The importance of good jockeys and why they matter

Betting on Racing is an app-exclusive daily punting guide from three of the Racing Post's most renowned experts: Tom Segal, Paul Kealy and David Jennings. A new instalment will be published every weekday for the next three weeks.

To this day I hear credible punters and analysts saying that they don't really give any credence to the man or woman on board a horse as they don't really make that much difference.

Of course the jockey cannot make a horse run any faster than they are able to, but to me they are the biggest reason why horses underperform and the good ones, the ones who use their brains and truly understand the physics of winning a race, stand out like a sore thumb.

In any walk of life there are people who are better at a specific task than others. If you want to build a good football team then the recruitment of talent is vital, just as it is in any good business, and surely the same is the case when trying to win horseraces.

The key for me has always been the ability to get a horse to settle. The easiest way to get any horse beaten is to get them to use up too much energy too soon and that is why the likes of Ruby Walsh and, of current jockeys, Davy Russell over jumps and Frankie Dettori on the Flat have had so much success in the best races.

Richard Kingscote: Derby-winning jockeyCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Of course that is pretty obvious to anyone with eyes and the horses they ride are always going to be a couple of points shorter than they should be and so I prefer to concentrate on the ones who can't settle horses and don't really understand the mechanics of race-riding. I tend to avoid them at all costs.

I do think that it's easier for young jockeys to make an impact over jumps where the minutiae of race-riding at a slower pace is more about getting horses to jump rather than understanding pace. Of the current breed, Mark McDonagh in Ireland is great value for his claim.

On the Flat it is trickier, because settling horses bred to run flat out is much harder – and things happen so much more quickly as well. For me, Richard Kingscote has for a few years now been the most underrated jockey around, although that might change following his victory aboard Desert Crown in this year's Derby. Of those coming through, I rate Connor Planas, who is good value for his 7lb claim.

Tomorrow: Paul Kealy on the power of race replays

Read more in our Betting on Racing series:

David Jennings: put in the hard yards and stick to what you're good at    

Paul Kealy: 'Notes can become seriously valuable' - form study tips from the best    

Tom Segal: the importance of times and why they are vastly underappreciated