Sly Man's Jockeys Taking Aim — Thursday 16 July 2026
The riders I'm watching today — the loaded books, the marquee bookings, the form jocks pinging the radar.
Five riders worth watching today. A loaded book is a market signal in itself — when a form jock has multiple chances, the yard sees the day as live. I read the diaries with one eye on the silks, one on the trainer form. Here's what's caught my eye.
⚡ Oisin Murphy is running so hot right now that nine winners in seven days isn't a purple patch, it's a statement. He climbs aboard Zarakova in the 17:45 — a horse rated 154 on speed figures — and that booking doesn't fall into your lap unless the connections want the job done properly.
- 9 winners in the last 7 days
- 22% career strike rate (1159 rides)
- On Zarakova (SR 154) in the 17:45
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17:45
Zarakova T: Andrew Balding3/1 🥈 2nd
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18:20
Penfolds Grange T: Mark Pattinson7/1 9th
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20:05
Atmosphere T: Richard Spencer15/8 5th
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20:40
Ice Cube T: Richard Spencer6/4 🏆 WON
Harry Skelton
⚡ Harry Skelton is flying right now — four winners in the last seven days from a man who already converts at 27% across 652 career rides, which is a number most jockeys would tattoo on their arm. Loman Lady in the 19:02 carries a speed rating of 157 and gets Skelton at the peak of his powers; that booking did not land in the small print by accident.
- 4 winners in the last 7 days
- 27% career strike rate (652 rides)
- On Loman Lady (SR 157) in the 19:02
- 17:52 Thickthorn Tom 4/5 🏆 WON
- 19:02 Loman Lady 2/1 🥉 3rd
- 19:37 Square d'Alboni 4/7 🏆 WON
Dylan Browne McMonagle
⚡ Dylan Browne McMonagle is running hot with 6 winners in the last seven days, and six rides across today's card means he is everywhere you need to look. The headline booking is Bellesque in the 18:00 — a speed rating of 157 on a jockey in this kind of form is not a combination you walk past.
- 6 winners in the last 7 days
- On Bellesque (SR 157) in the 18:00
- 6 rides across the card
- 16:20 Star Of State 3/10 🏆 WON
- 16:50 Ballyskeagh 15/8 🏆 WON
- 18:00 Bellesque 6/4 🏆 WON
- 19:10 Adelaide River 4/1 5th
- 19:45 Faro Island 4/1 6th
- 20:20 Tatum 7/2 🥉 3rd
Sean Bowen
⚡ Sean Bowen rolls in here with a career strike rate of 23% across 1184 rides — not a man who wastes his afternoons — and today he's kept just two bookings, which tells you he's here with purpose, not padding. The one to watch is the 18:27 where he partners I'm A Starman, a mount carrying a sky-high speed rating of 93, and that combination alone makes this the ride of the evening card.
- 23% career strike rate (1184 rides)
- 2 winners in the last 7 days
- On I'm A Starman (SR 93) in the 18:27
- 18:27 I'm A Starman 9/2 Pulled up
- 20:12 Warner's Cross 7/1 Race at 20:12
Colin Keane
⚡ Colin Keane arrives here with four winners in the last seven days and a six-ride book that tells you the trainers have already made their decision. The 16:20 mount on This That — rated 145 — is the one that matters, and a man running this hot does not waste a card-topping booking.
- 4 winners in the last 7 days
- On This That (SR 145) in the 16:20
- 6 rides across the card
- 16:20 This That 6/1 4th
- 16:50 Star Glory 8/1 🥈 2nd
- 18:35 How'sthebai 13/8 🥉 3rd
- 19:10 Geryon 6/4 🏆 WON
- 19:45 Daler 9/4 🥉 3rd
- 20:20 Derry Lad 7/1 5th