Cheltenham Jockeys - An Introduction to the riders who have shaped the Festival

Festival Fans
February 4, 2025
WhatsApp

Many of horse racing's finest jockeys have secured their legacies by winning big races at the Cheltenham Festival.

Below, we introduce the most successful jockeys in the Festival's history, including both past and present legends.

RUBY WALSH

The leading Festival rider of all time is Ruby Walsh who partnered with legendary trainers Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins to dominate the Festival from the turn of the century.

Walsh actually rode the first of his 59 winners here in 1998 as an amateur, and he went on to be leading jockey at the meeting 11 times.

His victories include two Cheltenham Gold Cups on Kauto Star in 2007 and 2009, and four Champion Hurdles - all for Mullins. 

By contrast, his three Champion Chase successes were all for Nicholls: Azertyuiop (2004) and Master Minded (2008 & 2009).

Incredibly, two horses contributed ten of his victories as he won the Stayers' Hurdle four times on Big Buck’s and the Mares' Hurdle six times on Quevega.

His last win came on the Mullins trained Klassical Dream in the 2019 Supreme.

BARRY GERAGHTY

Next on the all-time list is Barry Geraghty with 43 winners at the Festival.

Few jockeys relished the meeting more than Geraghty, who seemed to be able to up his game for the big occasion.

He was leading rider at the meeting twice (2003 & 2012), with his first winner having come abroad the legendary two mile chaser, Moscow Flyer, in the 2002 Arkle Chase.

He went on to win two of his five Champion Chases aboard Moscow Flyer. 

Those five wins ties the all time record by a jockey and he also holds the record for most wins in the Arkle (4) and Triumph Hurdle (5).

His last Festival came in 2020, when he rode five winners for JP McManus, for whom he was the retained rider at the time.

Geraghty’s longevity and consistency really stand out and he rode at least one winner at every Festival between 2002 and 2016 - he missed the 2017 meeting through injury.

PAUL TOWNEND

Paul Townend is the leading active jockey with 34 winners at the Festival, unsurprising given the unparalleled backing he has as stable jockey of the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard.

It was at the 2020 Festival where Townend really started to make his mark, riding five winners, following up with three in 2021, before another five in both 2022 and 2023.

Then in 2024 he rode a remarkable seven Festival winners, including State Man in the Champion Hurdle and Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup.

Indeed, he rode back-to-back winners in the Gold Cup with Al Boum Photo (2019 & 2020) and Galopin Des Champs (2023 & 2024).

He also rode Energumene to consecutive Champion Chase victories (2023 & 2023).

AP MCCOY

Arguably the greatest jump jockey of them all, Sir Anthony McCoy, is next on the list of most successful Festival jockeys with 31 winners.

Given his numerical supremacy when it comes to winners generally, it is perhaps surprising to see AP behind Messrs Walsh and Geraghty on the Festival roll of honour.

But he still had some magical days at the Festival and his 2009 win on Wichita Lineman was arguably the finest ride ever seen here.

McCoy’s first winner came on Kibreet in the 1996 Grand Annual and he went on to land all of the big three, registering a final tally of three Champion Hurdles, one Champion Chase and two Gold Cups.

PAT TAAFFE

Pat Taaffe’s record of 25 winners is all the more remarkable for the fact that he rode in an era long before the four day Festival.

He won the Gold Cup four times, thanks mainly to his association with the great Arkle.

Like Barry Geraghty, he rode five Champion Chase winners, including one on board another legend of the sport: Flyingbolt.

DAVY RUSSELL

Davy Russell also rode a total of 25 winners at the Festival, starting back in 2006 on board Native Jack in the Cross Country Chase.

That victory started a remarkable run that saw him ride a winner at every Cheltenham Festival until the sequence was finally broken in 2019.

He was another of the top jockeys who really came into his own on big race days and few riders have ever ridden this unique course as well as the Irishman. 

He will probably be remembered most for his association with Tiger Roll, with whom he won the Triumph Hurdle in 2014 to kick off one of the sport’s greatest fairytales.

He also won the Gold Cup on Lord Windermere in 2014 and rode four winners for Gordon Elliott in 2018, his best return at the Festival.

RICHARD JOHNSON

Despite having to play second fiddle to Tony McCoy in the jockeys’ championship for so many seasons (he was runner-up in the title race on 17 occasions, 16 of those to McCoy), Richard Johnson managed to ride 23 winners at the Festival in a career spanning 27 years.

His first win came on Anzum in the 1999 Stayers' Hurdle, but his greatest achievement was winning the Gold Cup twice - on Looks Like Trouble (2000) and Native River (2018).

He also won a Champion Chase on Flagship Uberalles and the 2003 Champion Hurdle on Rooster Booster. That victory completed his set of wins in the four big championship races, whilst he also managed to win the Triumph Hurdle three times.

RICHARD DUNWOODY

Three-time champion jockey Richard Dunwoody managed to amass a total of 18 winners at the Cheltenham Festival during a career that spanned 17 seasons. 

