Jockey

Harry Cobden

admin February 4, 2026

Born in Lydford-on-Fosse, Somerset on November 5, 1998, Harry Cobden excelled at pony racing before graduating to point-to-points, winning the novice men’s title in that sphere in 2014/15. He rode his first winner under Rules, El Mondo, trained by Rachael Honeyball (née Green), in a hunters’ chase at Leicester on March 6, 2015. After two winners from three rides in 2014/15, the other one being Ulck Du Lin, trained by Paul Nicholls, in a handicap chase at Wincanton on April 19, 2015, Cobden became conditional jockey to Nicholls at Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat, Somerset at the start of the 2015/16 season.

Cobden increased his seasonal tally to 30 winners in 2015/16 and, again, to 63 winners in 2016/17, including his first Grade 1 winner, Irving, trained by Nicholls, in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on November 16, 2016. He rode our his claim on Diego Du Charmil, also trained by Nicholls, in the Scottish County Hurdle on February 4, 2017 and, to the surprise of no-one, was crowned champion conditional jockey at the end of the 2016/17.

By his own admission, “things did go a bit quiet” thereafter, but Cobden still managed to ride a then career-best 76 winners in 2017/18. His seasonal tally included his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Kilbricken Storm, trained by Colin Tizzard, in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on March 16, 2018. Towards the end of the season, Cobden was offered the job as stable jockey to both Nicholls and Tizzard, but opted for the former, with whose yard he had been associated since his early teens.

On June 1, 2018, Cobden walked away after being unseated by Mick Thonic, trained by Tizzard, at the final fence in a handicap chase at Market Rasen, but was later hospitalised and found to have suffered a fracture of the C2 vertebra in his neck. He spent eight weeks in a neck brace and four months out altogether, thereby missing the summer jumps campaign. Nevertheless, the 2018/19 season yielded 109 winners, four of which were at Grade 1 level, all for Nicholls, including Clan Des Obeaux in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Fast forward to 2023/24 and Cobden rode 164 winners, becoming Champion Jockey for the first time. On October 14, 2025, he reached the milestone of 1,000 career winners on Indemnity, trained by Emma Lavelle, in a handicap hurdle at Market Rasen. The following January, it was announced that he would officially become the retained jockey for leading owner John McManus, in Britain and Ireland, from the start of the 2026/27 National Hunt season.

David Allan

admin February 4, 2026

David Allan was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire on July 11, 1982, but raised in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. Prior to attending the National Horseracing College in Doncaster, he had no experience of horses, but nonetheless successfully completed a 12-week foundation course in 1999. Of his time at the College, Allan later reflected, “I’d never sat on a horse until I got there. The college sent me to Jack Berry’s at Malton [North Yorkshire]. I had a lot of catching up to do and it turned out to be the best yard to catch up at. They had a lot of good horses and riders and I never learned so fast in my life.”

Allan rode his first winner, Peter’s Imp, trained by Alan Berry, son of Jack, in an apprentices’ handicap at Warwick on July 22, 2000. After riding just two winners in 2000 and 13 in 2001, he became apprenticed to Tim Easterby in Great Habton, North Yorkshire, where he has remained ever since. Fast forward to July 5, 2020 and Allan reached the milestone of 1,000 winners on British soil, courtesy of Turntable, trained by Chris Wall, in a handicap at Doncaster. He has also ridden with great success in India, where he has won no fewer than 34 Classics and has the distinction of being the most successful international jockey to ride on the subcontinent.

On October 21, 2023, Allan enjoyed the biggest win of his career when Art Power, trained by Easterby, sprang a 40/1 surprise in the British Champion Sprint Stakes at Ascot, rallying after being headed inside the final furlong to beat the favourite, Kinross, by a neck. Reflecting on his sole Group 1 winner, so far, Allan said at the time, “You don’t find them very easily. I have been at Tim’s now for 21 years and it is the first one we have found together. We had Winter Power [owned, like Art Power, by King Power Racing] win a Group 1, but it has been a long wait for me to get one from the yard itself.

For all his vast experience, Allan has often fallen foul on the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) for using the whip above the permitted level. In October 2025, for example, he was suspended for 42 days – nine of which were deferred for six months or 200 rides – after being found to have breached the whip rules in the previous six months.

Danny McMenamin

admin February 4, 2026

Born in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland on June 5, 2000, Danny McMenamin began his riding career with local point-to-point trainer Brian Hamilton, before honing his riding skills under the tutelage of Ger Lyons in Dunsany, County Meath during the summer of 2017. Of the latter spell, he said, “It really helped with my style of riding and my positioning on a horse.”

A relative introduced him to former jockey Tony Dobbin who, in turn, put him in touch with his former employer, Nicky Richards, son of Gordon, who is based in Penrith, Cumbria. Having crossed the Irish Sea, McMenamin rode his first winner, Western Rules, trained by Nicky Richards, on his first ride under Rules in Britain, in an amateur riders’ handicap hurdle at Ayr on March 9, 2018.

On November 18, 2018, as a 7lb claimer having just his third ride at Cheltenham, McMenamin won the valuable Greatwood Handicap Hurdle on Nietzsche, trained by Brian Ellison. Of that success, he said later, “It certainly opened up a lot of doors for me after that and greatly aided my career.”

