Skip to content
Jockey profile

R. P. Whelan

2,264 rides in the last 5 seasons · 996 individual horses
As at 6 Nov 2026 · KTB archive: 2005–present, updated daily
Last ride 33 days ago 100% of rides on the flat
Last 5 seasons Lifetime (2009→)
from 1 Jan 2022
212–2,264
Wins / Runs
9.4%
Strike rate
n=2,264
616 (27%)
Placed
1.07
Fair A/E
n=2,263 · 0.87 incl. margin
−562.77
£1 level stake
n=2,264 at SP · −24.9%
£6.84m
Prize money (window)
Strike by season
6.6%
KTB Rider Profile

Rides around 450 times a season, almost all on the flat, winning on 9% of them — beating the margin-free market read across five seasons (Fair A/E 1.07). Riding last-time-out winners the record reads 15% (203 rides).

Deterministic profile computed from 2,264 archived runs (last 5 seasons) · updated 6 Nov 2026
KTB at a glance Fires Oct–Dec Fresh horses: 10.4% 33.3% when favourite Adrian McGuinness: 9.6% from 292 LTO winners: 14.8% Rides the favourite in 8% of races
The read

Rides on last-time-out winners have been a positive signal at 14.8% (n=203, Fair A/E 1.07), but in Group and Graded company the record reads poorly at 6.3% (n=284, Fair A/E 0.76). Adrian McGuinness supplies 13% of the rides and matches the rider's average almost exactly (9.6%, A/E 1.02) — the market has that partnership priced right. The rider also reads well off a 0-7-day break (16.2%, n=99). 45 Group and Graded wins sit in the archive record — the biggest prize the rider has landed: the Betfred Derby at Epsom Downs (Jun 2026, £1,000,000). The standout partner of the record: Surrounding (IRE) — 7 wins from 26 rides together. Seasonally, the rider fires Oct–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 9.4% baseline
First ride on the horse · first captured pairing
6.7%−2.7
n=905 · A/E 1.07 · £1 −330.53
Last-time-out winners · previous run was a win
14.8%+5.4
n=203 · A/E 1.07 · £1 −52.16
Fresh horses · 61+ days off
10.4%+1.0
n=383 · A/E 1.32 · £1 −54.65
When favourite
33.3%
n=174 · A/E 1.18 · £1 −6.78
Big fields · 14+ runners
8%−1.4
n=989 · A/E 1.12 · £1 −322.95
Group / Graded races · pattern & listed
6.3%−3.1
n=284 · A/E 0.76 · £1 −114.30

Each tile is the record in that situation vs the 9.4% baseline — descriptive splits with the sample always shown, for you to weigh. 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
With C&D winners 15.5% vs 9.4% · n=239
With K J Condon 1.6% vs 9.4% · n=64
With Timothy Doyle 1.7% vs 9.4% · n=60
Off a 0-7-day break 16.2% vs 9.4% · n=99
With debutants 4% vs 9.4% · n=273
With Kieran P Cotter 2% vs 9.4% · n=51
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

Going

GoingRWSR£1
Good 658 53 8.1% −90.01
Soft 593 48 8.1% −172.64
Standard (AW) 453 58 12.8% −121.01
Heavy 264 28 10.6% −58.56
Good to Soft 200 15 7.5% −103.82
Good to Firm 96 10 10.4% −16.73

Courses

CourseRWSR£1
Dundalk (AW) 445 58 13% −113.01
Curragh 392 22 5.6% −200.17
Naas 183 11 6% −31.65
Leopardstown 167 14 8.4% −52.93
Gowran Park 162 7 4.3% −89.25
Cork 148 20 13.5% +12.33
Navan 109 9 8.3% −51.24
Galway 91 12 13.2% −0.72
Roscommon 83 8 9.6% −31.72
Tipperary 61 3 4.9% −49.33
Killarney 57 9 15.8% +15.88
Listowel 53 6 11.3% +86.00
Bellewstown 49 5 10.2% +28.83
Sligo 42 7 16.7% −9.77
Down Royal 40 5 12.5% −8.75

Class

ClassRWSR£1
Class 1 284 18 6.3% −114.30
Class 2 12 1 8.3% +5.00
Class 3 2 0 0% −2.00
Class 4 1 1 100% +18.00
Class 5 1 0 0% −1.00

Market position

In the bettingRWSRA/E£1
Favourite 226 65 28.8% 1.12 −28.20
2nd–3rd fav 433 71 16.4% 1.12 −27.17
4th–6th fav 655 55 8.4% 1.11 −51.40
7th+ in betting 950 21 2.2% 0.77 −456.00
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.

