Name: Ben Curtis (@_benacurtis)

Age: 30

Career highlight: Becoming the All-Weather Champion Jockey and landing his first Royal Ascot victory on board Dandalla in the Group 3 Albany Stakes.

Interesting Fact: Ben did not come from a family background of horses, it wasn’t until he was 13 that he first started riding,

Ben launched his riding career In Ireland in 2006, where he won the Derrinstown rookie of the year award. 

Curtis didn’t begin riding in the UK until 2008; picking up his first two British winners from only 13 rides in 2009. 2010 proved fruitful for the young jockey as he continued to make an impression in Ireland, this time landing the Irish Champion Apprentice alongside a youthful Joseph O’Brien. 

The following years proved tough for the then young jockey, however he continued to persevere in Ireland before moving back to England in 2014. His continued hard work began to pay off and the number of rides and winners continued to increase over the next four years. 

2018 really proved to be a breakout point as Ben surpassed the elite jockey mark of 100 winners in a calendar year. 

Since then Ben has elevated his career to new heights, battling those at the very top of the game for major prizes. Not only did he land the All-Weather Championship title following a superb winter, had it not been for the global pandemic, Curtis would have surpassed the most All-Weather winners in a season of 102, a record he was just one short of when British racing was suspended. 

Following the recommencement of the turf season he has continued his great form. Not only has he consistently sat in the Top 5 of the Flat Jockeys’ Championship but he has also landed a number of big prizes and hit some serious landmarks along the way.

This summer he has partnered both Dubai Station and Nayef Road to Group 3 success whilst his greatest achievements have come on board unbeaten two-year-old filly, Dandalla. Karl Burke’s precocious youngster shone brightly at Royal Ascot when winning the Group 3 Albany Stakes in taking style.