In the 2018/19 season as a whole, McMenamin rode 16 winners, followed by 28 in 2019/20 and 46 in 2020/21. He rode out his claim on Archie Brown, trained by Henry Hogarth, in a novices’ handicap chase at Market Rasen on February 21, 2021 and, two months later, was presented with the trophy for the conditional jockeys’ championship, finishing well ahead of his nearest rival. At that stage, McMenamin expressed his gratitude to Dobbin and to his coach, Brian Harding, another former stable jockey to Nicky Richards.

McMenamin enjoyed his most successful season, so far, numerically and fiscally, in 2024/25, when he rode 70 winners from 466 rides, at an overall strike rate of 15%, and amassed just over £900,000 in prize money. Understandably, in his career as a whole, Nicky Richards has been his principal benefactor, but he has enoyed profitable associations with various Northern trainers, not least Ann Hamilton, who is based in Capheaton, Northumberland.

At the time of writing, McMenamin has yet to ride a Grade 1 winner, but Ann Hamilton has provided him with three of his four Grade 2 winners. The first of them was Nuts Well in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree on October 25, 2020 and was followed by Tommy’s Oscar in the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock on January 22, 2022 and the same horse in the Lightning Novices’ Chase at Doncaster on January 28, 2023.

Daniel Tudhope

admin February 4, 2026

Born in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland on December 1, 1985, Daniel Tudhope left school at 16 and, following careers guidance, attended, and graduated from, Northern Racing College (now the National Horseracing College) in Doncaster. He subsequently became apprenticed to Declan Carroll in Malton, North Yorkshire and rode his first ‘winner’ of any description, Doitupto You (with the assistance of the local stewards) at the Ippodromo San Rossore in Pisa, Italy in 2003. On February 29, 2004, Tudhope rode his first winner on British soil, Rust En Vrede, trained by Carroll, in a banded stakes race at Southwell.

Thanks in no small part to Carroll, Tudhope rode out his claim in two-and-a-half years. However, after a few years struggling as a freelance jockey, he took the advice of weighing room colleague Silvestre De Sousa to start riding out for then up-and-coming trainer David O’Meara, a move that he later described as “the start of it all for me”. In 2012, he became stable jockey to O’Meara after his predecessor, De Sousa, was offered a retainer by Godolphin.

In his new role, Tudhope reached the milestone of 100 winners in a calendar year in 2013, but it would not be until 2019 that he rode 100 winners in the set period, between May and October, on which the jockeys’ title is decided. He achieved his maiden century in that respect on World Title, trained by Archie Watson, in a nursery handicap at Ripon on August 27, 2019. At that point, Tudhope said, “It has been a fantastic year for me so far, and I will keep trying my hardest to achieve my dream of becoming Champion Jockey.” He went on to ride 159 winners in the year as a whole, including 133 in the title period, eventually finishing runner-up to Oisin Murphy in the Flat Jockeys’ Championship.

Nowadays, Willow Farm, near Upper Helmsley, North Yorkshire, where O’Meara has been based since 2016, is one of the strongest yards in the North of England. Nevertheless, Tudhope once said, “For a northern jockey, I think it’s harder. Most of the big meetings are down south. When northern jockeys go down south, it takes a while to adapt. Look at Ascot. It’s a difficult track to ride, especially when you’re up against the top jockeys.” Despite the challenges, Tudhope reached the landmark of 1,000 career winners on Ingelby Hollow, trained by O’Meara, in a handicap at Thirsk on June 3, 2019.

Ben Jones

admin February 4, 2026

Born in Carmarthen, South West Wales on November 16, 1999, Ben Jones caught the racing bug when he started riding out for a local trainer Paul Hamer while enrolled at Hereford School of Farriery. As a 17-year-old, he joined Philip Hobbs in Bilbook, near Minehead, Somerset, initially as an amateur riding, with no little success, in point-to-points. In his second year with Hobbs, he begaun riding under Rules and rode his first winner in that sphere, Sahara Haze, trained by Philip Dando, in a handicap hurdle at Warwick on February 23, 2018.

Having become a conditional jockey, on the advice of Hobbs, Jones opened his account on Field Exhibition, trained by Grace Harris, in a mares’ handicap chase at Hereford on October 15, 2019. In his early career, Jones was well supported by various trainers, including Ben Clarke, Rebecca Curtis and Emma Lavelle, and the latter who provided his first high-profile winner. On November 30, 2019, having just turned 20, Jones rode De Rasher Counter, saddled by Lavelle, to victory in the

Ladbrokes Trophy Chase – formerly the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup and now the Coral Gold Cup – at Newbury. He later said of his achievement, “That got me on the map, I probably didn’t appreciate quite how big it was at the time.”

Thereafter, Jones rode out his claim in under two seasons, losing his remaining weight allowance during the summer of 2021 and reaching the milestone of 100 career winners on Beau Haze, also trained by Phil Dando, in handicap hurdle at Chepstow on March 24, 2022. The 2021/22 season as a whole yielded 39 winners, followed by 28 in 2022/23 and 55 in 2023/24, including his first included his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Shakem Up’arry, trained by Ben Pauling, in the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase on March 14, 2024.

The following October, Pauling, who is based in Naunton, Gloucestershire, asked Jones to become his first-choice jockey. Reflecting on his decision to accept the offer, Jones said later, “When Mr. Pauling asked me to be his number one I didn’t even have to think about it, it was a no-brainer.” In his new role, Jones rode a then career-best 77 winners in 2024/25, including his first Grade 1 winner, The Jukebox Man, trained by Pauling, in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day 2024. Recalling his breakthrough success, Jones said, “My first Grade 1 winner was very special, that’s something I’ll always remember.”

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.