Mikey Sheehy

This season tells a mixed story. Sheehy has ridden 43 times and won twice — that is roughly 1 in every 22 races, a 5% win rate. On its own that sounds modest, but it is worth noting that last year he was winning just 1 in every 33 rides, around 3%. Progress is progress, and in a brutally competitive sport, a improving rate matters more than the raw number.

The most eyebrow-raising figure in his recent record is his partnership with trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien — one of the most respected yards in Irish racing. Sheehy has ridden 17 times for the team without a single win. Seventeen rides, zero wins. That is a long run without reward from a stable that sends out winners regularly, and it raises a question about whether the fit between horse and rider has been quite right. Whether that changes this season remains to be seen, but it is the one obvious area where a breakthrough would make a real difference to how his year looks on paper.

At 4 years in, Sheehy is past the raw beginner stage but still building the experience and consistency that turns a promising jockey into a reliable one. The 72 career winners show he knows how to get the job done. The improvement in his win rate this season suggests he is learning. The challenge now is turning occasional winners into regular ones — and perhaps finally finding the right moment aboard one of O'Brien's horses.