Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero take on Ben Smith as new conditional jockey

The 18-year-old Scot has quickly become one of the most sought-after young riders in the north, despite partnering the first winner of his fledgling career only in January.

Greenall and Guerriero have a team of around 70 horses for the core jumps season and were keen to add a talented 7lb claimer to their roster of riders after Toby Wynne finished third in last season’s conditional jockeys’ championship.

It’s the next step in a rapid rise to prominence for Smith, who’s had seven winners from only 42 rides so far.

His most high-profile success came on 40/1 outsider El Jefe at Aintree’s Grand National meeting in April.

Greenall and Guerriero are a growing force in the north, sending out more than 130 winners since joining forces just over two years ago.

One of those was a breakthrough first Festival success with Iroko in the 2023 Martin Pipe Hurdle for conditional jockeys.

Greenall said: “With Toby now down to his last 3lb, we’ve been keeping an eye on Ben for a while.

“He came here for a week in May to have a look at us and for us to have a look at him, and he fitted in really well.

“He has a fantastic work ethic, is extremely dedicated and really does his homework with the form.

“I’d like to think we give our conditionals plenty of support and opportunities, and that will be no different with Ben. We’re delighted he’s agreed to join us.”

Smith, son of Ayrshire trainer Mike Smith, admitted Wynne’s progress at Stockton Hall Farm was a key part of his decision to flee the nest.

He said: “Dad’s always wanted me to move up and get into a bigger yard with better quality horses, but it was going to be a case of how we got to that stage.

“I hoped it would happen at some stage. I just didn’t think I’d get the opportunity quite as quickly as I have.

“Dad and I discussed it at length and we couldn’t see any negatives. Seeing how well Toby has done and developed there was a big factor in that.

“Oli and Josh have given him plenty of rides and he’s taken advantage of that by riding plenty of winners for them. So if someone had given me a choice of any yard to go to, Oli and Josh would have been my first pick.

“I’ve not been given any guarantee about number of rides or anything, but that doesn’t worry me because I see how upwardly-mobile they are as a yard and how they support their conditionals. My aim is just to build things up gradually, keep improving and maintain my momentum.

“Oli and Josh have been great to deal with so far and they’re allowing me to go back to Scotland for three days every fortnight to help dad.

“As long as there’s no crossover, I’m still going to ride dad’s horses as much as possible too. Hopefully it’s a win-win for everyone.”

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