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Jockey profile

James Smith

543 rides in the last 5 seasons · 236 individual horses
As at 24 Oct 2026 · KTB archive: 2005–present, updated daily
Last ride yesterday 100% of rides over jumps
Last 5 seasons Lifetime (2010→)
from 1 Jan 2022
49–543
Wins / Runs
9%
Strike rate
n=543
144 (27%)
Placed
1.14
Fair A/E
n=543 · 0.91 incl. margin
−91.40
£1 level stake
n=543 at SP · −16.8%
£735k
Prize money (window)
Strike by season
6.9%
KTB Rider Profile

Rides around 110 times a season, almost all over hurdles and fences, winning on 9% of them — beating the margin-free market read across five seasons (Fair A/E 1.14). Riding last-time-out winners the record reads 16% (44 rides).

Deterministic profile computed from 543 archived runs (last 5 seasons) · updated 24 Oct 2026
KTB at a glance Fires Nov–Dec Fresh horses: 9.1% 37.5% when favourite Matthew J Smith: 9.3% from 151 First rides: 9.3% LTO winners: 15.9% Claiming: 9.2%
The read

It is weakest at Fairyhouse (0% over 48 rides) — the widest gap in the record. Rides on last-time-out winners have been a positive signal at 15.9% (n=44, Fair A/E 1.12). Horses returning fresh after 61+ days are the standout value angle: 9.1% strikes only just above baseline, but Fair A/E 1.54 and +38.75 to a £1 stake over 110 rides — a record the market has persistently underpriced. Matthew J Smith supplies 28% of the rides and matches the rider's average almost exactly (9.3%, A/E 1.12) — the partnership beats the margin-free market read. The record reads poorly in Class 1 — 0% over 30 rides, 9pts below the baseline. The market has consistently overbet the rider on Good to Soft going: Fair A/E 0.25 across 117 rides (1.7% strike, −101.00 to a £1 stake) — runners there underperform what the price implies. Seasonally, the rider fires Nov–Dec.

Written from the figures on this page — every claim carries its sample. Descriptive, not a tip.

Riding patterns

the angles behind the record · vs 9% baseline
First ride on the horse · first captured pairing
9.3%+0.3
n=236 · A/E 1.29 · £1 −17.68
Last-time-out winners · previous run was a win
15.9%+6.9
n=44 · A/E 1.12 · £1 −6.76
Fresh horses · 61+ days off
9.1%+0.1
n=110 · A/E 1.54 · £1 +38.75
When favourite
37.5%
n=32 · A/E 1.62 · £1 +11.03
Claiming rides · riding with a claim
9.2%+0.2
n=523 · A/E 1.15 · £1 −92.40
Big fields · 14+ runners
7.6%−1.4
n=301 · A/E 1.33 · £1 −27.25
Group / Graded races · pattern & listed
0%−9.0
n=25 · A/E 0.00 · £1 −25.00

Each tile is the record in that situation vs the 9% baseline — descriptive splits with the sample always shown, not tips. Tiles under 30 runs render muted. First rides are the first captured pairing of horse and rider; last-time-out winners are horses whose previous captured run was a win; claiming rides are runs where the rider carried a weight claim. Group / Graded covers pattern and listed races.

Notable angles

vs their own baseline
At Fairyhouse 0% vs 9% · n=48
On Good to Soft going 1.7% vs 9% · n=117
At Kilbeggan 0% vs 9% · n=33
In Class 1 0% vs 9% · n=30
With C&D winners 17.1% vs 9% · n=35
With Thomas Gibney 2% vs 9% · n=49
Descriptive splits ranked by divergence × sample — insight, not instruction. Every angle carries its N; nothing under 30 runs qualifies. Rows within 2pts of the baseline appear only when the market-relative read (Fair A/E) diverges, and show it.

