Jonathan Burke

The headline numbers are impressive enough, but it's the top-level record that really stands out. Burke has won 21 Class 1 races across his career — the biggest, most prestigious races in Britain — at venues including Cheltenham, Ascot and Sandown Park. Those aren't places where you stumble into winners. In just the last two months, he's added two more: a Class 1 at Ascot in February 2026, and another at Market Rasen in January. Ascot and Cheltenham are the kind of tracks that define careers, and he keeps finding winners there.

His partnership with trainer Fergal O'Brien is one of the most productive in jump racing right now. From 253 races together, they've combined for 39 wins — a win rate of 15%, or roughly 2 in every 13. That's better than his overall average, which suggests O'Brien trusts Burke with his better horses and the pair have developed a real working rhythm. When you see Burke booked for an O'Brien horse, it's worth paying attention.

There are two specific situations where Burke's numbers become particularly compelling. On very wet, muddy ground — the heavy, churned-up conditions that some jockeys struggle to adapt to — he wins 3 races from every 13, a 23% win rate. That's nearly 1 in 4, and it almost certainly reflects a rider who doesn't panic when conditions get testing, keeps horses balanced and doesn't ask questions too early. Then there's Ffos Las, the Welsh track that many casual fans have never visited. Burke has won half his races there — 3 from 6 — which at any track is a remarkable return. Small sample, yes, but that kind of dominance at a specific venue rarely happens by accident.

Four years in, 306 winners, 21 top-level victories, and a growing reputation for delivering on the biggest days. Burke looks very much like a jockey heading in one direction.