Jason Hart

Born in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, on on September 28, 1994, Jason Hart is the grandson of the late Derek Campbell, a former National Hunt jockey, who was a significant influence on his career. A graduate from the field of pony racing, Hart began riding out for Mark Johnston in Middleham Moor, North Yorkshire as a 15-year-old and took his first ride for the yard, Elusive Fame, in a six-furlong handicap at Southwell on February 1, 2011. Later that year, he became apprenticed to Declan Carroll in nearby Malton and rode his first winner, Spice Bar, in a two-mile handicap at Ripon on August 30, 2011.

Indeed, Hart made a fast start to his career, riding 51 winners in 2013 to collect the apprentices’ title. He rode a further 48 winners in 2014, losing his claim in the process but, on June 26, 2015, suffered ruptured knee ligaments when his mount, Dark War, fell fatally when in the lead in a six-furlong handicap at Doncaster. Seven months on the sidelines followed, but Hart quickly re-established himself and, in 2021, rode over 100 winners and amassed over £1 million in prize money for the first time.

Hart is probably best known for his assocation with the late, great sprinting mare Highfield Princess, trained by John Quinn, whom he rode in 32 of her 39 starts. Indeed, Hart partnered Highfield Princess to 13 of her 14 career wins, including all four Group 1 wins of his career so far,

the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, Nunthorpe Stakes at York, Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh and Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp. At the time of her death, in March 2024, he said, “She’s irreplaceable, it’s just gut-wrenching.”

In more recent, happier times, on September 7, 2025, Hart reached the significant landmark of 1,000 career winners in Britain, courtesy of Rhapsody, trained by William Haggas, in a fillies’ handicap at York. He told the ‘Racing Post’, “Becoming champion jockey is a burning desire, but it’s not easy and everyone else has the same aim. I’ll keep kicking and give it my best shot.”