Being the tallest you can be in many sports is an advantage. Being the tallest in your sport, at 6ft 5in, isn’t something you see too often.
But both of those come together in a story from British horse racing this week, with the world’s tallest jockey, Jack Andrews, turning professional once again, for the second time in his career.
Height brings weight, which is, of course, the biggest issue for Andrews. It has been in the past and will continue to be. But there’s more hope around whether he can make it now, and that’s thanks to the backing he’s got from his main trainer, Tom Ellis.
@thejockeyclub Don’t let height stop you, says 6’4 jockey Jack Andrews 👏 #fyp #horseracing #horsesontiktok #horsesoftiktok #horse #jockey #jockeylife #jockeys ♬ FEEL THE GROOVE – Queens Road, Fabian Graetz
When Andrews went professional in 2021, he wouldn’t last too long, finding it hard to get enough rides to make a real go of it. That led him to turn back to the point-to-point ranks and going back amateur, but this time, he believes he’s got the back, and he could be right, given Ellis’ rise through the grades as a trainer.
Andrews to Start Quickly as a Professional
There is plenty of hope that Andrews can start quickly as a professional, with his first ride expected to be at Cartmel this week.
This shows the kind of firepower that he could have behind them. Tom Ellis may not quite be a household name just yet, but he’s building his string, and Andrews has been a part of that for some time.
They’ve had huge success in the amateur field. Andrews recently rode his 200th point-to-point winner to show the kind of skill he’s got, though, of course, point-to-point racing is different from national hunt racing.
When transitioning from amateur to professional, he will be able to claim 3lb as a rider, something that could prove to be invaluable for him when it comes to picking up rides from other yards, which he will need to make a real go of it.
As for the current record of Andrews in the professional game, he’s bagged 54 winners under rules as an amateur, including three winners at Cheltenham. He’s had winners and rides for the likes of Dan Skelton and Ben Pauling, so people are happy to use him, which is, of course, half of the battle.
As for the Ellis yard, they’ve started moving more and more towards professional national hunt horses, and have had around 16 in training this season. The expectation is that the number becomes between 25 and 30 by the time we start the winter jumps racing, which is, of course, only going to aid Andrews further.
With the backing from Ellis, he has the platform to get regular rides and showcase his abilities, which has the potential to drive him forward in a way that he previously couldn’t when going professional for the first time.
It remains to be seen if he can make it and how successful he’ll be, but his height will definitely help him grab the spotlight. He’s been in the media more than usual, due to his height, and you can only imagine the attention he’ll get when he starts delivering winners.
Just one of those coming on ITV would see the media scrum around him grow further, and an almost certain interview to really boost his profile on the ITV coverage.
