Ben Jones: Get to know Ladbrokes’ newest horse racing ambassador

Get to know Ladbrokes' newest horse racing ambassador, Ben Jones, in his first interview with the bookmaker.

Obviously, we had a good few winners before Christmas last year, and those went on after the festive period and into the new year. We then really got going in January, having a great month; I think that in the space of a couple of weeks, we had around 17 winners... everything I was running was winning or doing really well, so it was a great period to be involved in as part of the team here. 

We were really happy with the back end of last season, and then obviously the summer is a lot quieter, but Ben [Pauling] always tries to have 10 to 20 horses in, which has kept us busy enough. Everything that's been going to the track has been performing well, and we've slowly kept the winners coming in.

Because we're so busy in the winter, we're almost glad to see summer come. You know, I've got a wife and a little girl, so when the summer comes, I can prioritise my time for those two. It was nice just to chill, and go on a couple of holidays, and if we're not on holiday, we're just at home, messing around really. So the downtime for me is a major positive; I wouldn't really be one for partying it up at all... if I go and ride a big winner, I'll go home and have a cup of tea and a curry - and if I have a bad day, it would probably be the same. I try and keep level-headed in that respect when it comes to the job. 

I want to better myself this year. I want to help Ben [Pauling] get better, too. I think we're both at the stage where we're new to the scene when it comes to the big races and the big meetings. Last year we had 10 or 11 big winners and a good bit of prize money off the back of that, but we always want to do better.

I just want to do well, but I also want Ben and the team to do well, too. Not only Tom [David, assistant trainer], and Miranda [Horton, media manager], and everyone higher up - they all put the graft in, but we've got 98 horses here, and there's a lot of staff members who put a lot of time and effort into keeping things ticking over. I think we schooled 63 horses this morning, and everything worked like clockwork. That wouldn't just be because of one or two people; that's because of everyone chipping in together and doing it all as a team effort. 

So yes, of course I want to better myself, get more winners and get more prize money. But I also want to do it for everyone else involved behind the scenes. 

𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐡𝐨𝐭!! 🔥

We are delighted to announce 𝐁𝐞𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 as our new Ladbrokes Ambassador!!

*No jockeys were harmed during the making of this video…. pic.twitter.com/IMVOes78HF

— Ladbrokes (@Ladbrokes) October 28, 2025

The two obvious ones to watch this year, for me, would be Handstands and The Jukebox Man... both grade winners last year, and I don't think we've seen the best of them, either. I think we're still climbing the ranks with those two and hopefully bigger and better things are still to come. 

We've also got Mambonumberfive, a juvenile winner last year, he won the Grade 2 Adonis - he's going to go chasing this year, and so far he's taken to it like a duck to water. We're really, really happy with him; he's a nice horse who is going to have a big allowance given his age, going chasing. 

I also think one of the bumper horses last year, Our Boy Stan, is another one to watch. He's only ran twice, finishing second first time out in listed company, and then he won a nice race around Kempton. That would be my novice for the year ahead, although another novice chaser I'm looking forward to riding would be No Questions Asked. I've always had him on my radar from when he ran in bumpers and I tipped him up before he went novice hurdling last year. He schooled over fences for the first time earlier this month and, again, he took to it so well. He's so quick and accurate, he's going to be very exciting. 

Diva Luna is the mare I'd tell people to follow... she's jumped fences a couple of times now, and she's electric. When she sees the obstacles in front of her, she really comes alive. She's always been one that's not exactly hard to train, but she likes the sun on her back, and she relishes those later meetings and festivals. So hopefully if we can get her going over fences, then we'll see the best of her around March. That's not a bad thing, either, because that's when she puts her best foot forward; I think she finished third at Cheltenham last year in the mares' race, so I'm very excited to go novice chasing again with her this year.

I finished my GCSEs and went to Hereford College to study, but alongside that I rode out for a trainer back down in Wales, back home (Debbie and Paul Hamer) for the rest of the week when I wasn't at college, and I rode point-to-point at the weekends. I absolutely loved it; the old man had three or four pointers that we ran, just so I could get a bit of experience, and I loved it so much that by the time the next summer came around, I had to choose between going back to college, or going down to Somerset... I chose to go down to Somerset, and I haven't looked back since. 

