In horse racing, it doesn’t get much bigger than the Cheltenham Festival.
When assessing a jockey or trainer’s legacy in the sport, their tally of winners at the four-day Prestbury Park meeting is always taken into account.
Victories at Cheltenham are highly sought after, and a jockey or trainer can be catapulted into the limelight with some strong performances at the event.
Take trainer Henry de Bromhead and jockey Rachael Blackmore as a prime example.
The pair were well regarded before last year’s Cheltenham Festival, but with six victories apiece over the course of the four days, they were suddenly the cream of the crop in horse racing, and much is expected of them this year by those who bet on Cheltenham 2022.
Over the years, there have been many jockeys and trainers who have really stepped up to the mark at the Cheltenham Festival.
Here, we’ve put together a quick guide to some of the best of the best in terms of their performances at Prestbury Park.
Jockeys
When talking about the best-performing jockeys at the Cheltenham Festival, Ruby Walsh is the first name that springs to mind.
The Irishman is the most successful rider in the history of the event, with a seismic 59 winners over the course of his glittering career.
Between 2002 and his final Cheltenham appearance in 2019, Walsh recorded at least one victory in every edition of the Festival, proof of the special relationship he enjoyed with the Prestbury Park meeting.
Next on the list of the all-time great Cheltenham jockeys is Barry Geraghty.
Another Irishman to have enjoyed special success at the Festival, Geraghty enjoyed 43 wins in total.
It all started for him in 2002 with victory on board Moscow Flyer in the Arkle, and Geraghty would go on to earn wins in all of the championship races.
We can’t talk about leading jockeys without mentioning Tony McCoy.
The Northern Irishman boasted 31 Cheltenham winners over the course of his career, and as one of the sport’s leading lights for a lengthy period of time it was no surprise to see him dominating the winners’ enclosure at Cheltenham.
The highlight was two Gold Cup victories, some 15 years apart, triumphing on board Mr Mulligan in 1997 and Synchronised in 2012.
Trainers
In terms of trainers, Willie Mullins rules the roost.
With 78 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, Mullins is in a league of his own, and worryingly for the chasing pack, his horses seem to be getting stronger.
Having won the top trainer accolade at Cheltenham on numerous occasions in recent times, Mullins’ winners tally could eventually top the 100 mark.
It must be said that Nicky Henderson isn’t too far behind. With 70 Cheltenham winners to his name over the course of a glittering career as a trainer, the Englishman is very much part of the fabric of the Festival.
Henderson only recorded two victories at Cheltenham last year, so he’ll be hoping to land a few more top prizes in 2022.
It’s quite a jump down to the next man on the list, but Paul Nicholls’ 46 Cheltenham triumphs still represent a mightily impressive total.
Nicholls has been a leading light at the Festival for many years, although he is another one who has suffered as a result of the recent Irish dominance at Prestbury Park.
Indeed, he didn’t land a single winner at Cheltenham last year, so he’ll be out to get back on track in a couple of weeks’ time.