Record by conditions

same window as header

Race type

TypeRWSR£1
Hurdle 435 41 9.4% −47.90
Chase 105 8 7.6% −40.50
NH Flat 3 0 0% −3.00

Going

GoingRWSR£1
Good 207 23 11.1% −47.14
Soft 164 20 12.2% +16.74
Good to Soft 117 2 1.7% −101.00
Heavy 54 4 7.4% +41.00
Good to Firm 1 0 0% −1.00

Courses

CourseRWSR£1
Punchestown 53 2 3.8% −44.00
Fairyhouse 48 0 0% −48.00
Downpatrick 47 6 12.8% −7.00
Galway 33 2 6.1% +3.00
Kilbeggan 33 0 0% −33.00
Cork 24 1 4.2% −22.17
Down Royal 24 5 20.8% +18.62
Navan 22 4 18.2% +62.62
Sligo 21 5 23.8% +15.58
Ballinrobe 21 0 0% −21.00
Limerick 20 1 5% −15.50
Clonmel 19 3 15.8% +10.08
Listowel 18 4 22.2% +38.00
Wexford 15 1 6.7% −12.50
Leopardstown 15 0 0% −15.00

Class

ClassRWSR£1
Class 1 30 0 0% −30.00
Class 4 17 2 11.8% −3.00
Class 2 6 0 0% −6.00
Class 5 6 2 33.3% +13.50
Class 3 5 1 20% +1.00

Market position

In the bettingRWSRA/E£1
Favourite 43 14 32.6% 1.46 +9.03
2nd–3rd fav 103 15 14.6% 1.00 −23.93
4th–6th fav 146 10 6.8% 0.92 −36.50
7th+ in betting 251 10 4% 1.31 −40.00
Fair A/E per band is the tell: near 1.00 the market had it priced right; well above, the wins came where the market didn't expect them.

Rows below n=30 are shown faded — a small sample is a fact, not a trend. Every figure carries its N.

Jumping record

completion over obstacles · same window as header
86.7% completed · 540 obstacle rides (chases & hurdles)
CodeRCompFURPUBDOth
Chase 105 84.8% 2 4 9 1 0
Hurdle 435 87.1% 10 6 37 2 1
Chases and hurdles only — bumpers have no obstacles, so completion is not a question there. F fell · UR unseated rider · PU pulled up · BD brought down · Oth covers refusals, slip-ups, run-outs and the rare disqualification. Non-runners are excluded throughout. Rows under n=30 are shown faded. A descriptive record, not a tip.

Horses ridden

same window as header · most-raced first
HorseRWPlLast ran
Moonovercloon (IRE) 22 2 10 14 Oct 25
Cozone (GB) 20 4 9 31 Aug 26
Another Choice (IRE) 17 1 4 29 Sep 25
Aine's Lad (IRE) 12 1 4 21 Feb 26
Son Of Hypnos (IRE) 12 2 3 11 Aug 25
Born Bright (IRE) 10 3 4 3 Oct 26
Dartan (GB) 10 2 4 11 Jul 25
Bigz Belief (IRE) 10 1 1 6 Aug 24
Ragin Cajun (IRE) 9 1 1 21 Nov 24
Rockstown Girl (IRE) 8 1 5 22 Oct 26
Napper Tandy (GB) 7 1 5 17 Nov 24
Papagei (GB) 6 0 2 9 Oct 26
Showing the 60 most-raced of the 236 horses ridden in this window — each ran at least 2 times. Horses with fewer runs aren't listed; search finds any horse since 2005. Runs, wins and places only: a strike rate or a return on a handful of runs is noise, so none is quoted per horse — each horse's full record is on its own page.

Current form

significance-gated

Last 14 days

Small sample
1 from 9
Only 9 rides in the last 14 days — too few to read against the baseline (gate: n≥15). The card states the sample and stays neutral.

By month

strike by month, 5 seasons
JFMAMJJASOND
091894101151171219
A jumps rider: the season runs Oct–Apr. Muted months are small samples (under 30 runs) — read them with the caution they deserve.

Riding for

same window · biggest samples first
Main yardMatthew J Smith
28% of all rides
9.3% SR · A/E 1.12
TrainerRWSR£1
Matthew J Smith 151 14 9.3% −36.42
Gordon Elliott 74 8 10.8% −21.18
Ian Patrick Donoghue 49 6 12.2% +50.50
Thomas Gibney 49 1 2% −45.00
Ms Claire O'Connell 37 3 8.1% −10.50
Brian M McMahon 31 3 9.7% −8.50
Muted rows are under 30 rides and sit behind "Show all".