I've always been mature for my age; when I was in the amateur stages and working for the governor, Philip Hobbs, I was looking up to the likes of Dicky Johnson and Tom O'Brien. I was always led to believe that kind of lifestyle was the best one to lead in this job. I'm always looking to better myself every day, on and off a horse, really. I'd like to think I'm quite easy to live with, and that Ben gets on with me well, too. 

My daughter gets excited seeing the 'nay-nays', as she calls them, on TV, and she'll always cheer for me - but we always tell her that I'm the winner, regardless, so she's always cheering for the one in front thinking it's me!

I can't comment too much when it comes to juggling sleep with a little one and work, because our daughter is absolutely brilliant; I think she takes after me as far as that's concerned! She's good as gold. Laura, my wife, has a massive part to play in it all, especially as far as bringing up our daughter goes. Obviously, during the winter, I'm barely there. You know, if I'm coming to the yard in the week, I'll be leaving the house at 4am, getting here and having a nap before kicking on for the day. There'll be a lot of days and nights where I'm driving home and not seeing my daughter, and only seeing my wife for half an hour or so before going to bed and getting ready for the next day. So Laura definitely has a massive play on that side of things, and if I didn't have her, I know I'd be a lot worse off.

Sometimes it feels like every time I see my little girl, it's like she's changed again, and is growing up. But that's why it's important to cherish the summer, when we do get time off, and to make the most of the breaks during the winter. At the end of the day, you've got to give some and lose some, but I know I'd definitely be lost without those two. 

Laura would probably say I'm the fun parent - she sets all the rules and the boundaries, and I probably come in and wind the little one up before bedtime. I do think I'm a pretty good dad; there's been a few times where Laura's gone on holiday and I've managed on my own! I think she'd say I'm OK...

Last year at Kempton was a really strange time for us as a family, actually. The little one was probably just about old enough to understand what was going on with Christmas, and everything that comes with it. So it was exciting on that front, but in the weeks leading up to Christmas, obviously we've got Kempton in mind. I had five winners in those two days at Kempton, and that was just tremendous, really. You know, not only bagging that first Grade 1, but managing the treble on the following day... it just meant a lot to me. 

A lot of time and effort goes into that period, so just to be able to give back to the trainers and owners on the big days, it means a lot. Obviously, knowing the family are watching at home as well, that just gives me an extra push. 

There's obviously plenty of moments from my career that I'd watch and rewatch, but if I could only keep one memory from my time as a jockey up to this point, it would either have to be Shakem Up'arry, my first festival winner - obviously for Mr [Harry] Redknapp - which was such a big occasion which meant a lot to me. That would be on par with The Juxebox Man, my first Grade 1 winner, again for Mr Redknapp. Obviously, the graded races - especially grade ones - are just the next level. You know, there have been so many great jockeys who have come through who haven't had a Grade 1 winner. That probably meant more to me than the festival winner. But, as an occasion, the festival win probably meant more just because of the atmosphere, and everyone being there. 

I wouldn't really have a standout story when it comes to Mr [Harry] Redknapp, but he's just an absolute gentleman. You know, when we're walking into the paddock, we've only got a couple of minutes to chat beforehand, and a couple of minutes after we jump off. But I've had a very successful career with Mr Redknapp, and we've always got on great. I walk in the paddock, and we'll always chat away, probably about the weather more than the actual horse racing. He'll just say "you know what you're doing, get on with it."

When you've got someone like that, who has confidence in us... it's the same with Ben [Pauling]; he wouldn't really give me instructions as such. He'd have his opinions, and say what he thinks, and I'd have mine. We'll go back and forth, but 90% of the time I know what I'm doing before I speak to Ben, or anyone within the team. 

Going back to Mr Redknapp, though, he's very level-headed, and we've had a lot of good days... but we've also had a couple of bad days. He's the same with me regardless of the outcome... if every owner was like him, it'd be easy!

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