Ellis Collier(5)

This season, though, has been a tough one. Collier has managed just 3 winners from 88 rides — that is roughly 1 win in every 29 races, or a 3% win rate — a noticeable step back from last year, when he was winning around 1 in every 12 or 13 races at an 8% clip. The volume of rides is there; the winners have simply not followed. That kind of dip is not unusual for a young jockey navigating the middle stretch of their apprenticeship, but it will be something he is keen to turn around.

His most regular partnership is with Welsh trainer Evan Williams, a yard known for placing horses shrewdly and giving young riders opportunities. From 41 rides together they have produced 2 winners — wins about 1 in every 20 times out, a 5% win rate. It is not a barnstorming record, but it represents a genuine working relationship, and those can be the building blocks of a career.

One area where Collier does catch the eye is on very wet and muddy ground, where he has won 1 race from just 3 attempts — a 33% win rate that, while based on a small sample, suggests he is comfortable handling horses in the most demanding conditions. Wet ground riding demands patience and feel, and not every jockey has it naturally.

At 24 career winners and four years in, Collier is at the stage where consistency matters most. The rides are coming — 88 in a season is a meaningful workload — and the talent that produced last year's better numbers has not gone anywhere. The question now is whether he can find his way back to it.