At the time of his retirement, he was one of only four jockeys since World War II to have won the Grand National, Cheltenaham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle, with the others being Fred Winter, Willie Robinson and Bobby Beasley.

Those Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup wins came on Kribensis (on whom he also won a Triumph Hurdle) and Charter Party, respectively.

He won the Arkle Chase on three occasions, on Waterloo Boy (1989), Remittance Man (1991) and Ventana Canyon (1996).

He was also successful in the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase aboard his Grand National winner West Tip.

CHARLIE SWAN

Irish jockey Charlie Swan rode 17 winners at the Cheltenham Festival and was leading rider at the meeting on two occasions - in 1993 and again the following year.

His first Festival winner was Trapper John, trained by Mouse Morris, in 1990. 

Swan's place in Festival folklore is guaranteed thanks to his association with the mighty Istabraq, on whom he won three consecutive Champion Hurdles.

He has a string of other big race victories to his name, including the Champion Chase, the Irish Grand National, two Whitbread Gold Cups and the Irish Champion Hurdle.

He won his first Irish jockeys' championship in 1989-90 and retained the title up to and including the 1997-98 season.

FRED WINTER

Although better known as one of the finest trainers of all time, Fred Winter was also an extremely successful jockey, claiming the jumps title on four occasions. 

Incredibly, he won the Gold Cup, Grand National and Champion Hurdle as both a jockey and trainer, and he remains the only person to achieve that amazing feat.

In all, he rode 17 winners at the Festival, including two Gold Cup's - with Saffron Tartan and Mandarin - as well as tasting success as a pilot in three Champion Hurdles.

His most remarkable feat as a jockey actually came in France, in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris at Auteuil, where he steered Mandarin to victory again, despite him suffering illness and a broken bit, and the horse breaking down in the last half mile of the race.

Given his unique record, it is not surprising that a race continues to be run in his name at the Festival - the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle.

NICO DE BOINVILLE

Most of Nico de Boinville’s 16 winners at the Festival have been for Nicky Henderson, including three on board Altior. 

Other notable wins include an unforgettable comeback win for Sprinter Sacre in the Champion Chase and a Cheltenham Gold Cup on the novice Coneygree in 2015.

De Boinville rode Constitution Hill to victory in the Supreme in 2022 and then in the Champion Hurdle in 2023.

RACHAEL BLACKMORE

Rachael Blackmore has quickly established herself as the Queen of Cheltenham and already has a total of 16 winners at the Festival since her first in 2019.

In 2021 she rode six winners, including the Champion Hurdle with Honeysuckle, en route to becoming the first female to be crowned the leading rider at the Festival.

She was also second in the Gold Cup that year, as A Plus Tard was denied by Minella Indo, both trained by Henry de Bromhead, with the rider having had to make the tough choice between the pair.

However, it didn’t take her long to lay those demons to rest, with A Plus Tard winning the 2022 Gold Cup by a remarkable 15-lengths.

Thus, she already has two Champion Hurdle's and a Cheltenham Gold Cup on her Festival CV.

ROBERT THORNTON

Robert 'Choc' Thornton rode 16 winners at the Festival and there is little doubt that it was at Prestbury Park that he enjoyed the finest moments of his riding career, often saving his best for the biggest occasion.

His partnership with trainer Alan King produced 10 of those 16 wins, including victories in the Champion Chase and Champion Hurdle courtesy of Voy Por Ustedes and Katchit.

Those successes both came in 2007, when he was the leading rider at the meeting thanks to further victories on My Way De Solzen and a less high profile handicap win on Andreas for Paul Nicholls.

Thornton was just 18 when he won his first race at the meeting. In fact, he won two in two because after steering King Lucifer to success in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase, he then won the Pertemps Final on Pharanear.

TOMMY CARBERRY

Tommy Carberry’s Festival tally included three wins in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on L'Escargot in 1970 and 1971 and on Ten Up in 1975.

He also won the the 1974 RSA Chase on Ten Up, a race he later landed with Tied Cottage in 1976.

Meanwhile, at the 1973 Festival, he rode Inkslinger to victory in the Champion Chase and then again in the Cathcart Chase two days later.

In total, Carberry rode 16 winners at the Festival - his final victory coming in 1982 on The Brockshee, in the Arkle.

He also finished first in the 1980 Gold Cup on Tied Cottage, only for the horse to fail a dope test owing to a batch of contaminated feed and be disqualified.

After retiring from race riding in 1982 he became a trainer and in 1999 saddled the winner of the Grand National, Bobbyjo.

MICK FITZGERALD

Mick Fitzgerald was the leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival in both 1999 and 2000, amassing a total of 14 winners at the meeting throughout his career.

His roll of honour includes all of the big races including the Gold Cup on See More Business (1999), the Champion Chase on Call Equiname (1999), the Stayers' Hurdle on Bacchanal (2000), the Arkle Chase on Tiutchev (2000) and the Ryanair Chase on Fondmort (2006).

Remarkably, heading into the Festival in 1999, Mick Fitzgerald only boasted two winners at jump racing's blue riband meeting.

