'It’s a feeling of ecstasy' - Billy Loughnane celebrates first Group 1 win on Rebel's Romance in Germany

Teenage jockey Billy Loughnane teamed up with veteran middle-distance star Rebel's Romance to record the first Group 1 success of his meteoric career in Germany on Sunday.

The 2023 champion apprentice came in for the mount in the Westminster 135th Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten as Godolphin's number one jockey William Buick was due to be riding at Deauville, only for Shadow Of Light to be declared a late non-runner.

Loughnane, who had his first ride nearly two years after Rebel's Romance had his first race, took full advantage of the opportunity.

He had the seven-year-old in second place from the off, challenged Rene Piechulek on front-running Junko from over two furlongs out and got the better of that rival by three-quarters of a length after a sustained duel in the final quarter mile.

Loughnane, 19, was delighted to secure a first top-level success and said: “It’s a feeling I can’t describe, a feeling of ecstasy. What a star of a horse. I’m very lucky to be riding in these colours and to have the opportunity to sit on a horse like this.

“He’s a star of a horse. Big thanks to Will [Buick]. I spoke to him last night and he told me exactly what to do.”

Trainer father Mark was at Wolverhampton, where he said on Sky Sports Racing: "It's something he's dreamt of all his life. I had an even-money favourite in the first race but I was more watching my phone and watching Billy. As a dad I'm proud as punch."

Mark Loughnane: "As a dad I'm proud as punch"Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Charlie Appleby, the trainer of Rebel's Romance, watched from Deauville where he said: "I’m delighted for Billy to have his first Group 1 winner. To be able to give a young lad like that the opportunity to shine on a horse like him is great."

It was an eighth Group 1 success for Rebel's Romance, who also landed this race in 2022 and is unbeaten in four runs in Germany.

He has now earned more than £11 million in prize-money and is 5-1 joint-second favourite (from 6-1) with Coral to win a third Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in November.

"He’s seven and still doing it at that level," Appleby marvelled. "It was a typical Rebel’s Romance win, just guts. I think the ground would have been slow enough. We were hopeful class would get him through that.

"Rebel’s Romance is a rock star. We’ll see where we go. We were toying with going to the Canadian International and that's something we will take into account, very much working back from the Breeders’ Cup again."

Rebel's Romance stays on best to land the Grosser Preis von BerlinCredit: galoppfoto.de

Sunday's victory completed a notable transatlantic mile-and-a-half double for Godolphin, whose El Cordobes won the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday. 

The organisation's managing director Hugh Anderson was at Hoppegarten, where he said: "It’s a brilliant afternoon. It means so much. For Billy as a young man to win a Group 1 is fabulous.

"The horse is a superstar. His sire Dubawi has now sired 250 Group winners. That's almost unprecedented. It's been a tremendous weekend."

Breeders' Cup Turf (Del Mar, November 1)
Coral: 3 Calandagan, 5 Delacroix, Ombudsman, Rebel’s Romance, 8 Danon Decile, 10 Los Angeles, 12 Camille Pissarro, 14 Jan Brueghel.

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