Plenty Moore to come

By Alan Conway

They say that the first time is the best. I wonder how Ryan Moore is feeling now. On a weekend when a new potential star was born in the shape of Workforce, Ryan Moore reached a notable milestone when he rode his first classic winner. Then just like London buses another one came right behind the first. I am sure that it was worth the wait for Moore. If you are going to break your Derby duck then you couldn’t have asked for a better way to do it.

He may have three championship titles to his name but Ryan Moore came of age as a classic winning jockey last weekend. Although the championship is prestigious, it is the classic races that hold real value. Moore is now in the elite bracket of jockeys.

His victories on Snow Fairy and Workforce displayed the full range of Moore’s talent. Both were similar and yet different. The ride in the Oaks was one of nerve and poise. Lesser jockeys would have panicked in Moore’s position. Dead last and nowhere to go coming down the hill. Yet he had the bottle to wait for the gap and when it appeared he took full advantage.

In some ways his ride on Workforce was full of poise and nerve, but the main element that shone through was his tactical nous. Watching the replay of the Derby, Ryan Moore was the only jockey alive to the threat that At First Sight posed. While the other jockeys waited, Moore reacted. To the horse’s credit he may have won from any position, but it was his rider that was decisive and kicked on while the others were sleeping.

The classic double, last achieved by Kieren Fallon in 2004, is another notch on the belt for Ryan Moore who is evolving from a very good jockey into a great one .Having been champion apprentice in 2003, he captured the first of his three titles in 2006. That same year he won his first Group 1 race where he gave Notnowcato a canny ride to land the Juddmonte International. That victory cemented his relationship with Sir Michael Stoute, a trainer of champion jockeys as well as champion horses.

I will admit it took me a while to appreciate Ryan Moore. Unlike Jamie Spencer or Kieren Fallon, who have their own distinctive style, Ryan Moore has a quiet style in the saddle. There is a rhythmic flow that he has with his mounts. He is like Michael Kinane- a cold assassin of a jockey. No flair or dramatics. He just gets on with the job of winning races and he does that better than anyone at present.

Yet for all his achievements thus far Ryan Moore still has his detractors. Some folks in the media like to take shots at him. They feel that he could do more to help racing, that he is not outgoing enough and committed to promoting the sport. What do people expect? Another Frankie Dettori? Ryan Moore is not Frankie Dettori. You will never see Ryan Moore doing a flying dismount or waving his arms like Christophe Soumillon. A small smile is the most we will see. That is more than enough.

All Ryan Moore is concerned with is riding winners and should that not be a jockey’s main focus? Lester Piggot or Mick Kinane where never into promoting the sport when they were riding and the game didn’t suffer too much.

I am all for the promotion of the sport, but to knock someone like Ryan Moore simply because he is doing his job is unfair. The post race interviews with Ryan showed how much he wanted to win the Derby. You won’t see tears in his eyes many times. They are reserved for the best of times. For Ryan Moore the best is yet to come.

By Alan Conway