January 2026

Rossa Ryan

admin January 21, 2026

Born in Ballinderry, near Tuam, County Galway, on July 3, 2000, Rossa Ryan is the son of former National Hunt trainer David Ryan. Prolific on the pony racing circuit in his native land, Ryan rode his first winner under Rules, Solar Heat, trained by Dot Love, in an apprentice handicap at Dundalk on December 9, 2016, while still apprenticed to his father. He subsequently crossed the Irish Sea to become apprenticed to Richard Hannon in Herridge, Wiltshire and rode his first winner on British soil, Willwams, trained by Hannon, in a claiming stakes race at Lingfield on March 17, 2017.

Ryan rode 21 winners in his first season with Hannon and in 2018 increased his seasonal tally to 78 winners, riding out his claim and finishing runner-up, behind Jason Watson, in the apprentice jockeys’ championships. On August 24, 2019, he rode his first Pattern winner, Duke Of Hazard, trained by Paul Cole, in the Celebration Mile at Goodwood. On July 15, 2020, he won a handicap at Yarmouth on Mr. Kiki, a quirky customer owned by Amo Racing, under the auspices of Kiavash Joorabchian, and trained by Ralph Beckett in Kimpton, Hampshire. A week later, he was offered, and accepted, a retainer by the influential owner – which would last for two years – and the job as first jockey to Beckett.By that stage, Ryan had already ridden his first Royal Ascot winner, Highland Chief, another for Paul Cole – who, by that stage, had been joined on his licence by his son, Oliver – in the Golden Gates Handicap on June 18, 2020.

He rode over 100 winners in a season for the first time in 2021, and, in 2023, rode his first Group 1 winner, Shaquille, trained by Julie Camacho, in the July Cup at Newmarket on his way to riding over 200 winners in a season for the first time. Ryan rode 201 winners in 2024 and, on October 3, 2025, reached the milestone of 1,000 winners on British soil on Blazeon Five, trained by Alan King, in a handicap at Ascot en route to a seasonal tally of 179 winners. Of his achievement, he said: “It’s great to have ridden 1,000 winners. I’ve had a lot of great support from people; I think the biggest thing is that I have a fantastic agent behind me. All the credit goes to Steve Croft. At the time of writing, Ryan has ridden four Group 1 winners to his name, including Bluestocking, trained by Beckett, in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in 2024.

Oisin Murphy

admin January 21, 2026

Born in Killarney, County Kerry on September 6, 1995, Oisin Murphy is the nephew of Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National winning jockey Jim Culloty. A graduate of the pony racing circuit, he became apprenticed to Andrew Balding in Kingsclere, Hampshire in late 2012 and rode his first winner, Imperial Glance, trained by Balding, in an apprentice handicap at Salisbury on June 16, 2013. On September 21 that same year, Murphy announced himself to the wider racing public by riding the last four winners on the Ayr Gold Cup card, including the Ayr Gold Cup winner, Highland Colori, also trained by Balding, at cumulative odds of 9,260/1.

Despite Balding restricting him to Class 4 level and above, to protect his claim, Murphy rode 44 winners in his inaugural season on British soil. In 2014, he increased his seasonal tally to 76 winners, the highest recorded by an apprentice since Paul Hanagan in 2002, riding out his claim and being crowned British Champion Apprentice. He also rode his first Pattern winner, Hot Streak, trained by Kevin Ryan, in the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Haydock on May 24, 2014.

As a fully-fledged professional, further milestones followed in 2017, with a first Royal Ascot winner, Benbatl, trained by Saeed bin Suroor, in the Hampton Court Stakes and a first Group 1 winner, Aclaim, trained by Martyn Meade, in the Prix de la Foret at Chantilly. Murphy became British Champion Jockey for the first time in 2019, with a seasonal tally of 220 winners – still his best ever – and took the title again in 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025. At the time of writing he has 32 Group 1 wins worldwide to his name, including two British Classics.

Despite his success on the racecourse, Murphy has regularly fallen foul of the authorities because of disciplinary problems related to drugs and alcohol. He has been stood down from riding on several occasions after failing breath tests, received a three-month ban after testing positive for cocaine, albeit from environmental contamination, received a further 14-month ban for various rule breaches, including two more alcohol breaches, and a criminal conviction for driving while over the drink-drive limit, resulting in a £70,000 fine and a 20-month driving ban.

According to the governing body, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Murphy remains “subject to stringent conditions, including detailed and strict procedures relating to further enhanced testing, both on and off the racecourse.”

