Rose Dawes(5)

The "(5)" next to her name is worth explaining for newcomers. It means she still claims a 5lb allowance — a weight concession designed to give less experienced riders a fair chance against seasoned professionals. Trainers are often happy to use claiming jockeys precisely because that weight advantage can make a real difference in a tight finish. Dawes has 46 career winners to her name across four years, which tells you she has been quietly building a solid foundation rather than bursting onto the scene and fading away.

Her most important relationship in the saddle is with Silver State, a horse she has partnered six times and beaten the field with on three of those occasions. Winning half your races on the same horse is a remarkable record — it suggests a genuine rapport, the kind where horse and rider seem to understand each other. That sort of partnership rarely happens by accident, and trainers notice.

Away from that standout combination, her most fruitful working relationship is with trainer Jack Channon. From 28 races for his yard, she has won 6 — a win rate of 21%, or better than 1 in every 5. When a trainer keeps putting you up repeatedly, it is a statement of confidence, and Channon clearly rates her.

Geographically, Wolverhampton is where she does her best work. Four winners from 14 races at the track — roughly 1 in every 3.5 — makes her someone to pay attention to whenever her name appears in a Wolverhampton racecard. All-weather tracks like Wolverhampton reward rhythm and precision over raw power, and Dawes appears to have those qualities in abundance. At 46 career winners and still claiming, she is at exactly the stage where a jockey either pushes on to the next level or plateaus. On current evidence, she looks firmly on the way up.