Tommie Jakes (2005-2025): A Bright Light Extinguished Too Soon

The British racing community is reeling from the devastating loss of apprentice jockey Tommie Jakes, who died at his family home near Newmarket on Thursday morning at just 19 years of age. His passing, less than 24 hours after riding at Nottingham on Wednesday afternoon, has left the tight-knit racing world struggling to comprehend the loss of such a promising young talent.

A Career Built on Promise and Dedication

In a career spanning merely three years, Jakes demonstrated the qualities that mark out racing's most dedicated professionals. His record of 59 winners from 519 rides represents more than mere statistics—it reflects the journey of a young man who had found his calling and pursued it with unwavering commitment.

His first full season yielded 11 winners. The following year, 2024, brought 29 victories. This year alone, he had already partnered 19 winners from 188 rides. These weren't just numbers on a form book; they were testament to a young man rapidly developing his craft, learning the nuances of racecraft, and earning the trust of trainers across the country.

Based at Freckenham with his family, Jakes possessed that rare combination of natural talent and work ethic that marks out future champions. At Newcastle, a track that can confound even experienced riders, he had amassed 16 winners from 102 rides—a strike rate that spoke volumes about his tactical awareness and ability to adapt his riding to different tracks and conditions.

Most recently apprenticed to George Boughey, Jakes partnered his final winner, Fouroneohfever, at Catterick on 18 October. That victory, poignant in hindsight, embodied the talent and determination that had characterised his brief but impactful career. Just weeks before his death, he had given what Brian Meehan described as "an outstanding ride" to win aboard Gascony in the famous Sangster silks at Epsom in August—the kind of big-stage performance that suggested a rider destined for greater heights.

Wednesday's Ride: The Cruel Finality of Last Moments

On Wednesday afternoon, Jakes rode Guarantee for trainer Ismail Mohammed at Nottingham, finishing seventh in a juvenile maiden over a mile. It was an unremarkable ride in many ways—the sort of midweek engagement that forms the bread and butter of an apprentice's career. After the race, Jose Santos, Mohammed's assistant, asked Jakes to send a voice note to the owner. Jakes agreed readily. "He said he'd see me tomorrow," Santos recalled. "That was it. It was the last I spoke to him."

By Thursday morning, Tommie Jakes was gone. The two rides he was booked for at Chelmsford that evening would go unfulfilled. Racing moves relentlessly forward, but on this occasion, it moved forward without a young man who should have had decades of rides ahead of him.

Remembered for Character as Much as Ability

What emerges most powerfully from those who knew him is not simply an assessment of Jakes's riding ability, but rather a portrait of an exemplary young man whose character left an indelible impression on all who worked with him.

Jose Santos articulated the shock reverberating through the sport: "I feel completely empty as he rode out for us twice a week and always seemed happy and positive. He never showed any signs of having any kind of problems. I know he didn't smoke, I know he didn't do drugs or drink, and for everyone in the yard it's a massive shock."

Here was a young man who took his profession seriously, who understood that success in racing demands discipline and sacrifice. In an industry where weight management can drive riders to destructive behaviours, Jakes maintained a clean-living approach that spoke to his maturity and dedication. "I treated him like my son," Santos said, words that reveal the depth of feeling Jakes inspired in those who worked with him.

The plans they had made together now stand as painful reminders of a future stolen. Jakes loved the Mohammed yard's horse Lord Britain and had offered to turn the horse out over the winter at his family's land at Freckenham. These weren't the casual comments of a young man going through the motions; these were the conversations of someone invested in the horses he rode, building relationships, thinking ahead to next season and beyond.

A Trail of Gratitude and Affection

Alice Haynes gave Jakes one of his first jobs in racing, and her memories capture the young rider's enthusiasm and promise. "He was keen and very enthusiastic and rode well," she recalled. Then came the detail that transforms a professional assessment into something more personal: "He rode me my first winner at Newmarket."

In racing's unforgiving meritocracy, such moments forge bonds that transcend the typical employer-employee relationship. For a trainer, that first winner represents validation, the moment when years of work and investment bear fruit. That Haynes entrusted this milestone to a young, inexperienced apprentice speaks volumes about the talent she recognised in him. Her final assessment—"a likeable lad who came from a lovely family and no-one had a bad word to say about him"—carries the weight of genuine affection.

Jane Chapple-Hyam was Jakes's first employer as an apprentice, the trainer who gave him his foundation in the sport. In March 2023, she provided him with his breakthrough moment when he rode the yard's Suzi's Connoisseur to victory at Lingfield. Every jockey remembers their first winner with crystal clarity—the surge of adrenaline, the validation of years of sacrifice, the proof that the dream might actually be achievable. For Tommie Jakes, barely 16 years old, that moment at Lingfield represented the beginning of what should have been a long and successful career.

