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William Shanahan(5)

William Shanahan has been riding for four years, and if his current season is anything to go by, he is only just getting started. This season he has ridden 6 winners from 32 races — that's roughly 1 in every 5, a win rate of 19% — which represents a dramatic jump from just 7% last year. To put that in plain terms: last year he was winning about 1 in every 14 races. Now he's winning 1 in every 5. That kind of leap in a single season is not a coincidence; it is a sign of a rider finding his feet and his confidence at the same time.Based on TrackLab's analysis
Quick facts
Role
Jockey
Record
6 wins from 32 races
Win rate
18.8%
Top trainer
Best course
Newton Abbot (50% from 2 races)
Best ground
Good (a little give)

📊 Key numbers

A snapshot of this jockey's performance over the last 12 months
32
Races
6
Wins
18.8%
Win rate
avg ~10%
28.1%
Top-3 rate
avg ~30%

🐎 Today's and upcoming rides

Rides William Shanahan(5) has entered for upcoming races

🔍 Full analysis

Our model's view, based on this jockey's record and recent runs
TrackLab's jockey breakdown

Across his four-year career, Shanahan has ridden 22 winners in total, and the fact that 6 of those have come in the last 12 months tells its own story. The early years of any jockey's career are largely about survival — getting rides, making mistakes quietly, learning tracks and trainers and how different horses feel beneath you. The numbers suggest Shanahan has done exactly that, and is now beginning to cash in on those lessons.

The (5) beside his name indicates he is still a claiming jockey, meaning he carries less weight than a fully professional rider — a small but meaningful advantage that makes him an attractive booking for trainers with the right horse. His most productive relationship is with trainer Jennie Candlish, with whom he has built all 6 of this season's winners. That kind of focused, trusted partnership is often how young jockeys build momentum. When a trainer keeps putting you up, it means they like what they see, and repeated rides on familiar horses in a familiar yard is exactly the environment where young jockeys improve fastest.

At 22 career winners and with his best season still unfolding, Shanahan is at the stage where the numbers start to matter. Scouts notice. Trainers talk. If he can sustain that 1-in-5 win rate or push it further, the next 12 months could be the ones that define where his career is really heading.

📈 Form trend

How this jockey's win rate has changed month by month
Monthly win rate
2025–2026
0%
Apr
0%
May
50%
Jun
0%
Sep
0%
Oct
0%
Nov
0%
Jan
0%
Feb
0%
Mar
60%
Apr
14.3%
May
100%
Jun

🎯 Where this jockey does best

Results split by ground, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Good (a little give)
Good to soft (some give)
Ok
Good to firm (fairly firm)
Unknown
Soft (muddy)
Avoids
🏅 Race level
Class 4 (standard)
Ok
Class 5 (entry-level)
Avoids
🏟 Track shape
Left-handed, long straights
Left-handed, tight turns
Ok
Left-handed, hilly
Unknown
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Right-handed, long straights
Unknown

🏇 Trainers

The trainers they work with most, most rides first
Jennie Candlish Main partner
18.8%
Win rate
6/32
Wins / rides

⭐ Top horses

The highest-rated horses linked to this jockey right now
Form: 562215
Form: 291-11
Form: 14561-
Form: 14313-
Form: 4P2F-2
Form: 871-PU
Form: 3-594P
Form: 3506-2
Form: 876P-P
Form: 15/P6-

🏟 Course record

Win rate at each course, most races first
CourseRacesWinsWin rate
Sedgefield 8 1 12.5%
Worcester 3 1 33.3%
Bangor-on-Dee 3 0 0%
Uttoxeter 3 0 0%
Newton Abbot 2 1 50%
Huntingdon 2 1 50%
Ludlow 2 1 50%
Newcastle 2 1 50%
Southwell 2 0 0%
Aintree 1 0 0%
Warwick 1 0 0%
Hexham 1 0 0%
Kelso 1 0 0%
Wetherby 1 0 0%

📅 Recent results

The last 20 results, most recent first
3 Jun
Newton Abbot · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
Won
28 May
Worcester · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
8th
24 May
Kelso · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
—
20 May
Warwick · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
3rd
16 May
Uttoxeter · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
—
15 May
Aintree · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
4th
10 May
Ludlow · 1m6f – 2m · Good
Won
2 May
Hexham · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
—
18 Apr
Bangor-on-Dee · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
8th
11 Apr
Newcastle · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
Won
10 Apr
Sedgefield · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
Won
4 Apr
Huntingdon · 1m6f – 2m · Good
Won
4 Apr
Huntingdon · 1m6f – 2m · Good
5th
24 Mar
Southwell · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
—
21 Mar
Bangor-on-Dee · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
7th
10 Mar
Sedgefield · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
8th
10 Mar
Sedgefield · Long Distance (2m+) · Good
8th
21 Feb
Newcastle · Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Soft
—
18 Feb
Ludlow · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft
4th
4 Feb
Sedgefield · Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Soft
—