The headline achievement, though, is those 11 top-level victories at some of Britain's most prestigious venues: York, Haydock Park, and Newmarket among them. These are the biggest races in British racing, and winning 11 of them in four years tells you James is not just accumulating numbers in modest company — he has been trusted with serious horses on serious days and delivered. The most recent came on 22 August 2025, when he won the Newmarket (July) race at Newmarket itself, one of the sport's iconic tracks.
Much of that success has been built through his partnership with trainer K R Burke. From 155 races together, James has ridden 31 winners for the yard — a win rate of 20%, or roughly 1 in every 5 rides. That is meaningfully better than his overall average, which suggests Burke's team know exactly what they have in James and keep putting him on their best horses. Long-term jockey-trainer partnerships like this are the engine of a career, and this one is clearly firing well.
Away from that partnership, there are a couple of intriguing patterns worth noting. At Leicester, James has been almost unstoppable in a small sample — 4 winners from just 6 races there, which is the kind of record that makes trainers pick up the phone when they're heading to that track. On fast, dry ground, he has also shown a sharp edge: 1 winner from 4 races at 25%, a small but encouraging number that hints at a jockey who finds an extra gear when conditions speed up.
At 270 career winners in four years, James is on a trajectory that the sport's bigger stables will be watching. He has the top-level wins to prove he belongs at the highest level, a key training partnership producing results well above average, and a growing reputation at specific tracks. The foundations are firmly in place.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | 45 | 5 | 11.1% |
| Musselburgh | 27 | 7 | 25.9% |
| Beverley | 23 | 4 | 17.4% |
| Hamilton Park | 22 | 3 | 13.6% |
| Thirsk | 22 | 1 | 4.5% |
| Pontefract | 17 | 2 | 11.8% |
| Southwell | 17 | 1 | 5.9% |
| Wolverhampton | 17 | 1 | 5.9% |
| Ripon | 16 | 4 | 25% |
| Carlisle | 16 | 4 | 25% |
| Redcar | 16 | 2 | 12.5% |
| York | 15 | 2 | 13.3% |
| Haydock Park | 15 | 0 | 0% |
| Newmarket | 13 | 3 | 23.1% |
| Catterick Bridge | 13 | 1 | 7.7% |
| meydan | 12 | 1 | 8.3% |
| Chester | 9 | 1 | 11.1% |
| Doncaster | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Goodwood | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Leicester | 6 | 4 | 66.7% |
| Ayr | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Epsom Downs | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Ascot | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| The Curragh | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Lingfield Park | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| chelmsford | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Nottingham | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Great Yarmouth | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Newbury | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Sandown Park | 1 | 0 | 0% |