A Special Bond in Scotland

Perhaps the most affecting testimony comes from Scottish trainer Linda Perratt, who gave Jakes more opportunities than any other trainer—169 rides yielding 17 winners. The statistics alone suggest trust and mutual respect, but Perratt's words reveal something deeper, something familial.

"It's dreadful news. I'm really upset and my thoughts are with Tommie's family. He rode lots of winners for us. His mum said I was like his second mother when he used to come and stay with us."

Racing creates these bonds. A young apprentice, travelling far from home to ride for a Scottish-based trainer, becomes part of the family. Stays at the trainer's home transform professional relationships into something more profound. Perratt watched him develop from a raw talent into a capable jockey, gave him the rides that built his confidence and his record, and in return received the loyalty and dedication that made him a fixture in her stable.

"We started using him and he rode most of them on the all-weather for us through the winter," she explained. Those winter campaigns on the all-weather tracks—often cold, often sparsely attended, the unglamorous side of racing that builds careers—were where Jakes honed his craft, where he learned to ride different types of horses in different conditions, where he transformed from promising apprentice into a jockey trainers could rely upon.

The cruel immediacy of the loss is captured in Perratt's observation: "We watched him on the telly riding yesterday and he even messaged my head girl last night. There are no words."

Indeed, there are no words adequate to such loss. A young man who messaged colleagues at night, who made plans for favourite horses, who showed up twice weekly with enthusiasm and positivity, was gone by morning. The incomprehensibility of it—the sheer impossibility that someone so vital, so engaged, so present could simply vanish—leaves those who knew him struggling to process a reality that makes no sense.

The Wider Impact: A Sport in Mourning

George Boughey, Jakes's most recent employer, expressed what many in the sport were feeling: "We are heartbroken by the news that our apprentice jockey Tommie Jakes has passed away. Tommie has been an integral and much-loved member of our team. He was not only a hugely talented young rider with so much to look forward to, but an incredibly kind, popular and hard-working young man. We will miss him immensely."

The words are carefully chosen but cannot conceal the raw grief beneath them. "Integral," "much-loved," "immensely"—these are not the polite platitudes offered when professional obligation demands a statement. These are the words of someone genuinely bereft.

Brant Dunshea, acting chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, articulated the sport's devastation: "We are devastated to hear the news about Tommie. He was a talented young rider with the world at his feet, and had earned great praise from trainers for his horsemanship and attitude in just the last few months. His family and friends, colleagues at the George Boughey yard and everyone who worked with him in Newmarket will be grieving today, and all of us in the racing community will share that pain."

Brian Meehan, speaking from California where he was preparing to saddle a runner in the Breeders' Cup, captured the disbelief that has gripped the racing community. Jakes had ridden out for Meehan at Manton this year, building another relationship, expanding his network. "He was in last Thursday," Meehan said, the recent normality of it making the loss even more incomprehensible. "He was a lovely lad. He had great promise... It's terrible news, a shock to everybody that knew him at Manton."

The geographic spread of these testimonials—from Scotland to Newmarket to Lambourn—illustrates the breadth of Jakes's impact despite his youth. In just three years, he had built relationships across the country, earning respect and affection wherever he rode. This wasn't a young man confined to one stable or one region; this was an apprentice on the rise, broadening his horizons, taking every opportunity to learn and develop.

The Dreams That Will Never Be Realised

This year alone, Jakes had ridden out for multiple trainers, accepting every opportunity to develop his craft. He was building a reputation, creating the foundation for what should have been a distinguished career. Trainers were booking him not out of charity or obligation but because they believed in his ability to get the best from their horses.

The plans he had made—turning Lord Britain out at his family's land, continuing his association with the Mohammed yard's promising two-year-olds, building on his outstanding record at Newcastle—all now stand as painful reminders of a future that will never arrive. There will be no more winters on the all-weather, no more stays with Linda Perratt's family in Scotland, no more text messages to head girls confirming arrangements for the following day.

At 19, Jakes had achieved what many aspire to but never reach—the respect and affection of his peers and the trust of multiple trainers who saw in him not just current ability but future potential. He was present, engaged, looking forward. He rode out twice weekly, sent voice notes to owners, messaged colleagues at night. He was building not just a career but a life in racing, creating the relationships and reputation that would sustain him for decades to come.

