Fresh from being crowned Britain's champion flat jockey of 2016 Jim Crowley has now landed the plum role of first jockey to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. Sheikh Hamdan and the previous incumbent Paul Hanagan ended their association recently and following a tremendous campaign that saw him ride 148 winners to win his first championship, Crowley was the man sought by the owner to fill the role. “It's very exciting news and we're thrilled to have him on board,” said Angus Gold, racing manager to Sheikh Hamdan. Gold continued, “I spoke to Jim two nights ago and he confirmed he would be happy to do it. He'll be going out to Dubai for the Carnival, which starts in early January, and I'm sure he'll be in place for that.” The team had a few candidates in mind for the job and explaining the reasoning behind their ultimate choice Gold added. “We discussed various options and he came up with the idea of Jim. He has worked his way up and proven to be a top jockey. He's done a brilliant job this year to become champion and we're very happy to have him.”
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