Career highlights

lifetime archive, 2010→
49
Archived wins
£735k
Prize money
2026
Best season · 13 wins
Dunboyne (IRE) — Randox Ulster National Handicap Chase Downpatrick · Mar 2025
£29,500
Jigoro (FR) — Holden Plant Rentals Shamrock Handicap Chase Gowran Park · Mar 2026
£26,505
Themanintheboots (IRE) — Lisadell Equine Hospital 110 Series Final Handicap Hurdle Navan · Nov 2025
£14,750
Notable horses
Cozone (GB) Born Bright (IRE) Moonovercloon (IRE) Son Of Hypnos (IRE) Dartan (GB) St Denis's Well (IRE)

Sires of the horses ridden

progeny record · win % by ground and trip
Kalanisi (IRE) 14.6% · 6–41
Progeny have won 10.5% of 6,743 runs since 2008 (648 horses). Strongest on Good to Firm going: 16.1% from 355.
Hillstar (GB) 9.1% · 2–22
Progeny have won 7.4% of 741 runs since 2008 (88 horses).
Pour Moi (IRE) 22.7% · 5–22
Progeny have won 9.9% of 2,683 runs since 2008 (265 horses). Weakest over 1m – 1m1f (all codes): 6.8% from 380.
Sea Moon (GB) 9.1% · 2–22
Progeny have won 11.7% of 588 runs since 2008 (65 horses). Strongest on Good going: 16.2% from 234. Weakest on Soft going: 7.2% from 167.
Mount Nelson (GB) 5.9% · 1–17
Progeny have won 9.9% of 6,261 runs since 2008 (538 horses).
Famous Name (GB) 15.4% · 2–13
Progeny have won 9.2% of 1,511 runs since 2008 (102 horses).
Top line: the rider's own record with each sire's runners (win %, wins–runs), same window as the header; faded under 30 runs. Beneath it: every run by that sire's progeny in our archive since 2008, as at 24 Oct 2026 — what they have done, not a forecast. A going or a distance is named only where at least 100 progeny runs sit 3 or more points from the sire's own win rate. Distance bands cover Flat and jumps together.

The record

latest 50 of 547 · newest first

The latest 50 of 547 archived rides, newest first. The full record runs from 2 March 2010 to 23 October 2026.

