Who is Darryl Holland?

Most recently, Darryl Holland hit the headlines when, in March, 2021, he embarked on a second career as a trainer, based at Harraton Court in Exning, near Newmarket, which he has owned since 2008. However, Holland, 48, remains best known as globetrotting jockey, who rode winners in jurisdictions as far afield as Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Mauritius, South Korea and the United States, as well as in Britain, during a long, illustrious career.

Born in Manchester in June, 1972, Holland began his riding career as apprentice to Barry Hills, riding his first winner, Sinclair Boy, at Warwick in 1990 and becoming Champion Apprentice, with a post-war record 85 winners, the following season. In Britain, he was associated with trainers such as Luca Cumani, Geoffrey Wragg, Mark Johnston and, later in his career, Charles Hills, son of Barry.

Indeed, around the turn of the century, Holland was one of the leading jockeys in the country and enjoyed his most successful season, numerically, in 2004; he rode 157 winners, eventually finishing runner-up to Frankie Dettori in the jockeys’ championship. On home soil, Holland is best known for his association with Falbrav, trained by Luca Cumani, on whom he won the Coral-Eclipse, Juddmonte International and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in 2003.