James Bowen

admin January 19, 2026

Born on March 12, 2001 in Little Newcastle, Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, James Bowen is the youngest son of former trainer Peter Bowen and his wife, Karen, and the brother of Mickey and Sean Bowen. Formerly a point-to-point trainer, eldest brother Mickey held a joint licence with his father in 2024, before taking over as sole trainer at his Yet-Y-Rhug yard in 2025, while Sean Bowen was British Champion Jump Jockey in 2024/25.

A graduate of the pony racing and point-to-point circuits, James Bowen rode his first winner under Rules, Curious Carlos, bred and owned by Carl Pyne and trained by his father, in a handicap hurdle at Cartmel on May 27, 2017. He subsequently became conditional jockey to Nicky Henderson in Upper Lambourn, Berkshire and was still only 16 years old when he won the postponed Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on Raz Maree, trained by Gavin Cromwell, on January 6, 2018, thereby becoming the youngest jockey ever to do so.

In his first full season, 2017/18, Bowen rode a total of 58 winners and became the youngest ever British Champion Conditional Jockey, taking the record from elder brother Sean, who won the title in 2014/15. He reached the milestone of 75 career winners, thereby riding out his claim and becoming a fully-fledged professional jockey, on Brave Eagle, trained by Henderson, in a handicap hurdle at Southwell on June 12, 2018. At that point, he said, “It’s really good to ride out my claim. Mr Henderson has been really good to me and my parents have been too.”

Bowen rode his first Grade 1 winner, Jango Baie in the Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, on Boxing Day 2023, but has since added two more, Lulamba in the Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown on May 3, 2025 and, most recently, Jonbon in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot on January 17, 2026; all three winners were trained by Nicky Henderson. On the latter occasion, Bowen was a late replacement for Harry Cobden, the newly-appointed retained rider for leading owner John P. McManus, but injured in a fall in the previous race.

Reflecting on the contrasting fortunes of the jockeys involved, winning trainer Nicky Henderson said, “I’m sorry for Harry but thrilled for James, who is riding brilliantly. It’s special when you can do the horse justice, which he has certainly done.” Bowen said, “I’m really grateful to Mr. Henderson and Mr. McManus for letting me ride him after the last time [when beaten at long odds-on], hopefully I put things right anyway.”

Harry Skelton

admin January 19, 2026

Born in Warwickshire on September 20, 1989, Harry Skelton is the son of Olympic showjumper Nick Skelton and the younger brother of Dan Skelton, a hugely successful National Hunt trainer based at Alcester, Warwickshire, to whom he is nowadays stable jockey. Having previously ridden out for Reg Hollinshead, Harry Skelton joined Richard Hannon straight from school but, having grown too heavy to ride on the Flat, moved on to Paul Nicholls in Ditcheat, Somerset, where he would spend nine years before teaming up with his brother.

Skelton rode his first winner – which he said he remembers “as clear as day” – Temper Lad, trained by Jimmy Frost, in a conditional jockeys’ selling handicap hurdle at Exeter on October 10, 2007. Highlights of his early career included winning the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Niche Market, trained by Bob Buckler, on April 13, 2009; aged 19 years, 6 months and 24 days, Skelton became the youngest jockey ever to do so.

Skelton credits his brother Dan with getting his career “back on track” and, indeed, it was the latter who saddled his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Suberb Story, in the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle on March 18, 2016. Dan Skelton also saddled his first Grade 1 winner, Roksana, in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle back at the Festival on March 12, 2009. At the last count, Harry Skelton had 15 Grade 1 winners to his name, with Politologue, trained by Paul Nicholls, in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2020, Grey Dawning in the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase and Protekorat in the Ryanair Chase in 2024 and The New Lion in the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle in 2025 among his 10 Cheltenham Festival winners; the last three named were all trained by his brother.

In 2020/21, Harry Skelton rode 152 winners and was crowned British Champion Jump Jockey for the first, and so far only, time. Reflecting on his maiden jockeys’ title, he said, “As a child growing up and from when I came into racing it’s all I ever wanted to achieve. It’ll take a while for it to sink in properly, but it’s a big weight off the shoulders.” Skelton reached the milestone of 1,000 career winners – at the time of writing, he is closing in on 1,500 – on Darisa Queen, fittingly trained by his brother, in a handicap hurdle at Stratford on October 28, 2021.