PETER SCUDAMORE

Peter Scudamore rode a total of 13 winners at the Festival including two Champion Hurdles - Celtic Shot in 1988 and Granville Again in 1993 - and a Champion Chase on Pearlyman.

In 1986, Scudamore rode a notable Festival double on Solar Cloud in the Triumph Hurdle and Charter Party in the Ritz Club National Hunt Handicap Chase, both trained by David Nicholson - the first winners at the Festival for jockey and trainer, after eight years of trying.

As well as setting the then all-time career record of 1,678 winners, he also set the record for most winners in a season (221) in 1988–89, surpassing Jonjo O'Neill's mark to become the first jockey to exceed 150 in one season.

Although both records have since been surpassed, Scudamore's records were set before the advent of year-round National Hunt racing. In all, he was champion eight times.

JACK KENNEDY

Jack Kennedy’s was 17 when he rode the first of his 12 winners at the Festival on the Gordon Elliott trained Labaik in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

Indeed, he owes much of his Festival success to his association with Elliott and Gigginstown. 

It was for that trainer/owner combination that he won the last two renewals of the Cross Country Chase, aboard Delta Work. 

In 2018 he won four races at the Festival matching the tally of the week's leading rider, Davy Russell. However, Russell won the title as he had ridden more placed horses.

He also won the 2021 Gold Cup on Minella Indo and the 2024 Stayers' Hurdle on Teahupoo.

But his best ride was arguably on Mount Ida in the 2021 Kim Muir Chase, who came from a detached last to first thanks to Kennedy’s cajoling, having touched 999/1 in running.

JOHN FRANCOME

His success as a jockey and trainer, coupled with his high-profile careers as a commentator and novelist, have made John Francome one of the foremost figures of all time in the jumps racing world.

His first successes on horseback were as a showjumper, where he won the European Championship with the Great Britain team.

As a jumps jockey, Francome went on to win seven championships in ten years. He rode his 1038th and last winner in April 1985 and was awarded the MBE the following year.

His 11 winners at the Cheltenham Festival include one of the all-time great rides at the meeting when he pounced late on Sea Pigeon to claim the Champion Hurdle in 1981.

On his way to the 1977/78 jockey’s title, he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Midnight Court.

One of Francome's most successful partnerships was with Burrough Hill Lad, trained by Jenny Pitman. However, at the 1984 Gold Cup, Francome could not ride him due to his retainer with Fred Winter, and had to settle for second place behind the Pitman runner on Brown Chamberlin.

During the 1982 season, in a memorable act of sportsmanship, Francome stopped riding once he drew level with his rival, Peter Scudamore, in the jockeys’ championship as Scudamore was injured and unable to ride again that campaign.

JAMIE OSBORNE

Jamie Osborne's association with the Festival reached an all time high in 1992, when he was leading jockey with a then record equalling five winners, including a treble on one day.

The winners were Flown in the Supreme, Young Pokery in the Arkle Chase, Nomadic Way in the Stayers', Remittance Man in the Champion Chase and Dusty Miller in the County Hurdle.

Osborne went on to win the Arkle twice more in consecutive years, in 1993 (on Travado) and 1994 (on Nakir).

At the 1997 festival there was another victory in the Stayers' Hurdle (on Karshi) and the Supreme Novices' Hurdle (on Shadow Leader).

Of a total of 11 winners at the Festival, one that holds a special place in his heart is Coulton, whom he partnered to victory in the Cathcart Chase in 1995 for his close ally, Oliver Sherwood.

NORMAN WILLIAMSON

Norman Williamson was top jockey at the Festival in 1995 with four wins. They included a famous double of the Champion Hurdle on Alderbrook and the Gold Cup on Master Oats.

Known as "Stormin' Norman", Williamson lost the booking on Looks Like Trouble just weeks before the horse went on to win the 2000 Gold Cup. The horse had performed badly with him in the saddle in the King George at Kempton three months earlier and Richard Johnson replaced Williamson to take Gold Cup glory.

That apart, the big Cheltenham meeting was a happy hunting ground for Williamson with 11 winners.

At his first Festival as an amateur in 1989, he rode 50/1 shot Charter Hardware to second place in the Kim Muir Chase behind the subsequent Gold Cup winner Cool Ground.

LEADING JOCKEYS AT THE FESTIVAL

Below is a list of the top 20 jockeys with the most Cheltenham Festival wins:

JOCKEY FESTIVAL WINS
Ruby Walsh 59
Barry Geraghty 43
Paul Townend 34
Tony McCoy 31
Pat Taaffe 25
Davy Russell 25
Richard Johnson 23
Richard Dunwoody 18
Charlie Swan 17
Fred Winter 17
Nico de Boinville 16
Rachael Blackmore 16
Robert Thornton 16
Tommy Carberry 16
Mick Fitzgerald 14
Peter Scudamore 13
Jack Kennedy 12
John Francome 11
Jamie Osborne 11
Norman Williamson 11

You can get Cheltenham free bets to bet on the leading Cheltenham jockey every year.

SHARE:
WhatsApp