James Sullivan

The last 12 months tell a similar story: 29 winners from 413 rides, which works out at roughly 1 in every 14 races. In a sport where opportunities are hard to come by and the competition for rides is fierce, maintaining that kind of output over a full season is no small thing. It means trainers keep calling, and that trust is earned, not given.

The most telling number in Sullivan's record is his partnership with trainer Ruth Carr. Of his 294 rides for the yard, 26 have ended in victory — a win rate of around 1 in every 11. That is meaningfully better than his overall average, which suggests this is more than a convenient arrangement. When a jockey and trainer consistently outperform together, it usually means they understand each other: the way a horse is being prepared, what it needs in a race, when to hold back and when to ask. Twenty-six wins from nearly 300 rides is a working relationship built on genuine results.

Sullivan also shows a clear preference when conditions dry out. On fast, dry ground he has won 9 from 73 races — roughly 1 in every 8 — compared to his overall rate of 1 in 14. That is a significant jump, and it suggests he rides with a confidence and urgency that suits horses who can really travel on a quicker surface. Jockeys who can adapt their style to conditions tend to be the ones who stay relevant over a long career.

At Pontefract specifically, he has won 3 from 18 races. That might sound modest, but Pontefract is a genuinely unusual track — a long, turning, undulating circuit that catches out riders who do not know it well. Landing 1 in every 6 there points to someone who has taken the time to understand a course that punishes those who have not. Four years in, with 142 winners already on the board and a key stable partnership in place, Sullivan looks like a jockey still very much on the way up.