Who is racing’s Luke Littler? Billy Loughnane is taking the sport by storm

Billy Loughnane’s rapid rise has drawn comparisons with some of the brightest young stars in world sport, and after another huge success at Glorious Goodwood, the 20-year-old is firmly establishing himself as horse racing’s answer to Luke Littler.

Loughnane partnered Bow Echo to victory in the Sussex Stakes, guiding the star colt through traffic before producing a perfectly timed challenge to secure one of the season’s biggest prizes. In doing so, Bow Echo became the first horse since Frankel to complete the prestigious 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes treble.

Former champion jockey Johnny Murtagh believes Loughnane is a generational talent, comparing his emergence to that of teenage football sensation Lamine Yamal.

“At the World Cup you had Lamine Yamal, everybody was raving about him at 19 and what he’s doing. This is racing’s Lamine Yamal now.

“He’s a special talent, and the more races he rides and wins like this, the more confident he’ll get. He’s got that little bit of confidence and cheek about him, but he has to back it up and today Bow Echo and himself did.”

The praise carries extra weight given Murtagh’s standing in the sport. A five-time Irish champion jockey and three-time Sussex Stakes winner before becoming a successful trainer, he knows exactly what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

Another racing great, Willie Carson, has also been impressed by Loughnane’s development.

Carson said: “He’s obviously come of age. He’s a very well-liked lad and he rides fantastically well.

“I actually know his parents quite well and I’ve been following his progress ever since he started. He’s doing great. He’s always been riding well and he’s now got all the useful experience behind him. He’s always been good.”

Carson believes Loughnane’s rise is only just beginning. Although he is locked in a battle with Oisin Murphy for this year’s jockeys’ championship, the five-time champion feels it is only a matter of time before the youngster claims the title himself.

He added: “I don’t think he’s got many critics, but when you’re a jockey you’re always going to have critics. I didn’t think he would be champion this year, but I knew he would be a champion in the future. He’s getting close now.”

Still only 20, Loughnane has already become one of the biggest names in British racing. Like Luke Littler did in darts, he has combined fearless confidence with remarkable consistency, and victories on racing’s biggest stages are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

If his current trajectory continues, comparisons with sporting prodigies such as Littler and Lamine Yamal may soon feel like an understatement.