J F Egan

The highlight of his career so far came at Chester, where he claimed a top-level win — the kind of result that only a handful of jockeys ever manage at that level, let alone within their first four years. Chester is a notoriously tight, winding track that punishes inexperience, so winning the biggest prize on offer there says something real about his race-riding ability.

His most regular partnership is with trainer Dean Ivory's yard, though it has been a slow-burn relationship — 2 wins from 35 rides together, or roughly 1 in 17. That's a modest return on paper, but the sheer volume of rides suggests Ivory trusts him enough to keep putting him up, and in racing that trust tends to compound over time.

Where Egan genuinely stands out is on wet and muddy ground. In just 9 races on those conditions, he has won 3 times — a 33% win rate, or 1 in every 3. That is an extraordinary number. Most jockeys would consider 15% exceptional. Whether it's the way he reads a race on a softer surface or simply confidence in tricky conditions, something clicks for him when it rains.

Newmarket is another happy hunting ground. Four winners from 12 races there is a 33% return at one of the most competitive venues in British racing — a track so flat and unforgiving that there is nowhere to hide if your horse isn't good enough or your timing is off. The fact that he thrives there suggests a jockey with a sharp tactical brain and the patience to match. At 79 career winners and still only four years in, the trajectory points firmly upward.