Wayne Lordan

Wayne Lordan (born 20 April 1982) is a multiple Classic and Group 1 winning Irish jockey.

Background and early career

Lordan grew up in Upton, County Cork. He started pony racing when he was nine years old, following in the footsteps of his father and brother, and was noticed by trainer Thomond O'Mara. Leaving school at fourteen, he worked for O'Mara for six years. His first winner was Ethbaat for trainer Gerry Cully at Killarney on 15 July 1998. After six years with O'Mara, he moved on to the yard of Tommy Stack and then, in 2005, began riding for David Wachman as well as Stack. That year he rode 41 winners.

Ballydoyle

In January 2017, Lordan was taken on by trainer Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle as one of his team of riders. Lordan said: "I'll be riding work and trying to make best use of whatever opportunities might come my way. I'll be putting my head down and giving the job 100 per cent." Opportunity soon came his way when 9/1 chance Winter won the 1,000 Guineas in May 2017, beating her stablemate, favourite Rhododendron, ridden by Ballydoyle number one jockey Ryan Moore to give Lordan his first Classic win. Moore then took over as the rider of Winter, winning three more Group 1 races that season, but was beaten a head by Lordan on the Ballydoyle fourth string, 20/1 chance Hydrangea, in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in September.

In July 2020, Lordan had a rare opportunity to ride a Ballydoyle first string in a major race. With Moore quarantined in England under COVID-19 regulations and Seamie Heffernan suspended, Lordan rode odds-on favourite Magical to her second consecutive win in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh. In 2021 and 2022, Lordan won four Group 3 races, but, for the first time since joining Ballydoyle, there were no victories at the highest level.

Lordan rode his 1000th winner at Naas on 24 April 2023 Lordan was riding San Antonio in the Irish Derby in July 2023 when the horse fractured a foreleg and unseated Lordan, who sustained a concussion and fractures to his legs and elbow. San Antonio was euthanised. Lordan was out of racing for eight months while he recovered from his injuries. On his return to racing in 2024, he was promoted to ride as second jockey for O'Brien, taking the place of Heffernan, who had left Ballydoyle.

In May 2024, Lordan won the Group 3 Leopardstown Derby Trial on Los Angeles and went on to ride him in the Epsom Derby, where they came third behind the favourite, City of Troy, ridden by Moore for O'Brien. It was Lordan's eighth ride in the race, with his best results being two previous third places - on Japan for O'Brien in 2019 and Galileo Rock for Wachman in 2013. Lordan won a total of five Group 3 races in 2024. He also won the Group 2 Railway Stakes on Henry Matisse and the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes on Lake Victoria. In both races he was riding the Ballydoyle second string, while Moore rode the beaten favourite. Moore took the ride on favourite Delacroix in the Epsom Derby on 7 June, while Lordan teamed up with Lambourn. He rode Lambourn in his exercise at Ballydoyle but had only ridden him once before on the racecourse, when the colt won on his debut at Killarney in July 2024.

Lambourn started at odds of 13/2 in a field of eighteen and quickly went into the lead. He made all to finish three-and-three-quarter lengths ahead of his nearest rival, 50/1 outsider Lazy Griff, ridden by Christophe Soumillon, with Delacroix and Moore finishing in ninth place. After the race, Lordan said: "This is one of the greatest races, for any jockey that starts out all they ever want to do is win a Derby. I'm in a lucky position that I get to ride a horse like this".

Statistics

Flat wins in Ireland by year

Year Wins Runs Strike rate % Total earnings 1998 3 80 4 not given 1999 17 224 8 not given 2000 10 291 3 not given 2001 22 389 6 not given 2002 20 417 5 not given 2003 16 358 4 not given 2004 11 388 3 not given 2005 41 489 8 not given 2006 41 413 10 not given 2007 55 589 9 €1,537,442 2008 59 527 11 €1,346,850 2009 53 531 10 €914,105 2010 57 542 11 €1,045,769 2011 54 482 11 €1,157,170 2012 75 537 14 €1,298,759 2013 51 529 10 €1,398,304 2014 55 495 11 €1,002,280 2015 53 563 9 €1,501,220 2016 50 603 8 €956,073 2017 27 499 5 €965,540 2018 38 466 8 €902,156 2019 29 421 7 €1,297,760 2020 57 466 12 €1,647,040 2021 41 472 9 €893,033 2022 58 484 12 €1,622,025 2023 16 166 10 €463,205 2024 58 357 16 €1,785,760 2025 68 381 18 €1,594,265

Flat wins in Great Britain by year

Year Wins Runs Strike rate % Total earnings 1999 0 1 0 — 2001 1 9 11 £2,828 2002 2 54 4 £12,703 2003 0 9 0 — 2004 0 7 0 £423 2005 0 4 0 £5,500 2006 0 9 0 £5,385 2007 0 11 0 £56,183 2008 0 13 0 £148,457 2009 1 19 5 £34,054 2010 2 9 22 £171,374 2011 4 20 20 £216,487 2012 2 25 8 £79,379 2013 4 24 17 £758,307 2014 3 18 17 £895,049 2015 1 16 6 £365,049 2016 0 4 0 £36,803 2017 1 13 8 £403,291 2018 1 43 2 £538,060 2019 3 34 9 £951,151 2020 — 0 — — 2021 0 20 0 £251,215 2022 0 7 0 £45,292 2023 1 11 9 £93,795 2024 1 27 4 £687,951 2025 4 34 12 £1,905,449

Major wins Ireland Matron Stakes - (2) - Legatissimo (2015), Hydrangea (2017) Moyglare Stud Stakes - (1) - Lake Victoria (2024) Pretty Polly Stakes - (1) - Iridessa (2019) Tattersalls Gold Cup - (1) - Magical (2020) 1,000 Guineas - (1) - Precise (2026)

Great Britain 1000 Guineas Stakes - (3) - Winter (2017), Hermosa (2019), True Love (2026) British Champions Sprint Stakes - (2) - Slade Power (2013), Gordon Lord Byron (2014) Cheveley Park Stakes - (1) - True Love (2025) Diamond Jubilee Stakes - (1) - Slade Power (2014) Epsom Derby - (1) - Lambourn (2025) Fillies' Mile - (1) - Iridessa (2018) Goodwood Cup - (1) - Scandinavia (2025) July Cup - (1) - Slade Power (2014) Nassau Stakes - (1) - Legatissimo (2015) Nunthorpe Stakes - (1) - Sole Power (2010)

United States Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf - (1) - Iridessa (2019)