‘It’s a pinch yourself moment’ – Loughnane riding high with Bow Echo

If George Boughey and Billy Loughnane are to become one of the sport’s enduring and all-conquering partnerships, it seems inevitable that they will one day look back and identify Bow Echo as the horse that started it all.

The neat Night Of Thunder colt was an almost unbelievably good 2000 Guineas winner in May, stepping forward from a flawless juvenile career to soar down the Rowley Mile ahead of the huge, and hugely talented, Gstaad.

The St James’s Palace Stakes was therefore billed as the rematch, and as the field of six sprung from the stalls Bow Echo could have made good use of some of Gstaad’s brawn after an early spot of push and shove.

He settled into a rhythm in the slipstream of the hard-pulling Talk Of New York and took a wide line around the turn for home, with Gstaad more handily placed on the inner rail as the rest of the field bowed out by the final-furlong marker.

It was left to the two old Guineas rivals to lock horns again, and when tasked with what was surely the most hard-pressed furlong of his career so far Bow Echo rose admirably to the challenge to get the short part of his head across the line before his rival.

The grandstand collectively held its breath as the judge counted the pixels, but the only people seemingly unfazed were a Boughey-Loughnane duo who have unerring faith not only in their horse, but evidently also in each other.

Loughnane – who increasingly rides with a maturity beyond his 20 years – was required to regain both his composure and his momentum after the opening exchanges, and gave credit to Bow Echo for demonstrating a tenacity he has not been required to produce before.

He said: “The first furlong was crucial, I got squeezed out early. There were five of us in a line and I slightly lost my position and he got lit up. The Amo Racing horse (Power Blue) came back in our lap and it meant I had to move probably sooner than ideal, but his guts got him through.

“He’s very determined to win, this horse, with a great turn of foot and fantastic ability.

“You kind of have to adapt, and it was a case of getting him back relaxed and breathing again and in his rhythm, and once he found that he was powerful. I felt a little bit of pressure coming here today on an unbeaten Guineas winner, but thankfully we managed to get the job done.

“He travelled very powerfully and has a great turn of foot. Gstaad and Ryan (Moore) probably had a more economical route than we did, so we wasted a lot of ground, but he’s a very talented horse and was tough towards the business end.

“Obviously there’s pressure riding a horse like him, but it’s pressure you want and I’m very privileged to be in a position to partner him, and I can’t wait for the next couple of races to come up. It’s a pinch yourself moment, and I can’t thank George and the owners enough for having faith in me.”

Boughey saluted his rider, saying: “It’s a dream to be training horses like this, to be trusted with them. To do it with Billy makes it even more special because he’s like a younger brother.

“To have that affinity with a jockey is amazing. I’ve been lucky to have a lot of good riders ride for me, but he’s an exceptional talent both on and off the horse.

“He is meticulous in his planning going to the track, to be able to send him to Royal Ascot on an unbeaten Guineas winner is as good as it gets.”