Sly Man's Jockeys Taking Aim — Saturday 26 September 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.
⚡ Murphy is red-hot right now — six winners in the last seven days, and a 22% career strike rate over nearly 2,800 rides tells you this is no purple patch, it's just Tuesday for him. Spanish Voice in the 15:40 at Newmarket is the one Mr Fox has flagged, and with Murphy this sharp, I'm not arguing with the booking.
- Fox's pick in the 15:40 Newmarket
- 6 winners in the last 7 days
- 22% career strike rate (2729 rides)
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13:22
Zephyra T: Marco Botti17/2 8th
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13:55
Quicken Away T: Andrew Balding7/1 🥉 3rd
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14:27
Senorita Bonita T: Simon & Ed Crisford7/4 5th
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15:40
Spanish Voice T: Andrew Balding14/1 🦊 14th
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16:15
La Pittura T: Andrew Balding9/1 Race at 16:15
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16:50
Sword Maker T: Saeed bin Suroor4/1 5th
William Buick
⚡ William Buick rolls into today carrying four winners from the last seven days and that 25% career strike rate — carved across 1,493 rides — tells you this is no purple patch, it's just what he does. The Bet365 Cambridgeshire at 15:40 is the one to watch: Class 2 Heritage Handicaps don't hand out bookings to riders who aren't in the yard's plans.
- 4 winners in the last 7 days
- 25% career strike rate (1493 rides)
- Booked in Bet365 Cambridgeshire (Class 2 Heritage Handicap) at 15:40
- 13:55 First Law 3/1 4th
- 14:27 Alwaysanangel 10/1 🥉 3rd
- 15:00 Inner City Blues 11/8 5th
- 15:40 Shafdar 20/1 12th
Billy Loughnane
⚡ Billy Loughnane is running so hot right now that nine winners in seven days barely needs dressing up — the 18% career rate over 3,052 rides tells you this is not a fluke, it's a machine in form. Get him marked on the Bet365 Cambridgeshire at 15:40, because when a jockey is moving this fast, you back him in the big handicap before the market catches on.
- 9 winners in the last 7 days
- 18% career strike rate (3052 rides)
- Booked in Bet365 Cambridgeshire (Class 2 Heritage Handicap) at 15:40
- 13:22 Al Samsama 11/2 🏆 WON
- 13:55 Quest For Stars 4/1 5th
- 14:27 Libertango 5/1 🥈 2nd
- 15:40 Erzindjan 15/2 7th
- 16:15 Queen Of The Gulf 9/2 🏆 WON
- 16:50 Arctic Dawn 5/1 4th
Callum Rodriguez
⚡ Callum Rodriguez arrives today with three winners in the last seven days and a career strike rate of 20% across 1,330 rides — this is a man in form, not a man in theory. The booking that catches my eye is Woollahra in the 14:40, a horse carrying a speed rating of 147 that the front pages somehow let slip past them.
- 3 winners in the last 7 days
- 20% career strike rate (1330 rides)
- On Woollahra (SR 147) in the 14:40
- 13:35 Commander's Intent 15/2 9th
- 14:10 Ancient State 5/1 4th
- 14:40 Woollahra 10/1 🥉 3rd
- 15:15 Storm Force 9/2 Race at 15:15
- 16:35 Dancing Dunes 25/1 4th
- 17:10 Alther Walden 11/4 Pulled up
Tom Marquand
⚡ Tom Marquand is running hot with five winners in the last seven days, and Saturday's card hands him the Cambridgeshire at 15:40 plus Ruby Sands — a 156-rated mount in the 16:15 — which is not a light afternoon's work by anyone's measure. Five rides, two headline slots, and a man in the kind of form that makes you stop scrolling and start writing down the silks.
- 5 winners in the last 7 days
- Booked in Bet365 Cambridgeshire (Class 2 Heritage Handicap) at 15:40
- On Ruby Sands (SR 156) in the 16:15
- 13:22 Next of Kin 7/1 4th
- 14:27 Moonrise 16/1 4th
- 15:00 Confucius 18/1 7th
- 15:40 Crest of Fire 18/1 🥈 2nd
- 16:15 Ruby Sands 11/4 🥉 3rd