Peter Kavanagh

The partnership that tells you most about Kavanagh is the one with trainer Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith's yard. Across 85 races together, they have combined for 12 wins — that's roughly 1 in every 7, well above his overall average. When a trainer keeps booking the same jockey at that kind of rate, it is rarely a coincidence. It means there is trust, communication, and a shared understanding of how to get a horse to run its race.

Then there is Bangor-on-Dee, a tight, turning track in north Wales that suits jockeys who ride with their heads as much as their hands. Kavanagh has won 6 times from just 11 rides there — better than 1 in every 2. For context, most jockeys at any level would be delighted with that kind of return at a single track. It points to someone who has worked out the particular rhythms of that course and knows exactly how to use it.

The partnership with Heather Honey is also worth watching. Four wins from 13 races together — roughly 1 in every 3 — is a remarkable hit rate for any horse-and-jockey combination, and suggests the two have developed a real understanding. When a jockey clicks with a particular horse at that level of consistency, it is usually because something about the way they ride suits that horse's style, its jump, or the way it settles into a race.

Eighty-six winners in four years will not put Kavanagh in the headlines just yet, but the numbers behind the numbers are encouraging. His strength at specific tracks and with specific horses suggests a jockey who is learning fast and making smart use of every opportunity he gets.