Lauren Young(5)

The number that stands out most is how she has improved. Her win rate has climbed from 10 per cent in her early months — winning 1 in every 10 rides — to 13 per cent now. That kind of upward curve tells you she is not just surviving at this level but genuinely getting better. Improvement in horsemanship tends to compound: the more confidence a jockey carries into a race, the better the horse tends to run.

Her most important relationship in racing so far is with trainer Jim Goldie, a well-regarded northern trainer based in Scotland. Together they have combined for 24 wins from 165 races — a win rate of around 1 in every 7 — and that record essentially tells the whole story of her season. When a trainer keeps putting you on horses week after week, it means they trust your judgement. That kind of loyalty is how young jockeys build careers.

She also has a clear preference for dry, fast ground, where her numbers sharpen considerably — 4 wins from just 12 races, which works out to roughly 1 in every 3. That is a significant uplift from her overall average and suggests she rides with more fluency and timing when the surface rewards quick, decisive riding rather than grinding it out on wet ground.

Ayr is her strongest track, where she has ridden 6 winners from 35 races. For a jockey still finding her feet, having a venue where you feel at home — where you know the track, the bends, the way the ground rides — is genuinely valuable. The one partnership that has not clicked yet is with Esque Elegance, whom she has partnered seven times without a win. Racing is full of combinations that simply never find the right rhythm, and that one remains unresolved. Everything else, though, points in the right direction.