DateCourseHorseRaceFinishSP
23 Oct 26 Sligo (IRE) Oh So Charming (GB)T: P Cluskey Callan Tansey Handicap Hurdle (Div II)17.5f · Yielding · 13 ran 5th 14/1
22 Oct 26 Clonmel (IRE) Rockstown Girl (IRE)T: A. McCann Clonmel Oil Chase Day November 5th Handicap Steeplechase21f · Good · 15 ran PU 14/1
22 Oct 26 Clonmel (IRE) Cala Gracioneta (IRE)T: Matthew J Smith Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle20f · Good To Yielding · 12 ran 6th 11/1
17 Oct 26 Limerick (IRE) Del Boys Diva (IRE)T: Shane Crawley Master Chefs Handicap Hurdle17f · Good To Yielding · 15 ran 8th 16/1
17 Oct 26 Limerick (IRE) Thats It Ruby (IRE)T: Ian Patrick Donoghue Follow Us On Instagram Maiden Hurdle17f · Yielding · 16 ran 9th 125/1
13 Oct 26 Punchestown (IRE) Leo Messy (IRE)T: Thomas Gibney William Hill Challenge Series Handicap Hurdle (Div II)20f · Good · 17 ran 10th 4/1
13 Oct 26 Punchestown (IRE) Bossy Bird (IRE)T: Thomas Gibney William Hill Challenge Series Handicap Hurdle (Div I)20f · Good · 15 ran 3rd 9/2
13 Oct 26 Punchestown (IRE) Cala Gracioneta (IRE)T: Matthew J Smith William Hill Challenge Series Maiden Hurdle20f · Good · 13 ran 5th 15/2
11 Oct 26 Cork (IRE) Martymill (IRE)T: A. McCann Connolly's RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction & Median Maiden Hurdle20.5f · Good · 7 ran 1st 5/6F
10 Oct 26 Fairyhouse (IRE) Wee Fallon (IRE)T: Ian Patrick Donoghue Protection & Prosperity Financial Services Supporting Louth GAA Handicap Hurdle16f · Good · 15 ran 12th 28/1
10 Oct 26 Fairyhouse (IRE) Minella Post (GB)T: Thomas Gibney Winter Festival Early Bird Tickets On Sale Now Beginners Steeplechase16.5f · Good · 6 ran 4th 14/1
09 Oct 26 Downpatrick (IRE) Rockstown Girl (IRE)T: A. McCann McGrady Financial Services Beginners Steeplechase19.5f · Good · 8 ran 2nd 9/1
09 Oct 26 Downpatrick (IRE) Tara Boe (IRE)T: A. McCann Tennent's NI Handicap Hurdle22f · Good · 14 ran 8th 28/1
09 Oct 26 Downpatrick (IRE) Papagei (GB)T: Thomas Gibney Denis Macauley Memorial Novice Handicap Hurdle17.5f · Good · 5 ran 2nd 9/4
09 Oct 26 Downpatrick (IRE) Thats It Ruby (IRE)T: Ian Patrick Donoghue Randox Maiden Hurdle17.5f · Good · 9 ran 5th 100/1
08 Oct 26 Tramore (IRE) Leave In Secret (IRE)T: Thomas Gibney Pickardstown Handicap Steeplechase15.5f · Yielding · 6 ran 6th 100/30
06 Oct 26 Galway (IRE) Grace Faraday (IRE)T: A. McCann Guinness Mares Handicap Hurdle22.5f · Yielding To Soft · 7 ran 2nd 100/30
05 Oct 26 Fairyhouse (IRE) Born Believing (IRE)T: Ms Claire O'Connell Adare Manor Opportunity Mares Maiden Hurdle20f · Good · 10 ran 3rd 100/30J
05 Oct 26 Fairyhouse (IRE) Abando (GER)T: A. McCann Sign Up To GavinLynchRacing.com (C & G) Maiden Hurdle16f · Good · 11 ran 4th 11/1
03 Oct 26 Gowran Park (IRE) Born Bright (IRE)T: Ms Claire O'Connell Jack Duggan Memorial Handicap Hurdle24f · Good To Yielding · 11 ran PU 16/1

Drawn from the whole archive (2005 onwards), so it can include runs outside the window the header statistics cover. Non-runners are not listed. A finish shown in letters is a non-completion (F fell · UR unseated · PU pulled up · BD brought down).

Quick answers

What is James Smith's strike rate?
James Smith has won 49 of 543 rides since 2022, a strike rate of 9% (as at 24 October 2026). Figures are computed from our own results archive.
Which course does James Smith do best at?
Downpatrick by strike rate: 6 wins from 47 rides (12.8%) since 2022. Read from the 15 courses with the most rides on the same basis, and only those with at least 30 — a small sample cannot top the list, and a rarely-visited course is not in the comparison.
Which yard does James Smith ride most for?
Matthew J Smith, with 151 rides since 2022 — 28% of the total. That pairing has won 14 (9.3%).
Is James Smith in form?
Too few rides in the last 14 days to read — 9 rides, which is not a sample we will draw a conclusion from.
What is James Smith's Fair A/E?
1.14, from 543 rides with a computed fair probability since 2022. Fair A/E compares actual wins with a margin-stripped market expectation, so 1.00 is par: above it the wins came at bigger prices than the margin-free market implied, below it they did not.
Fair A/E compares wins with a margin-stripped market expectation. Favourite-heavy samples — top yards, leading riders — naturally read a few points warm, so 1.05 means "beat the margin-free market read", not "the market underrates this by 5%". Three sample sizes are reported and never blended: runs (n), the ROI basis (n at SP), and the fair-A/E basis (n with a computed fair probability).

Strike rate is wins over all runs (n). ROI is £1 level stakes at SP over runs with a parseable price (n at SP). Fair A/E is wins over margin-stripped market expectation, over runs with a computed fair probability (n fair). The three Ns can legitimately differ and are always shown. Figures as at 24 October 2026, computed from our own results archive (2005 onwards; aggregates from 2008).