G B Noonan(5)

The partnership with trainer Eoin Christopher McCarthy is the engine driving much of that progress. Eight wins from 86 rides together — just under 1 in every 11 — might not sound spectacular, but in jump racing those numbers represent a genuine working relationship built on trust and repetition. When a trainer keeps putting the same jockey up, it usually means something is going right in the stable yard, and that consistency matters enormously for a rider still establishing himself.

Where Noonan really catches the eye is on wet ground. When conditions are soft and the going gets testing, his record sharpens noticeably — 7 wins from 51 races, a win rate of 14%, which is closer to 1 in every 7. That is a meaningful difference. Some jockeys struggle when the ground gets heavy and the races become more of a slog; Noonan appears to thrive in exactly those conditions, which suggests either a natural feel for setting a pace that suits tired horses late on, or simply that he rides with the kind of confidence that wet ground demands.

Listowel also stands out as a course where he has made his mark — 4 winners from just 17 rides there. That is a win rate nudging 24%, or almost 1 in every 4, at a track that holds one of Ireland's most celebrated racing festivals. Doing well at Listowel is not a quiet achievement; it is the kind of thing that gets you talked about in the right circles. At 57 career winners and still climbing, G B Noonan looks like a jockey whose best seasons are very much ahead of him.