How Do Notable Jockeys With One Ride at a Track Perform?

Jockeys with just one ride at a track are known as ‘one trick jockeys,’ and it is an area of intrigue for some punters. It’s a sad fact that jockeys won’t get rich off their fees. According to Racing Post figures taken from July 2017, jockeys earn £164.74 per ride in National Hunt races and £120.66 on the Flat. You’ll often see jockeys with 5+ rides at an event which can bring their daily earnings to a reasonable level.

However, there is a host of ‘deductions’ including:

• 10% agent’s fee.
• 3% Professional Jockey’s Association fee.
• Valet’s fees (10% of the first race, 7.5% of the second race and 5% for every other race).
• Other fees include Weatherby’s racing bank and the cost of on-course physiotherapists.
• Travelling fees; can be up to £6,000 a year in fuel alone.

Overall, the average NH jockey with 215 rides and Flat jockey with 300 rides will earn between £26,000 and £27,000 a year; hardly a king’s ransom when you consider their sacrifices.

Of course, the prize money can be exceptional as jockeys can earn 6.9% of the winning prize money for Flat events and up to 9% of the winning prize money over NH races.

Why Should We Focus on One Trick Jockeys?

The reasoning is simple; it takes a hell of a lot of work to get a jockey to an event, especially one that is hundreds of miles away from home. For instance, if a top jockey such as Nico De Boinville is travelling 150+ miles for a single ride, it must surely have an excellent chance of winning. After all, the likes of De Boinville know it is not worth their while to travel for the jockey fee alone.

Things to Consider

• Trainers with a good strike rate at the course may seem like a good combination with a one trick jockey, but it isn’t always the case.
• Look at jockeys that have previously won a race on the horse in question. It’s only natural that a rider would want to rekindle a profitable partnership.
• The horse could stand a better chance if it were ridden by a lesser-known jockey last time out as it might respond to a more experienced rider on this occasion.
• Pay special attention to previous course and distance winning horses.
• Horses appearing for the second time within a week could still be ahead of the handicapper. As such, a top jockey would be happy to take such a horse as his/her only ride of the day.
• One trick jockeys in the last race of the day are also worth looking at.
• It isn’t often a good idea to look at horses that have travelled a long way to a meeting.
• Be wary if the jockey is riding for a trainer they partner with; the rider may merely be doing the trainer a favour.

Who Are The Best One Trick Jockeys?

Big shout out to Horseracebase.com which has managed to provide an excellent table of statistics relating to one trick jockeys. The data is from December 29, 2016, to December 28, 2017, inclusive, and I have divided it into several categories. All ROI stats are based on SP, and every jockey has had at least 10 rides.

3 Top Flat Jockeys to Watch

In the All-Weather sphere, you will have joy by focusing on lesser-known one trick jockeys such as young Ben Robinson.

3 A/W Jockeys to Watch

Top 3 National Hunt Jockeys to Watch

Of course, there are other criteria so here are a few more one trick jockeys worth following:

• Gina Andrews – NH Chase
• Tom Bellamy – NH Chase
• J. S. McGarvey – NH Hurdle
• Edward Greatrex – Flat Handicap

Final Thoughts

You will find dozens of examples of one trick jockeys weekly, even daily on some occasions. The school of thought is that ‘big name’ jockeys are worth following if they only have one ride at a track but that certainly isn’t the case. For example, riders such as Adam Kirby, P. J. Brennan, and Tom Scudamore have particularly wretched performances when they only have one ride at a course.

Nonetheless, there is also a host of jockeys with brilliant records. There are varying reasons for their success to be sure but as punters, we must analyse every angle to find that sacred edge over the bookmaker.