be the one that got it, I’ll never forget the moment. My agent rang me at 10.30am to tell me the news.

“It shows a lot of faith from all the connections to give me the opportunity.”

Previously a jockey who might have been expected to be usurped on the big day, Curtis will ride Highland Chief in a piece of work on Friday at the Whatcombe stables where the Coles trained Generous to win the 1991 Derby.

“I think it is an open Derby, more so than in previous years,” ventured the amiable jockey as he perused a line-up headed by Frankie Dettori’s mount English King, winner of the Lingfield Derby Trial, and Murphy’s mount Kameko who won the 2000 Guineas.

“There are horses that have to prove their stamina and Highland Chief was a very impressive winner at Ascot under top weight. The way he finished that race, and hit the line, it gives you hope for Epsom.”

Though Curtis was last winter’s all-weather champion, he says, however, that he does not wish to be “pigeon-holed” as a rider. “Ninety per cent of my winners have been on the turf,” he stressed.

“I’ve broken 100 winners for the last three calendar years and we are already on the 98 winner mark.

“I’ve been building up the winners – but also building the quality so you can compete in the top races.

“If you win 120 Class 6 races (lowest grade), people won’t pick you on the big day. Group wins and Royal Ascot have helped.”

On the possibility of being champion jockey, Curtis played down his chances despite being level-pegging with the aforementioned Murphy before the latter edged one ahead.

“We were on 30 apiece and it is early days. I will keep trying to ride winners, I’ve a lot of trainers behind me, but, believe me, he’s got a lot of ammunition and outside riders. Beating Oisin, it will be very hard, but we will just keep the foot to the floor.”

It is a sentiment that will be shared by fellow North Yorkshire jockey Brian Hughes who today begins the defence of the National Hunt title that he won for the first time in the 2019-20 season.

Though the campaign was cut short by more than a month, he held a commanding lead over four-time champion Richard Johnson and finished on the 141-winner mark.

And his success of Hughes stemmed from the steady accumulation of winners and connections over a number of preceding years – traits that also apply to Curtis.

Hughes, 34, has three rides today and the VBET ambassador is pleased to be back in the saddle for the first National Hunt meeting since the lockdown.

He said: “Of course, it’ll be a bit weird riding behind closed doors, but it’s just grand to be back. I’ve been riding out since April for the likes of Brian Ellison, Peter Niven, Donald McCain and Kevin Ryan, so that’s been grand.

“This time of year is always about the luck of the draw, though, as there are so many entries. It’s a bit manic at the moment, but I’m sure it will calm down.

“Fingers cross I stay fit and well, get my head down and have the same sort of luck as last season. If that’s the case, I’ll once again be hoping to be competitive in the championship.”

Racing will be preceded by a minute’s silence for 2019 Grand National-winning jockey Liam Treadwell who died last week.

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