With the 2023 Cheltenham Festival just around the corner, there is plenty of talk over who might be crowned top jockey this year.
Read on to see who the top jockeys are currently, and who holds the current records at the home of jump racing…
Top Jockey Odds | ||
| Jockey | Odds | |
| Paul Townend | 1/5 | |
| Nico De Boinville | 7/1 | |
| Davy Russell | 8/1 | |
| Rachael Blackmore | 10/1 | |
| Harry Cobden | 20/1 | |
| B J Cooper | 33/1 | |
| Patrick Mullins | 33/1 | |
| Daryl Jacob | 33/1 | |
Paul Townend
The most dominant jockey at the 2022 festival, Townend, will be looking to win be the most successful jockey for the second consecutive year. He’ll have the might of Willie Mullins’ yard behind him and it’s difficult to imagine the festival passing without multiple wins for the Irishman.
Nico De Boinville
Success for De Boinville is closely linked with the success of Nicky Henderson, with the jockey being the first choice entrant for Henderson’s yard once again. There are a couple of outstanding possibilities for the English but he’ll need to be at his very best to claim the most winners this year.
Davy Russell
It’s been a few years since Russell claimed this award but, if given the best bets from Gordon Elliott’s yard, he could be a contender to reign supreme again. The unfortunate injury to Jack Kennedy has boosted his chances, but he’ll definitely need some luck to be at the top of the winners list.
Rachael Blackmore
The first woman to claim the top jockey award, Blackmore has cemented her place among the very best in the sport. There isn’t much more history for her to make but another top jockey title would bring her level with Cheltenham greats Barry Geraghty and Richard Dunwoody.
Leading Jockey Awards History
There are plenty of awards given out during the Cheltenham Festival, and one of the most hotly contested is the top jockey award.
The days of Ruby Walsh dominating the award are over, with the Irishman’s retirement seeing his success at Cheltenham ending with 11 top jockey awards.
In the five years since Walsh’s departure from the sport there have been four different winners with Townend claiming the award twice; in 2020 and 2022.
Previous Leading Jockey Award Winners | ||
| Year | Trainer | Number of Winners |
| 2022 | Paul Townend | 5 |
| 2021 | Rachael Blackmore | 6 |
| 2020 | Paul Townend | 5 |
| 2019 | Nico De Boinville | 3 |
| 2018 | Davy Russell | 4 |
| 2017 | Ruby Walsh | 4 |
| 2016 | Ruby Walsh | 7 |
| 2015 | Ruby Walsh | 4 |
| 2014 | Ruby Walsh | 3 |
| 2013 | Ruby Walsh | 4 |
Cheltenham Festival Top Trainer odds
Townend is the clear favourite to make it three top jockey awards in four years with the 32 year old likely to get the majority of preferred rides from Willie Mullins’ yard.
He is 1/5 favourite to be crowned top jockey at the festival and it’s hard to look past him when he’ll be taking the saddle on some of the heavy favourites throughout the week.
However, Blackmore will be looking to regain her crown as top jockey after her huge success in 2021 and Nico De Boinville, who always excels at Cheltenham, will also be a contender.