Ben Macey was in Hamilton in Scotland when he spoke to The Local Answer.

The 20-year-old was about an hour away from Perth Racecourse where he had six rides booked over the two-day meeting.

He’d left Jackdaws Castle in the heart of the Cotswolds – he’s a conditional jockey for trainer Jonjo O’Neill – at 4.30 that morning and even though he’d been on the road for five hours, he was looking ahead with great enthusiasm to riding at Perth for the first time.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “I’ve got six rides and they’ve all got a chance. I want to ride as many horses as I can, I always try to give every horse the best ride I can.”

Macey’s enthusiasm is understandable because up until three years ago he’d never ridden in a race of any description.

“I didn’t do pony racing, my pony wasn’t fast enough, and I never went point-to-pointing,” he said.

That all changed when he linked up with the O’Neill stable. He rode seven winners last season and he’s already ridden six in 2025/26.

Originally from Yorkshire, Macey has been around horses pretty much all his life. His mum Sophie worked in racing – she rode out for trainer Mary Reveley – while his dad John was a huntsman.

The family moved to just outside Cardiff when Macey was about 10 and he said: “I was always around ponies, I loved the animals and we always had the racing on the TV.”

The young Macey enjoyed riding horses – he liked the jumping too – but it was his dad who inspired him to take it to the next level.

“He did a charity race when I was about 15 at Ffos Las, that’s what really sparked it,” he said.

“I went and worked for Evan Williams for a year-and-a-half, I rode out for him.

“Then I saw Jonjo was looking for a conditional jockey and I thought, ‘I’ve got to give it a go’.”

And he’s certainly being giving it a go these past three years.

“It’s going really well, where I am now is fantastic,” he said. “I owe everything to Jonjo and everyone at the stable.”

Macey is very easy to talk to and it’s clear that racing is his main focus.

“The lads call me Grandad,” he laughed. “I don’t drink and I don’t go out, they tell me I’m a boring old man!”

But that focus on his racing is certainly paying dividends.

He’s getting plenty of rides and he said: “I’ve got a great team behind me but it all stems back to Jonjo, the boss is fantastic.”

O’Neill has been a force in National Hunt racing, both as a jockey and a trainer, for many decades now and Macey would certainly love to emulate some of his achievements.

“I want to ride in the biggest races,” he said. “I want to be champion jockey and I want to win the Grand National and the Gold Cup, that would be fantastic.”

Indeed it would but Macey has already shown in his short career that he has plenty of ability and he has clocked up some notable wins.

Among them are his first winner for legendary owner JP McManus aboard Icare Allen at Uttoxter in July.

“That was special to ride in those colours,” said Macey, who rode his first winner on the O’Neill-trained Copper Cove at Fontwell in February last year.

“That was massive but my biggest win was at Kelso on Gallic Geordie for Sam Drinkwater, it was on a Saturday and it was on ITV.”

His wins aboard All The Glory, twice, and Mammies Boy have also pleased Macey who continued: “It gives me a lot of satisfaction to give a horse a good ride.”

He’d love to ride a winner around Cheltenham, of course, although he knows what it’s like to ride around the home of National Hunt racing.

“That was a dream, I never thought it would happen,” he said. “It was an unbelievable day, the atmosphere, the roar of the crowd, it was an incredible experience.”