How Gordon Elliott unwittingly changed Jim Crowley’s life - and set him on the path to the top

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Jim Crowley has reflected on the enormous number of ‘sliding doors’ moments that shaped his extraordinary career in the saddle – including the moment Gordon Elliott changed the course of his life.

Crowley was a young jump jockey eager to make his way in the sport when he was invited to ride out for Martin Pipe – and he was set to join the legendary yard until fate (and Elliott) took a hand.

Crowley recalled: “I schooled about ten horses and he called me into the office and said he'd love to have me. I said, ‘Great, when can I start?’

“But then the next morning I read in the Post that Gordon Elliott was joining the yard as an amateur, and I thought it wasn't going to work. I realised I'd drop even further down the list than I'd already be, and that wasn't what I wanted. Maybe I should have gone – who knows how it would have panned out.”

Ultimately, though, it panned out well for Crowley, who discusses his remarkable career – which saw him crowned champion Flat jockey in 2016 – in a major interview in Sunday’s newspaper. Along the way, there was a helping hand from a Pipe mainstay, Tony McCoy, who suggested he turn his attentions to the Flat just over 20 years ago.

"I thought I had nothing to lose by trying it for a season and it just snowballed," he said. "I targeted all the smaller meetings, then found myself getting better rides and getting lucky with some good people.

"I suppose it was a risk, because I wasn't struggling over jumps. But sometimes you just have to jump even if people tell you it's mad.

"If I'd stayed where I was, where would I have ended up? I certainly didn't ever think it would turn out the way it did."

Read more from Jim Crowley in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Racing Post+ Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday.

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