Gavin Sheehan

admin January 19, 2026

Born in Dunmanway, County Cork on June 23, 1992, Gavin Sheehan began his riding career on the pony racing circuit in his early teens before graduating to become amateur rider to Michael Hourigan in Patrickswell, County Limerick. He subsequently became conditional jockey to John Joseph Murphy in Upton, County Cork, for whom he would ride his first winner under Rules, Whatsabillion, in a handicap hurdle at Thurles on February 24, 2011.

All told, Sheehan managed just two winners in two years in his native land and, after being sidelined through injury, took the opportunity to cross the Irish Sea and replace Peter O’Toole as conditional jockey to Charlie Mann in Upper Lambourn, Berkshire. O’Toole suffered a serious brain injury following a fall in the Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree on Grand National Day, April 9, 2011. According to Sheehan, the move to Mann proved pivotal in his career but, after riding 31 winners on British soil in his first two seasons, he joined Warren Greatrex, who was, at the stage, a young, up-and-coming trainer also based in Upper Lambourn.

In his first season attached to Greatrex, 2013/14, Sheehan rode 50 winners to become British Champion Conditional Jockey. The following season, Greatrex used him as first-choice jockey, resulting in a then career-best 73 winners, including his first Grade 1 winner, Cole Harden, trained by Greatrex, in the World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on March 12, 2015. Sheehan rode out his claim on Arzal, trained by Harry Whittington, in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree on April 7, 2016 – also the second Grade 1 winner of his career – but, thereafter, he suffered a series of injuries and was subsequently demoted to second-choice jockey for Greatrex, behind Richard Johnson, in 2017/18.

However, Sheehan soon began a profitable association with Lambourn trainer Jamie Snowden – for whom, at the time of writing, he has ridden nearly 300 winners – and owners Kate and Andrew Brookes, for whom he is the retained rider. He currently has half a dozen Grade 1 winners to his name, including Hewick, trained by John Joseph ‘Shark’ Hanlon, in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day 2023. On April 19, 2025, Sheehan reached the landmark of 100 winners in a season for the first time on Overabottleofred, trained by Tom Gretton, in a mares’ handicap chase at Huntingdon, eventually finishing the season with 106 winners. He said, “It’s brilliant and hopefully it’ll be onwards and upwards next season as Jamie Snowden is getting bigger. “

Cieren Fallon

admin January 19, 2026

Born in Cambridge on June 17, 1999, Cieren Fallon is, of course, the son of six-time British Champion Jockey Kieren Fallon, who rode 2,253 winners before his retirement from the saddle in July 2016. Fallon Jnr. took his first ride on Rhigolter Rose, trained by William Haggas, in an apprentice handicap at Thirsk on August 31, 2018, finishing second, and opened his account, at just the third time of asking, on Plucky Dip, trained by John Ryan, in a similar contest at Leicester on September 24, 2018.

A graduate of the British Racing School in Newmarket, Fallon rode four winners in all in the closing weeks of the 2018 season but, under the tutelage of Haggas, increased his seasonal tally to 62 winners in 2019. He thus became British Champion Apprentice a little over two years after first sitting on a horse, for all that Haggas supplied just one of the 50 winners he rode in the qualifying period between May and October to take the apprentices’ title. In 2020, Fallon again rode 62 winners, including 43 during the Apprentice Jockeys’ Championship, which were sufficient to retain the title. He thus repeated the achievement of Gary Bardwell, who won back-to-back apprentice titles in 1987 and 1988.

On July 11, 2020, Fallon recorded his first Group 1 win on Oxted, trained by Roger Teal, in the July Cup at Newmarket. The following month, he was recruited by Qatar Racing, under the auspices of Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Thani, to ride as second jockey, behind Oisin Murphy. Reflecting on his achievements, Fallon said, “Winning the July Cup with Oxted is obviously the greatest highlight of my year and a memorable day. It’s been an amazing two years really, but I don’t want to be overlooked as an apprentice anymore…” David Redvers, Racing and Bloodstock Manager for Sheikh Al-Thani, said of him, “He [Fallon] has an incredibly calm demeanour for his age, an intuitive riding style and is very level-headed.”

Having ridden out his claim on Twilight Song, trained by Ian Williams, at Salisbury on August 21, 2020, Fallon rode 84 winners in his first season as a fully-fledged professional in 2021, including his second Group 1 win, again on Oxted, in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. On July 1, 2024, he broke his back when unseated by his mount, Nanna Western, at Windsor, but recovered sufficiently to record a third Group 1 win, on Montassib, trained by Haggas,in the Haydock Sprint Cup later in the season.