Ben Jones New Year's Day rides blog: 'He's one we hold in high regard'

Ben Jones has five rides at Exeter on New Year's Day. The Ladbrokes ambassador previews them all in his latest blog.

• Moonlight Stride - Exeter - 1.10 race odds

• Sober Glory - Exeter - 1.45 race odds

• Man Oh Man - Exeter - 2.55 race odds

• Lough Owel - Exeter - 3.30 race odds

• Blackswan D'Oroux - Exeter - 4.00 race odds

We're heading into the new year, which is usually the time everyone celebrates, but it's a really busy time for the world of racing, so I've got a quiet night planned with my wife and our family - we'll maybe have a takeaway. To be honest, I'm very much looking forward to the quiet night in with a curry after a busy couple of weeks!

As far as New Year's resolutions, away from racing I think I want to start eating a little healthier... I wouldn't really be one for eating fantastically well at the minute; we're always on the road and it's very hard to keep on top of what we're eating because we just tend to do it on the go. Maybe that's one of my targets for 2026.

1.10 - Exeter - Moonlight Stride

I'm off to Exeter on New Year's Day where I've got five rides, starting with Moonlight Stride for Philip Hobbs and Johnson White in the mares' maiden hurdle. I don't know a whole lot about her, to be completely honest, but I know she's been schooling well and this is her first go over hurdles. She seems to have taken to them really well though - even though she was down in the placings in her last bumper run, she didn't actually run all that bad... she will have come on leaps and bounds for that experience. I'm hopeful she can take to hurdles really nicely, and start her education off well here.

1.45 - Exeter - Sober Glory

Next up I've got Sober Glory in the novices' hurdle, and he'd probably be the one I'm most looking forward to riding on the day. He's probably my best chance... he won a hurdle really nicely at Chepstow, he also won three bumpers last year - including a listed - so he's definitely one we've held in high regards when it comes to going forward with this season. I have to put a line through his last run at Sandown, really... nothing came for it and hopefully he can rediscover the same kind of form we've seen from him prior to Sandown. He's been schooling well though and working brilliantly, so hopefully he can remember what he's been doing prior to Sandown, and can go and win on New Year's Day.

2.55 - Exeter - Man Oh Man

Next I've got Man Oh Man for Dean Summersby - he hasn't run many times before although he did finish third around Taunton the last day. If it runs a similar race on Thursday then hopefully he'll be in the frame again and be competitive.

3.30 - Exeter - Lough Owel

I've then got another one for Dean Summersby in the handicap chase [Lough Owel]. I don't know a whole lot about this one, but he seems to have had plenty of goes in point-to-points, and had five goes over fences. He ran well at Exeter the last day and has come back down in trip for Thursday. Hopefully if he runs to the similar level we saw last time he was here, we shouldn't be too far away and we can get him back in the paddock after a nice solid race.

4.00 - Exeter - Blackswan D'Oroux

My last ride of the day is Blackswan D'Oroux, for Ben Pauling. Obviously we don't know a whole lot about our bumper horses, because they just kind of tick away at home and we don't really ask too many questions of them. But for what he has done, we really like him. He's quietly gone about things and he'd be one that really does look like a brilliant race horse. He's bred well, and hopefully he can start his education off well here. If he's there or thereabout, we can then start thinking about his next day out. 

It's a nice book of rides on the whole, and I'm very much looking forward to New Year's Day.

View the latest horse racing odds and specials.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.