Horses ridden

same window as header · most-raced first
HorseRWPlLast ran
Skontonovski (GB) 19 4 9 1 Oct 24
Laugh A Minute (GB) 18 2 8 3 Nov 24
Slieve Binnian (IRE) 17 5 7 6 Dec 24
Golden Days (IRE) 15 3 9 20 Nov 24
Chally Chute (IRE) 15 3 7 3 Nov 24
Merisi Diamond (IRE) 14 4 8 13 Oct 25
Not Forgotten (IRE) 14 1 7 11 Oct 24
Granite Bay (GB) 13 3 9 3 Jun 26
Doctor Grace (IRE) 13 2 5 29 Oct 25
Cosmic Vega (IRE) 13 3 5 1 Oct 23
Go Athletico (FR) 12 2 8 4 Oct 26
Ceallach (IRE) 12 4 6 24 Apr 25
Showing the 60 most-raced of the 996 horses ridden in this window — each ran at least 6 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.

By month

strike by month, 5 seasons
JFMAMJJASOND
2281161189610101514
A flat rider: the season runs Mar–Oct. Muted months are small samples (under 30 runs) — read them with the caution they deserve.

Riding for

same window · biggest samples first
Main yardAdrian McGuinness
13% of all rides
9.6% SR · A/E 1.02
TrainerRWSR£1
Adrian McGuinness 292 28 9.6% +20.69
M Halford & T Collins 261 34 13% +12.71
M Halford 178 20 11.2% −77.38
John S O'Donoghue 136 14 10.3% −19.29
Jack W Davison 131 15 11.5% −30.92
A P O'Brien 115 15 13% −39.78
Jarlath P Fahey 113 13 11.5% −20.09
K J Condon 64 1 1.6% −51.00
A Oliver 62 5 8.1% −7.40
Mark Fahey 61 9 14.8% +0.95
Timothy Doyle 60 1 1.7% −49.00
Henry De Bromhead 54 6 11.1% +85.00
Muted rows are under 30 rides.

Career highlights

lifetime archive, 2009→
608
Archived wins
45
Pattern / graded wins
£14.9m
Prize money
2024
Best season · 68 wins
Christmas Day (IRE) — Betfred Derby (Group 1) Epsom Downs · Jun 2026 · Group 1
£1,000,000
Precise (IRE) — Moyglare Stud Stakes (Fillies' Group 1) Curragh · Sep 2025 · Group 1
£236,000
Skitter Scatter (USA) — Moyglare Stud Stakes (Group 1) (Fillies) Curragh · Sep 2018 · Group 1
£199,500
Notable horses
Surrounding (IRE) Skontonovski (GB) Cappadocia (IRE) Slieve Binnian (IRE) Bowerman (GB) Danz Gift (IRE)

Sires of the horses ridden

progeny record · win % by ground and trip
Churchill (IRE) 16.1% · 9–56
Progeny have won 11% of 4,841 runs since 2021 (462 horses).
Wootton Bassett (GB) 9.4% · 5–53
Progeny have won 13% of 5,695 runs since 2015 (792 horses). Strongest at trips under 6f (all codes): 16% from 162.
Elzaam (AUS) 2% · 1–49
Progeny have won 9.2% of 4,530 runs since 2016 (374 horses). Weakest over 1m5f – 2m (all codes): 4.9% from 327.
Kodi Bear (IRE) 6.3% · 3–48
Progeny have won 10.3% of 3,989 runs since 2020 (391 horses). Weakest over 1m2f – 1m4f (all codes): 7.3% from 261.
Lope De Vega (IRE) 18.8% · 9–48
Progeny have won 13.8% of 12,219 runs since 2014 (1,108 horses). Weakest over 1m5f – 2m (all codes): 9.4% from 960.
Kodiac (GB) 4.8% · 2–42
Progeny have won 10.4% of 23,598 runs since 2010 (1,666 horses). Strongest on Firm going: 14.3% from 147. Weakest over 2m1f – 2m4f (all codes): 7.1% from 254.
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 6 Nov 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 7,001 · newest first

The latest 50 of 7,001 archived rides, newest first. The full record runs from 4 June 2009 to 4 October 2026.

