2010 Cheltenham Festival Top 3 Jockeys
It’s that time of year again, the Cheltenham festival is on and once again, people are lining up to watch history in the making. Horses are jumping, alcohol is flowing and the people are investing. And it’s the people’s investments I’m interested in. Whether it be races, horses or jockeys, the people have vested interests in the success and failure of certain events and individuals. Even though a race comes down to many different aspects, what it truly comes down to is the horse and his jockey. This begs the question, who are the best jockeys?
The list is an elite one, with few names and many accomplishments. Ruby Walsh, Tony McCoy and Richard Johnson are at the head. These are the men whose prowess and expertise are defining a generation of horse jumping fans. Let’s explore their careers and discover what it is about them that make them athletes beyond compare.
Anthony Peter McCoy is regarded as the finest jump jockey in history, in 2009 he rode his 3000th winner. His career is defined by record breakers. In the 1994-1995 seasons he had 74 winners. He’s been dubbed Champion Jockey 13 seasons straight, between 1994 and 2007, during that run he set a new National Hunt record for winners in 1 season with 289 wins, and he is the fastest jockey to reach the 1000 winner mark. In October of 2006 he was the first jump jockey to reach the 2500 winner mark. In 2002 he broke his own record by riding 289 winners.
His career is a great one, and his legacy cannot be questioned, but what matters most, is here, and now. If you’re of the wagering minded, I encourage you not to let this brilliant career cloud your judgment on the present. He accomplished great things in his time, he is a legend, but the unfortunate thing about legends is that they are relegated to the past, this shouldn’t be forgotten.
Richard Johnson is another note worthy jockey. At age 18, in 1995, he was given the Champion Conditional Jockey award, in 2000 he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Look Like Trouble. In 2002 He won the Queen Mother Champion Chase solidifying his status in race jump history. With 2000 career winners he is of the great, a status confirmed by the fact that he is one of only two jockeys racing today to have won all four of Cheltenham festival races, the other being Barry Geraghty.
Barry Geraghty is a hard working man who climbed the ranks and is now one of the most successful Irish jockeys alive today. His first winner was in 1997, and since then, he hasn’t looked back. In 2000 he became Irish Champion Jump Jockey for the first time. In November of 2009 he rode his 1000th winner. He won the Grand National in 2003, but what is most interesting is his track record at the Cheltenham Festival. Between 2002 and 2009 he garnished too many awards to mention, awards which include the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2003, the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2005 and the 2009 Champion Hurdle.
Of all the greats, none is more talked about than Ruby Walsh. An Irishman whose shown talent from an early age winning the amateurs twice his past accomplishments are too many to mention. Ruby Walsh currently rides with two of the most powerful stables in Europe, one on each side of the Irish Sea. This arrangement is unprecedented, but so is his track record. With winners on both sides of the cost including Kauto Star and Denman Ruby Walsh has become a phenomenon. He rides with both Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls. Ruby is a true diamond and where he goes, the money follows.
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