A Life Measured in More Than Winners

Racing is a sport that measures success in winners, in strike rates, in championships. Scan the form books and you'll find Tommie Jakes's name attached to 59 victories—a respectable total for a career of just three years, but hardly the stuff of champions. Yet statistics alone cannot capture the measure of a life or the impact of a person.

The true measure of Tommie Jakes lies not in those 59 winners but in the chorus of voices remembering not just a capable jockey but a decent, dedicated, well-liked young man who brought enthusiasm and positivity to his work each day. It lies in the trainers who treated him like a son, in the families who welcomed him into their homes, in the colleagues who received his messages and looked forward to seeing him the next day.

It lies in the clean-living approach he maintained when many struggle with the demands of weight management. It lies in the genuine love he showed for the horses he rode, making plans for their welfare and future. It lies in the "happy and positive" demeanour he showed even when rides were scarce or results disappointing. It lies in the fact that, as Alice Haynes observed, "no-one had a bad word to say about him."

These qualities—kindness, dedication, enthusiasm, reliability—may not feature in form guides, but they are the qualities that make someone beloved, that create the bonds which transform a profession into a community, that ensure a person is genuinely missed rather than merely noted in passing.

The Unbearable Weight of Absence

For Jeremy and Tonie Jakes, the statistics, the testimonials, the industry statements—all of it pales beside the incomprehensible reality that their son is gone. The boy who once rode his first winner at 16, who travelled the country pursuing his passion, who made them proud with his dedication and his decency, will not be coming home. The phone will not ring. The text messages will not arrive. The stories of the day's rides will remain untold.

Racing is, at its essence, a family sport. Trainers become surrogate parents. Yards become second homes. Colleagues become brothers and sisters. But for the Jakes family, these extended racing relationships, however genuine and deeply felt, cannot fill the void left by Tommie's absence. Their loss is of a different magnitude entirely—primal, permanent, and devastating beyond words.

The racing community's request that the family's privacy be respected at this terrible time is both necessary and inadequate. Necessary because public grief, however well-intentioned, cannot ease private anguish. Inadequate because no amount of privacy or public mourning can restore what has been lost.

Racing Continues, Diminished

There will be marks of respect at racecourses—minutes of silence, black armbands, carefully chosen words before the first race. These rituals matter. They acknowledge loss, create space for collective grief, ensure that a young life is honoured. But then racing will continue, as it must and as it always does.

Horses will be saddled at Chelmsford and elsewhere. Jockeys will weigh out, receive their instructions, and make their way to the parade ring. Races will be run, winners will return to unsaddle, and the great machine of racing will grind forward. The sport is relentless in this way, unforgiving of sentiment, demanding that even in the midst of grief, the show must go on.

Yet racing continues diminished. Two rides at Chelmsford went unfulfilled on Thursday evening. Lord Britain will be turned out somewhere else, cared for by someone else. The Mohammed yard's two-year-olds will have a different jockey riding work twice a week. Linda Perratt's all-weather horses will be partnered by someone new. The Sangster silks will be carried by other riders at Epsom.

Racing will adapt, as it always does, but it does so having lost not just a capable jockey but a young man who represented the sport's best values: dedication, clean living, enthusiasm, and genuine likeability. Tommie Jakes rode 59 winners in three years. He should have ridden hundreds more. That he will not remains racing's loss and, infinitely more significantly, an irreplaceable loss to all who loved him.

Remembering Tommie

In the end, what remains are memories and the indelible impact one young life made on all who knew it. Memories of a 16-year-old riding his first winner at Lingfield, the beginning of what should have been a glorious journey. Memories of outstanding rides in famous silks at prestigious tracks. Memories of text messages confirming tomorrow's arrangements, of voice notes promised to owners, of plans made for horses and seasons ahead.

Memories, too, of personal qualities that transcend professional achievement—kindness, enthusiasm, dedication, the clean-living approach that spoke to character and maturity beyond his years. Memories of a young man who was treated like a son, who was welcomed into families, who earned the respect of hardened professionals and the affection of all who worked with him.

These memories, inadequate though they are in the face of such loss, are what remain. They will be treasured by Jeremy and Tonie Jakes, by the extended racing family that embraced their son, and by all who recognised in Tommie Jakes not just a promising jockey but a genuinely good young man who deserved so much more than 19 years.

The racing community extends its deepest sympathies to Jeremy, Tonie, and the entire Jakes family. May Tommie rest in peace, forever 19, forever promising, forever remembered with love and respect by a sport that was better for his presence and is diminished by his absence.

If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available:

• Racing Welfare 24-hour Support Line: 0800 6300 443

• Injured Jockeys Fund 24-hour Jockey Helpline: 07780008877

• Samaritans: 116 123 (24/7)