DateCourseHorseRaceFinishSP
04 Oct 26 Curragh (IRE) Go Athletico (FR)T: Adrian McGuinness Business Plus Handicap6f · Soft · 22 ran 4th 16/1
04 Oct 26 Curragh (IRE) Fregada (IRE)T: John James Feane Hailey Equine Irish EBF Brigid's Pastures Stakes (Listed)Class 1 · 6f · Soft · 16 ran 10th 16/1
04 Oct 26 Curragh (IRE) Wannabe Royal (IRE)T: Henry de Bromhead Coolmore Sioux Nation Concorde Stakes (Listed)Class 1 · 7f · Soft · 10 ran 6th 28/1
30 Sep 26 Bellewstown (IRE) Mr Mercury (IRE)T: J A Nash Gilna's Of Laytown Optional Claiming Maiden8f · Soft To Heavy · 8 ran 8th 200/1
29 Sep 26 Cork (IRE) El Fontenaro (IRE)T: Jarlath P Fahey WTW Willis Handicap6f · Soft · 19 ran 5th 9/1
29 Sep 26 Cork (IRE) Forza Magico (GB)T: John James Feane Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap6f · Soft · 8 ran 3rd 6/1
29 Sep 26 Cork (IRE) Lion Of Fortune (IRE)T: Kieran P Cotter Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden5f · Yielding To Soft · 12 ran 7th 14/1
28 Sep 26 Down Royal (IRE) Faro Island (GB)T: A Oliver Molson Coors Beverage Handicap13f · Good To Yielding · 14 ran 11th 12/1
28 Sep 26 Down Royal (IRE) Ballaghkeen (IRE)T: J S Bolger Pravha Handicap (Div II)11f · Good To Yielding · 14 ran 12th 17/2
28 Sep 26 Down Royal (IRE) Limestone Red (IRE)T: Tracey Collins Pravha Handicap (Div I)11f · Good To Yielding · 14 ran 7th 9/2
28 Sep 26 Down Royal (IRE) Stellar Moment (IRE)T: John S O'Donoghue Coors Fillies Handicap13f · Good To Yielding · 10 ran 4th 100/30F
27 Sep 26 Curragh (IRE) Tim Toe (IRE)T: Henry de Bromhead Friends Of The Curragh Irish Cesarewitch17f · Heavy · 30 ran 16th 10/1
27 Sep 26 Curragh (IRE) Alone All Alone (GB)T: E J O'Neill Izuzu Ireland Irish EBF Maiden9f · Heavy · 9 ran 9th 200/1
26 Sep 26 Curragh (IRE) Together Now (USA)T: Aidan O'Brien Equiwinner Patches Fillies Maiden9f · Good To Yielding · 17 ran 3rd 6/4F
26 Sep 26 Curragh (IRE) Toristar (IRE)T: Chris Timmons Grá Chocolates Maiden10f · Good To Yielding · 18 ran 10th 100/1
26 Sep 26 Curragh (IRE) Be In Love (IRE)T: Aidan O'Brien Goffs Million7f · Yielding · 18 ran 17th 28/1
26 Sep 26 Curragh (IRE) Drumbeat (IRE)T: Aidan O'Brien Churchill Tyres Beresford Stakes (Group 2)Class 1 · 8f · Good To Yielding · 6 ran 3rd 5/1
26 Sep 26 Curragh (IRE) Shake It Out (GB)T: Kieran P Cotter Market Square Monasterevin Irish EBF Maiden6f · Yielding · 13 ran 6th 50/1
25 Sep 26 Dundalk (AW) (IRE) Nuit (IRE)T: Henry de Bromhead BAR 1 Betting Diamond Stakes (Listed)Class 1 · 10.5f · Standard · 7 ran 4th 150/1
21 Sep 26 Fairyhouse (IRE) Coincidental Glory (IRE)T: Adrian McGuinness Fairyhouse Return Of The Jumps On October 10th Handicap6f · Good · 17 ran 3rd 17/2

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 R. P. Whelan's strike rate?
R. P. Whelan has won 212 of 2,264 rides since 2022, a strike rate of 9.4% (as at 6 November 2026). Figures are computed from our own results archive.
Which course does R. P. Whelan do best at?
Sligo by strike rate: 7 wins from 42 rides (16.7%) 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 R. P. Whelan ride most for?
Adrian McGuinness, with 292 rides since 2022 — 13% of the total. That pairing has won 28 (9.6%).
What is R. P. Whelan's Fair A/E?
1.07, from 2,263 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 6 November 2026, computed from our own results archive (2005 onwards; aggregates from 2008).