Nick Slatter(3)

The "(3)" beside his name means he claims a 3lb weight allowance — a small advantage given to less experienced riders to help level the playing field against seasoned professionals. It reflects where he is in his career: still developing, but clearly capable of competing at the top end when the opportunity arises.

His most reliable partnership is with the yards of David Killahena and Graeme McPherson, where he has won 6 times from 49 rides together — roughly 1 in every 8, which is a shade better than his overall average and suggests a genuine working relationship built on trust and familiarity. Trainers tend to keep booking jockeys who understand their horses, and 49 rides together is a meaningful number.

This season has been slightly tougher. Last year he was winning roughly 1 in every 6 races — a strong rate by any measure — but that has dipped to 1 in every 10 this year, with 7 winners from 69 rides. A dip like that is not unusual; riding in jump racing is seasonal, competitive, and often at the mercy of which horses are running well. The underlying ability hasn't changed. One area where he genuinely stands out is on wet or muddy ground, where he has won 2 from 12 races — a 17% rate, matching last season's best overall form. Some jockeys thrive when conditions get difficult, and the numbers suggest Slatter is one of them.

At 21 career winners and still only four years in, there is plenty of road ahead. The Doncaster result proves he can handle a big occasion. The question now is whether he can get back to the win rate that made last season so promising.