J J Slevin

The raw numbers from the past twelve months tell a story of genuine improvement. Slevin has ridden 42 winners from 353 races this season, winning roughly 1 in every 8 — up from around 1 in every 13 the year before. That jump from 8% to 12% might sound modest written down, but in a sport where margins are everything, improving your win rate by half again in a single season is a meaningful step forward. It suggests someone who is not just accumulating experience but actually learning from it.

His most important professional relationship right now is with trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien, and the numbers make clear why that partnership matters. From 80 races together they have combined for 17 wins — that is better than 1 in every 5, a win rate of 21% that comfortably outstrips his overall average. When a trainer keeps putting a jockey up at that kind of frequency, it is usually because they trust what they see in the saddle on the days it really counts.

Slevin also has a particular affinity for wet and muddy conditions, winning 8 times from 40 races on soft ground — again that 1-in-5 figure, or 20%. Some jockeys visibly struggle when the ground gets testing; Slevin appears to thrive on it, which is a genuinely useful skill in the unpredictable climates of British and Irish racing. He has also shown a knack for performing at Killarney, where he has won 3 times from just 9 races — a record that suggests a real feel for the course rather than coincidence.

Not everything has clicked, of course. His three races alongside Kaiser De Chanay have produced no wins, a reminder that even the most promising partnerships take time — or sometimes simply never quite ignite. But with five top-level victories already banked before his mid-twenties, and a measurable upward curve in his recent form, Slevin looks like a jockey still very much in the process of becoming.