James Bowen is, of course, the son of Pembrokeshire trainer Peter Bowen and the younger brother of fellow jockey Sean Bowen. A graduate from pony and point-to-point racing, Bowen turned professional at the age of 16 and rode his first winner as a professional, Curious Carlos, trained by his father, in a handicap hurdle at Cartmel on May 27, 2017. He subsequently became conditional jockey to Upper Lambourn trainer Nicky Henderson and in 2017/18 rode 58 winners on his way to succeeding brother Sean as the youngest Champion Conditional Jockey in history. On January 6, 2018, Bowen made headlines when winning the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on the 13-year-old Raz De Maree, trained by Gavin Cromwell, thereby becoming the youngest jockey ever to win that race, too.

Bowen enjoyed is most successful season so far in 2021/22, when he rode 74 winners from 338 rides, at a strike rate of 19%, and amassed £960,334 in prize money. Fast forward to 2024/25 and he has, at the time of writing, ridden 65 winners from 357 rides to lie sixth in the senior jockeys’ championship. All told, Bowen has 27 Graded and Listed winners to his name, his first Grade 1 win coming on Jango Baie, trained by Henderson, in the Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day 2023. He has ridden 11 winners at Cheltenham, including Call Me Lord in the International Hurdle in 2019 and Sir Gino in the Finesse Hurdle in 2024, but none so far at the Cheltenham Festival.

Born in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, Danny McMenamin received early tutelage from local trainer Brian Hamilton and Ger Lyons in County Meath. He was still only 17 when he took the advice of former Grand National-winning jockey Tony Dobbin and crossed the Irish Sea to join Nicky Richards at Greystoke Stables in Penrith Cumbria.

McMenamin got off the mark for the yard at the first attempt, steering Western Rules to a short-head victory in an amateur riders’ handicap hurdle at Ayr on March 9, 2018. The following November he made his big breakthrough when, as a 7lb claimer, he won the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham on Nietzsche, trained by Brian Ellison. McMenamin rode 16 winners in 2018/19, 28 winners in 2019/20 and 46 winners in 2020/21. In the latter season, he rode out his claim on Archie Brown, trained by Henry Hogarth, in a novices’ handicap chase at Market Rasen on February 21m en route to winning the conditional jockeys’ title.

Richards aside, McMenamin has formed a profitable association with Ann Hamilton, who trains a small string in Capheaton, Northumberland, but has nonetheless provided him with 32 winners in his career to date, including three of his four Grade 2 winners. The partnership won the Old Roan Chase at Aintree on Nuts Well in 2020, the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock Park with Tommy’s Oscar in 2022 and the Lightning Novices’ Chase at Doncaster with the same horse the following year. At the time of writing, McMenamin look destined for his most successful season yet, having already equalled his career-best total of 49 winners, which he achieved in 2023/24.

A graduate of the Racing Academy, County Kildare and formerly conditional jockey to Stuart Crawford, who is based at Newlands Farm, near Larne, County Antrim, Dylan Johnston rode his first winner under rules, Willyouwalkwithme, trained by Harry Smyth, in a handicap hurdle at Downpatrick on June 13, 2021. He subsequently crossed the Irish Sea to join Rose Dobbin in South Hazelrigg, Northumbria and rode his first winner for the yard, Cliffs Of Dooneen, in a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Carlisle on April 16, 2022.

Johnston subsequently moved south to join Olly Murphy at Warren Chase Stables, in Wilmcote, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, for whom he won the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock Park on Pickanumber on May 11, 2024. Shortly afterwards, he was offered the job as principal jockey to powerful owner Dai Walters, the founder of Ffos Las Racecourse, and is now based predominantly with Sam Thomas in Lisvane, Cardiff, who also holds his licence.

After riding just a single winner on British soil in 2021/22, Johnston increased his seasonal tally to eight winners in 2022/23 and 19 in 2023/24. He is currently enjoying his most successful season yet in 2024/25, having ridden 22 winners so far, at a strike rate of 15%, and amassed over £450,000 in prize money. His association with Walters has already yielded two high-profile winners, Lump Sum in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las in October and Steel Ally in an equally valuable handicap hurdle at Haydock Park in November. Johnston looks a live contender for the 2024/25 conditional jockeys’ title and currently lies second in table behind Freddie Gingell.