Jockey

A former point-to-point rider from Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, Ryan Mania has endured a start-stop-start career as a professional jockey, but will always be best remembered for winning the Grand National on 66/1 outsider Auroras Encore, trained by Sue Smith, in 2013. Mania rode his first winners under rules for Midlothian trainer Peter Monteith in 2008, but his career was interrupted for a six months when, in 2011, his former employer, Howard Johnson, retired after being given a four-year ban by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

Having won the Grand National at the first attempt, Mania went on to enjoy his most prolific season ever in 2013/14, with 53 winners, but in November 2014 announced his retirement from the saddle at the age of 24. He cited ongoing weight problems as the main reason for his decision and told the Yorkshire Post, “I’m not being fair to myself if I carry on being miserable.” During his second sabbatical, which would last until 2019/2020, he worked as kennel huntsman at the Braes of Derwent Hunt in Northumberland and, for a spell, as assistant to Berwickshire trainer Sandy Thomson.

Nevertheless, with the encouragement of his agent, Bruce Jeffrey, Mania returned to race riding for Sue Smith in October 2019. He enjoyed his most successful season since his return in 2020/21, when he rode 43 winners, including his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Vintage Clouds, in the Ultima Handicap Chase. In his career as a whole, Mania has seven Graded and Listed wins to his name.

Born in Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, in Southern Africa on March 7, 1988, Sean Levey moved to Ireland with his family in his early teens. He became apprenticed to Aidan O’Brien in Ballydoyle, County Tipperary at the age of 17 and over the next six years or so rode 46 winners on Irish soil, including Psalm I, trained by O’Brien, in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes at Tipperary on October 5, 2008.

Still in receipt of a 5lb claim, despite having ridden in every Irish Classic, and the Prix de ‘Arc de Triomphe, in 2011 Levey moved to England to join David O’Meara in Upper Helmsley, near Nawton, North Yorkshire. He joined Richard Hannon Snr. in East Everleigh, near Marlborough, Wiltshire shortly afterwards and, nowadays, alongside Pat Dobbs, is stable jockey to Richard Hannon Jnr..

Levey rode his first of his nine Group 1 winners, 66/1 rank outsider Billesdon Brook, trained by Hannon, in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket in May 2018. In October 2019 he doubled his Group 1 tally when winning the Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes, also at Newmarket, on the same horse and two weeks later also won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on King Of Change. Levey has ridden 50 or more winners in every season since 2013, bar 2018, when he missed the second half of the season through injury, 2020, when he rode 49, and 2024, when he rode 49.His most successful season, numerically, was 2017, when he rode 73 winners.

Nicolai ‘Nico’ de Boinville rode his first winner, Western Roots, trained by Andrew Balding, in an amateur riders’ handicap on the Flat at Newbury on August 3, 2008. The following year he joined Nicky Henderson at Severn Barrows in Lambourn, Berkshire, but having ridden just two winners between 2008/09 and 2011/12 he tendered his resignation, intent on returning to France, where he had spent his gap-year with Richard Gibson in Chantilly. Thankfully, Henderson refused to accept his resignation, he rode Petit Robin to victory in the valuable Sportingbet Handicap Hurdle at Sandown on December 8, 2012 and thereafter his fortunes started to improve.

In 2014, de Boinville turned professional and, on Boxing Day, rode his first Grade 1 winner, Coneygree, trained by Mark Bradstock, in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park. The following March, he rode the same horse to victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Fast forward to 2025 and de Boinville has 16 Cheltenham Festival winners to his name and an astonishing career tally of 49 Grade 1 winners, more than any other jockey currently riding.

De Boinville enjoyed his most successful season so far, numerically, in 2018/19, when he rode 86 winners from 381 rides, at a strike rate of 23%. In 2019, he was also leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival for the first time with three winners, namely William Henry in the Coral Cup, Altior in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Pentland Hills in the Triumph Hurdle; all three horses were saddled by Henderson.

Kieran Shoemark, whose grandfather, Bill, father, Ian and brother, Conor were all National Hunt jockeys, began his own racing career as apprentice to Andrew Balding, in Kingsclere, Berkshire, with whom he spent three years. He spent two winters in Australia and subsequently enjoyed a long association with Roger Charlton in Beckhampton, Wiltshire, before joining Charlie Hills in Lambourn, back in Berkshire. More recently, he became principal jockey to John and Thady Gosden at Clarehaven Stables in Newmarket after Frankie Dettori abandoned his retirement plans to continue his riding career in the United States.

In 2017, Shoemark rode 65, including 52 in the qualifying period for the apprentices’ championship, but after a titanic tussle missed out by a single winner to David Egan. In 2024, though, he enjoyed his most successful season ever, riding 101 winners from 655 rides, at a strike rate of 15%, and collected just over £2 million in prize money.

Still only 29, Shoemark has suffered his fair share of trials and tribulation during his decade or so in the saddle. On June 30, 2018, he broke multiple ribs and punctured a lung when his mount, Cutthechat, fell fatally in a novice stakes race at Kempton Park and the following November tested postive for cocaine at the same venue and was banned for six months. Nevertheless, he has a total of 30 Group and Listed wins to his name, his biggest single payday coming on July 29, 2021, when he won the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on Lady Bowthorpe, trained by William Jarvis.