Sly Man's Jockeys Taking Aim — Friday 21 August 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 in the middle of a serious purple patch — five winners in the last seven days and now handed seven rides across the card, which tells you the trainers have clocked it too. A 21% career strike rate over 1338 rides is the bedrock, but it's the current heat that makes him the name to follow today.
- 5 winners in the last 7 days
- 7 rides across the card
- 21% career strike rate (1338 rides)
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13:50
Bearish T: Ed Dunlop10/1 13th
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14:25
Caballo De Mar T: George Scott2/1 4th
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15:00
Adaay of Scarlett T: Hugo Palmer4/1 5th
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15:35
Asfoora T: Henry Dwyer11/1 8th
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16:10
Wave Rider T: George Scott5/1 9th
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16:45
Speyside T: Hugo Palmer12/1 11th
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17:20
Plaid T: James Fanshawe13/2 4th
William Buick
⚡ Seven rides in a single card is not a coincidence — stables book William Buick when they mean business, and a 20% career strike rate across 378 rides tells you he converts when the ammunition is live. Two winners already banked in the last seven days, so the eye is sharp and the confidence is there; follow the book, not the price.
- 7 rides across the card
- 2 winners in the last 7 days
- 20% career strike rate (378 rides)
- 13:50 Eklleem 12/1 🥈 2nd
- 14:25 Al Nayyir 15/2 🏆 WON
- 15:00 Never Enough 14/1 9th
- 15:35 Cover Up 16/1 9th
- 16:10 Explode 14/1 15th
- 16:45 Lancaster Tower 2/1 8th
- 17:20 Naga 14/1 Race at 17:20
Billy Loughnane
⚡ Billy Loughnane is running hotter than anyone else in the weighing room right now — six winners in seven days from a man who already converts at 19% across 1,761 rides is not a purple patch, it's a statement. Beguiled in the 14:00 carries a speed rating of 158 and the most in-form pilot on the card; that booking did not happen by accident.
- 6 winners in the last 7 days
- 19% career strike rate (1761 rides)
- On Beguiled (SR 158) in the 14:00
- 14:00 Beguiled 4/7 🏆 WON
- 14:35 Al Jabbar 4/5 🥈 2nd
- 15:10 Zighy 7/2 🥉 3rd
- 15:45 Emma's Letter 4/1 🏆 WON
- 16:20 Rizal 8/15 4th
- 16:51 Hilltop 4/1 🥉 3rd
James Doyle
⚡ James Doyle arrives today red-hot — three winners in the last seven days and a yard-wide seven-ride book that tells you the trainers know exactly what form he's carrying into this card. An 18% career strike rate over 354 rides is the bedrock, but it's the here-and-now that has me watching every race he saddles up in today.
- 3 winners in the last 7 days
- 7 rides across the card
- 18% career strike rate (354 rides)
- 13:50 Exclusive Code 11/1 17th
- 14:25 French Master 14/1 6th
- 15:00 Final Objective 14/1 🥈 2nd
- 15:35 Night Raider 10/1 6th
- 16:10 French Duke 9/1 🥈 2nd
- 16:45 Launch Sequence 11/2 6th
- 17:32 No Mon No Fun 22/1 8th
Ryan Moore
⚡ Ryan Moore rolls into today carrying 3 winners from the last seven days and a career strike rate of 27% across 500 rides — numbers that quietly remind you why his name keeps appearing at the top of the market. The 15:35 Nunthorpe booking is the one to watch: a Group 1 feature ride for Moore is never accidental.
- 3 winners in the last 7 days
- 27% career strike rate (500 rides)
- Booked in Coolmore City Of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes (Group 1) at 15:35
- 14:25 Illinois 6/1 🥈 2nd
- 15:00 Marco Polo 11/4 8th
- 15:35 Mission Central 8/1 16th
- 16:10 Tycoon 11/1 7th
- 16:45 Oklahoma 7/4 7th
- 17:20 Lady Dora Mae 4/1 9th