JOCKEY PROFILE

County of origin: Antrim

First winner: Ardhoomey (Ger Lyons) Cork, August 8, 2020

Significant horses: Stellar Story, Master Matt, Ardhoomey, Saltonstall, The Blue Panther, Maker Of Kings, Dalton Highway, Tiger Roll, What’s Up Darling, Ash Tree Meadow, Effernock Fizz, Peregrine Run.

Assoc. Trainers: Noel Meade, Gordon Elliott

Did you know: 
From Ballyclare, Country Antirm, Sam is a son of trainer and former amateur rider Warren Ewing. He was a pony racing star, riding over 100 winners and landing the 2017 Dingle Derby as a 13-year-old. He rode his first winner on the racecourse when partnering the Ger Lyons-trained Ardhoomey to success in a sprint handicap at Cork in August 2020. It was just his tenth ride. 

The likes of Master Matt, Saltonstall and Maker Of Kings gave Sam some notable success in the early months of his career and the former credited him with his first Listed race victory at Tipperary in August 2021. 

Sam finished fourth in the apprentice championship in 2021 and soon turned his attentions to the National Hunt game. He rode his first winner over jumps on the Liam Lennon-trained School Lane in a handicap chase at Down Royal on St Stephen's Day.

In 2022, he rode his first significant jumps winner on the Peter Fahey-trained Ambitious Fellow in the Connolly's Auction Hurdle Final at the Punchestown festival. In Britain, he scored notable success on both Peregrine Run and Effernock Fizz and at the end of the year, Sam won the Emerging Talent Award at the Horse Racing Ireland Awards.

Sam returned from four months on the sidelines with three winners at the 2023 Galway festival and included among them was his old friend Ambitious Fellow on which he won the Listed BoyleSports Handicap Hurdle. Before the year was out, Sam won the Grade 3 For Auction Novice Hurdle at Navan on the Gordon Elliott-trained What’s Up Darling, his first Graded winner.

In March, 2024, Ash Tree Meadow, another trained by Gordon Elliott, gave Sam his first Grade 2 success when taking the Webster Cup Chase, again at Navan, and just two weeks later, Sam gained a first Cheltenham Festival victory and a first Grade 1 win when the Elliott-trained Stellar Story took the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

Updated: March 15, 2024