Jack Gilligan

The most telling detail in Gilligan's numbers is what happens when the ground is normal — not too wet, not too firm, just a fair surface for a fair race. In those conditions he wins 3 times from every 10 rides, or 30% of the time. That is a genuinely impressive figure. For context, most jockeys operating at the same level would be happy with half that. It suggests Gilligan rides with real confidence and timing when conditions aren't an excuse for either horse or rider, and that trainers who put him up on a decent horse on a standard day are getting a sharp operator in the saddle.

At 33 career winners and four years in, Gilligan is at the point where reputations start to solidify. The next step is turning a solid win rate on good ground into more opportunities on better horses — because numbers like a 30% win rate in normal conditions are exactly the kind of thing shrewd trainers notice.