Willie Mullins has employed the services of Billy Loughnane for his sole runner on All-Weather Finals Day at Newcastle.
Known more for his exploits in the national hunt game, the three-time Grand National winning trainer has proven himself to be an extremely handy operator on the Flat, winning multiple times at Royal Ascot as well as saddling Ethical Diamond to land the Breeders' Cup Turf in 2025.
He sends Gaucher (7/2) to Newcastle on Friday and has booked one of the weighing room's brightest talents in Loughnane.
The seven-year-old contests the £175,000 Easter Classic on Good Friday and has leading claims amongst the 14-strong field.
A son of the legendary Frankel, he initially contested hurdle races when switched from France to the Mullins yard, steadily progressing through the ranks to become a dual-winner of the Grade 3 Horse & Jockey Hotel Hurdle ran at Tipperary.
More recently, Gaucher has turned his hand to the Flat, finishing third on his first start at Dundalk before rattling off back-to-back handicap wins at the same track. He made a deep impression on his last outing, coming five-and-a-half lengths clear of A Piece Of Heaven with Group performer Dallas Star well beaten in third.
A number of jockeys, including Paul Townend, Colin Keane and Shane Foley have got the leg up on Gaucher in the past. however, Friday marks the first time that Loughnane has been handed the responsibility.
The 20-year-old is being billed as a future star of British racing and is expected to challenge Oisin Murphy for his champion jockey crown in 2026.
Despite still being in the infancy of his career, Loughnane's ever-growing CV includes famed races such as the Cesarewitch, Royal Lodge and Grosser Preis von Berlin.
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