Category: Jockeys

Born in Lydford-on-Fosse, Somerset on November 5, 1998, Harry Cobden is, like many of his weighing room colleagues, a recruit from the field of point-to-point racing. He had been associated with Paul Nicholls’ yard in nearby Ditcheat since his early teens and became conditional jockey to the now 14-time champion trainer at the start of the 2015/16 National Hunt season. He rode his first winner under rules, El Mondo, trained by Rachael Green, at Leicester on March 6, 2015 and his first winner for Nicholls, Ulck Du Lin, at Wincanton on April 19, 2015.

In 2016/17, Cobden won the conditional jockeys’ title, riding out his claim in the process and, towards the of the 2017/18 season, became Nicholls’ stable jockey. By that stage, he had already ridden his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Kilbricken Storm, trained by Colin Tizzard, in the Spa Novices’ Hurdle on March 16, 2018. Indeed, Tizzard also offered Cobden the job as stable jockey at his yard in Milborne Port, Dorset prior to his appointment with Nicholls.

In 2019, Cobden added a second Cheltenham winner, the subsequently injury-prone Topofthegame, trained by Nicholls, in the Broadway Novices’ Chase. After a brief hiatus, in 2023 he added winners three and four, Stay Away Fay in the Spa Novices’ Hurdle, again, and Stage Star in the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase; both horses were trained by Nicholls. Last, but by no means least, in 2024 Cobden won the Pertemps Final on Monmiral, again trained by Nicholls, en route to winning his maiden senior jockeys’ title.

John Francome once said, “Having Harry Cobden on your side is like taking 7lb off a horse’s back…” Still only 26, able to ride at 10st 2lb and already with 24 Grade 1 wins to his name, Cobden looks destined for greatness, at the Cheltenham Festival and elsewehere.

At the time of writing, Rachael Blackmore has only recently returned to the saddle, having recovered from a neck injury sustained in a fall at Downpatrick on September 20, 2024. Blackmore, 35, will always be best remembered as the first female jockey to win the Grand National, which she did on Minella Times, trained by Henry de Bromhead, in 2021, but has already rewritten the racing history books more than once in her pioneering career.

Born on July 11, 1989 in Killenaule, County Tipperary, Blackmore rode her first winner as a professional, Most Honourable, trained by John Joseph Hanlon, in handicap hurdle at Clonmel on September 3, 2015 and in the decade since has rarely looked back. In 2016/17, she became the first woman to win the Irish conditional jockeys’ title and rode out her claim on Sweet Home Chicago, trained by Colin Bowe, in a maiden hurdle at Wexford on June 21, 2017.

At the Cheltenham Festival, Blackmore rode her first winner, A Plus Tard, in the Centenary Novices’ Handicap Chase in 2019 and has since increased her career tally to 16 wins, notably including the Champion Hurdle, twice, on Honeysuckle (2021, 2022), the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard (2022) and the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Captain Guinness (2024).

Thus, she became the first woman to win each of those ‘feature’ races and, in 2021, when she rode a total of six winners, the first woman to win the leading jockey award at the Cheltenham Festival. The Stayers’ Hurdle is the notable omission from her CV, but she has also won the Ryanair Chase twice, on Allaho (2021) and Envoi Allen (2023). Remarkably, Blackmore is already sits in eleventh place on the all-time list at the Festival and, of jockeys still riding, only compatriot Paul Townend, with 34 winners, has achieved more success at the March showpiece meeting.

Born in Youghal, County Cork on June 27, 1979, David Niall ‘Davy’ Russell retired from the saddle for the second and final time on April 15, 2023, Grand National Day, and will always be best remembered for winning back-to-back renewals of the world famous steeplechase on Tiger Roll, trained by Gordon Elliott, in 2018 and 2019. There was to be no fairytale ending to his Grand National career, though, as he was unseated from Galvin, also trained by Elliott, at the first fence on his final attempt. He had, however, won the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle on Irish Point, again trained by Ellliott, earlier in the day to take his career tally to 61 Grade 1 winners.

A successful amateur rider, with 133 point-to-point winners to his name, Russell joined Ferdy Murphy in Middleham, North Yorkshire in 2002 and rode his first winner as a professional, Inn Antique in a novices’ hurdle at Sedgefield, in November that year. He subsequently returned to Ireland to ride as a freelance jockey and between 2007 and 2013 was retained by Gigginstown House Stud. He became champion jockey in his native land three times, in 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2017/18.

As far as the Cheltenham Festival is concerned, Russell rode a total of 25 winners, starting with Native Jack, trained by Philip Rothwell, in what is now the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase in 2006. Thereafter, he had the distinction of riding at least one Festival winner every year up to and including 2018.

He won the Pertemps Final and the Broadway Novices’ Chase three times apiece, on Mall Dini (2016), Presenting Percy (2017) and Delta Work (2018) and Weapons Amnesty (2010), Lord Windermere (2013) and Presenting Percy (2018), as well as the Triumph Hurdle on the aforementioned Tiger Roll (2014). His highest-profile Festival success came in a dramatic edition of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2014, when he guided Lord Windermere, trained by Jim Culloty, to a short-head victory over On His Own, trained by Willie Mullins, and survived a lengthy stewards’ inquiry.

Born in Midleton, County Cork on September 15, 1990, Paul Townend became stable jockey to Willie Mullins at Closutton, County Carlow following the retirement of Ruby Walsh on May 1, 2019. That season he won his second Irish jump jockeys’ title, having won his first, aged just 20, in 2010/11. Indeed, following his promotion, he would retain his title for the next four seasons running.

As far as the Cheltenham Festival is concerned, Townend rode his first winner, What A Charm, trained by Arthur Moore, in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle in 2011. He has since increased his career tally to 34 winners and won each of the four ‘feature’ races – the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup – at least once.

Townend has the distinction of winning the ‘Blue Riband’ event, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, four times, twice on Al Boum Photo (2019 and 2020) and twice on Galopin Des Champs (2023 and 2024). Those wins represent a welcome change of fortune for Mullins, who, prior to 2019, had saddled the runner-up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on six occasions. Of course, the future could be brighter still for Mullins, Townend and Galopin Des Champs who, at the time of writing, is top-priced 6/4 favourite to become the first horse since Best Mate, in 2004, to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup three years running.

Townend has won the Queen Mother Chase twice, on Energumene (2022 and 2023), and the Champion Hurdle and Stayers’ Hurdle once apiece, on State Man (2024) and Penhill (2018), respectively. He was also won the County Hurdle four times, the Arkle Challenge Trophy and the Triumph Hurdle three times apiece and the Ryanair Chase twice. Indeed, in 2020, 2022 and 2023, Townend won the Ruby Walsh Trophy, awarded to the leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival, having ridden five winners over the four days on each occasion.