Luke Morris
| Luke Morris | |
|---|---|
 Luke Morris riding at Newmarket, August 2019 | |
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 20 October 1988 |
| Significant horses | |
| Marsha Alpinista | |
Luke Morris (born 20 October 1988) is an English jockey who competes in flat racing.
Background
[edit]Morris comes from a racing background, his grandfather Joe Tate, uncle Jason Tate and cousin Ryan Tate all being jockeys. He was born in Oxford and moved to Newmarket as a child. He began riding out for Michael Bell while still at school. He completed a course at the British Racing School and became apprenticed to Bell.[1]
Career
[edit]Morris rode his first winner in November 2005 and his first big race victory came on Juniper Girl in the Northumberland Plate in 2007.[1][2] He gained his first Group race win on Gilt Edge Girl in the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes at Leopardstown in June 2010. In October 2010 Gilt Edge Girl gave Morris his first Group 1 victory when they won the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp at Longchamp in Paris.[2] In 2012 he became first jockey for Newmarket trainer Sir Mark Prescott. It was the Prescott trained Marsha who provided Morris with his first British Group 1 victory, when winning the Nunthorpe Stakes at York August 2017 in a photo finish against Frankie Dettori's Lady Aurelia.[3]
Between April 2021 and October 2022, Morris rode the Prescott-trained Alpinista to eight consecutive victories, including the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks in July 2021, and then six Group 1 races in Germany, France and Britain, culminating with a win in the 2022 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.[2]
Morris has ridden more than 100 winners every season since 2011 and has been all weather champion jockey on three occasions.[1]
Awards
[edit]In December 2022 Morris was awarded the Lester Piggott Honorary Award at the annual Lester Awards in recognition of his ride on Alpinista in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.[4]
Major wins
[edit]
Great Britain
- Nunthorpe Stakes - (1) - Marsha (2017)
- Yorkshire Oaks - (1) Alpinista (2022)
France
- Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp - (2) - Gilt Edge Girl (2010), Marsha (2016)
- Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - (1) - Alpinista (2022)
- Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud - (1) - Alpinista (2022)
Germany
- Grosser Preis von Berlin - (1) - Alpinista (2021)
- Preis von Europa - (1) - Alpinista (2021)
- Grosser Preis von Bayern - (1) - Alpinista (2021)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "'I'm as hungry as ever': Luke Morris reaches century for tenth successive year". Racing Post. 16 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "Luke Morris". Racing Post. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Frankie Dettori 'dazed' after celebrating photo-finish defeat at Ebor meeting". The Guardian. 25 August 2017.
- ^ "Congratulations to the Lesters winners 2022". pja. 16 December 2022.
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