Born in Carmarthen, West Wales on November 16, 1999, Ben Jones was formerly an amateur and conditional jockey with Philip Hobbs Sandhill Racing Stables in Bilbook, near Minehead, Somerset. He rode his first winner under rules, Sahara Haze, trained by Philip Dando, in a conditional/amateur riders’ handicap hurdle at Warwick on February 23, 2018 and his first as a professional, Field Exhibition, trained by Grace Harris, in a mares’ handicap chase at Hereford on October 15, 2019. Indeed, just over six weeks later, on November 30, he rode De Rasher Counter, trained by Emma Lavelle, to victory in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury.
Jones rode out his claim in the summer of 2021 and reached the landmark of 100 career winners on Beau Haze, again trained by Dando, in handicap hurdle at Chepstow on March 24, 2022. He enjoyed his most successful season, so far, in 2023/24, when he rode 55 winners from 336 rides and amassed £784,321 in prize money. His seasonal tally included his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Shakem Up’arry, trained by Ben Pauling, in the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase.
In October 2024, Jones was confirmed as stable jockey to Pauling, who is based in Naunton, near
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. In the 2024/25 season, so far, he has ridden 52 winners from 338 rides, including his first Grade 1 winners, The Jukebox Man in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and Handstands in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown in February.
