The partnership driving much of that progress is the one with trainer Dan Skelton, one of jump racing's leading yards. Durrell has ridden 276 races for Skelton's operation and come home in front 46 times — a win rate of 17%, just ahead of his overall seasonal average. When a jockey's best trainer relationship is also their most productive one, it usually means the yard trusts them with their better horses, and that trust takes time to earn. The numbers suggest Durrell has earned it.
He has also shown he belongs at the top level. Five career wins in Class 1 races — the highest grade in British racing — is a significant marker for someone still in their fourth year. Those wins have come at proper venues: Haydock Park, Newbury, Wetherby, and Musselburgh. Three of those came in just a ten-week spell between late November 2025 and the end of January 2026, which points to a jockey who is peaking at exactly the right time.
Look closer and some genuinely interesting patterns emerge. On wet and muddy ground — the kind of heavy winter conditions that expose weak riders — Durrell wins 4 from 16 races, a rate of 25%. That is a sign of someone who rides with confidence when conditions get difficult, not one who shrinks from them. At Fakenham in Norfolk, he has won 4 of just 6 races, a remarkable record at a tight, technical track that rewards racecraft over raw speed. And in the last two weeks, he has won 4 from 16 rides at a 25% clip — well above his already-improved seasonal average.
At 97 career winners and climbing fast, the century is close. More to the point, everything about his recent form suggests the next few years could be very interesting indeed.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warwick | 27 | 2 | 7.4% |
| Doncaster | 17 | 3 | 17.6% |
| Worcester | 16 | 1 | 6.2% |
| Haydock Park | 15 | 3 | 20% |
| Chepstow | 15 | 1 | 6.7% |
| Plumpton | 15 | 0 | 0% |
| Market Rasen | 14 | 1 | 7.1% |
| Uttoxeter | 14 | 0 | 0% |
| Kelso | 13 | 5 | 38.5% |
| Fontwell Park | 13 | 2 | 15.4% |
| Ascot | 13 | 1 | 7.7% |
| Newton Abbot | 11 | 4 | 36.4% |
| Wetherby | 11 | 2 | 18.2% |
| Cheltenham | 9 | 1 | 11.1% |
| Ludlow | 9 | 1 | 11.1% |
| Kempton Park | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Newcastle | 7 | 4 | 57.1% |
| Southwell | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Fakenham | 6 | 4 | 66.7% |
| Leicester | 6 | 3 | 50% |
| Exeter | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Newbury | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Huntingdon | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Ffos Las | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Bangor-on-Dee | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Aintree | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Windsor | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| hereford | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Sedgefield | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Taunton | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Musselburgh | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Wincanton | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Catterick Bridge | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Sandown Park | 1 | 0 | 0% |