Pat Dobbs

Pat Dobbs
Dobbs going to post on Coronation Cup winner Pethers Moon
OccupationJockey
Born (1978-02-06) 6 February 1978 (age 46)
Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland
Major racing wins
Coronation Cup (2015)
Al Maktoum Challenge
Significant horses
Pether's Moon

Pat Dobbs (born 1978) is a Group 1 winning Irish jockey. He is stable jockey for Richard Hannon Jr.

Career

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Dobbs was born and brought up in a non-racing family in County Wexford, Ireland. He found racing an enjoyable alternative to school and after entering the apprentices' school in Kildare at 15, he was placed with trainer Dessie Hughes, where he spent three years. Hughes had few flat horses, however, so, at the recommendation of Dessie's son, Richard Hughes, Dobbs got a job with Richard Hannon Sr. in England.[1] He rode for Richard Sr until the older man's retirement and has continued to ride for his son, Richard Jr since.

Throughout his time with the Hannons, Dobbs was normally understudy to Hughes, who became the stable's first choice jockey. To start with, he had been allowed to keep the ride after winning on a horse, but once Hughes was established, “Richard always went to the best meetings and I would work around him.”[1] Dobbs suffered a series of injuries early in his career, and being "painfully shy"[1] didn't speak about his frustration.

Pat Dobbs going to post on Moheet, his first Derby ride

Dobbs won some valuable sales races for Richard Sr, and also twice won the Sandown Mile on Hurricane Alan (2004 and 2005), but his biggest win during this time was the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2012 on David Marnane's Dandy Boy.

Richard Hannon Sr. retired in 2013, and once Richard Hughes retired in 2014, Dobbs had more opportunity on better horses. In 2015, he had his first Group 1 success on Pether's Moon in the Coronation Cup, besting French horses Dolniya and Flintshire in the final 100 yards.[2] “It didn’t sink in until much later," he said. "At the time, I was just a bit surprised. It was only 50 yards from the line that I thought he’d win.”[1] Later that day, he also got his first ride in the Derby on Moheet, finishing 10th. Both were Hannon horses. 2015 became his best season to date with 64 winners and, for the first time, over £1 million in prize money. At the time, he spoke of expecting to be able to ride for another ten years.[1]

Since then, he has continued to ride for Richard Jr, winning the 2017 Earl of Sefton Stakes among other things, but owners at the stable have also used younger jockeys like Sean Levey and Cam Hardie. Dobbs has spent a number of winters in Dubai, where he is better known than in Britain, and has won several significant races for American trainer, Doug Watson.[1]

His favourite horse is Hurricane Alan.[3]

Critical opinion

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A commentator in The Times spoke of the "absence of expectation and entitlement" in Dobbs. "He is not a man who will stand out in a crowd, either by what he says or how he looks... but mention him around the racing community and there will be nods acknowledging a decent, dependable man, rather than strong opinions about personality or ability."[1]

Statistics

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Flat wins in Great Britain by year[4]

Year Wins Runs Strike rate Total earnings
1997 3 17 18 £10,953
1998 11 95 12 £48,578
1999 9 111 8 £56,062
2000 16 155 10 £89,872
2001 40 369 11 £270,653
2002 21 247 9 £164,556
2003 26 349 7 £301,276
2004 19 353 5 £283,495
2005 14 208 7 £256,692
2006 18 253 7 £135,594
2007 38 416 9 £276,235
2008 30 347 9 £429,349
2009 45 377 12 £430,427
2010 49 425 12 £352,379
2011 46 302 15 £343,778
2012 51 377 14 £734,502
2013 47 424 11 £455,593
2014 44 358 12 £509,331
2015 64 521 12 £1,056,669
2016 35 402 9 £623,432
2017 31 347 9 £514,544
2018 18 166 11 £247,506
2019 38 270 14 £771,194
2020 26 248 10 £306,581
2021 30 281 11 £697,805
2022 35 266 13 £1,001,477
2023 22 202 11 £641,901

Major wins

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United Kingdom Great Britain

United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Lee, Alan (31 July 2015). "Pat Dobbs looking to make the most of new opportunities". The Times. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Stars: Jockeys - Pat Dobbs". QIPCO British Champions Series. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  3. ^ "About Us: The Team - Pat Dobbs". Richard Hannon Racing. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Profile: Jockey - Pat Dobbs - Stats". Racing Post. Retrieved 1 June 2024.