2026

Pat Eddery

admin May 28, 2026

Born on March 18, 1952 in Newbridge, County Kildare, Patrick ‘Pat’ Eddery rode 4,632 winners on British soil, more than any other Flat jockey bar Sir Gordon Richards, who rode 4,870. Originally apprenticed to Seamus McGrath in County Dublin, in 1967 he crossed the Irish Sea to join Herbert ‘Frenchie’ Nicholson in Cheltenham, Gloucester and, after a slow start, rode his first winner on British soil, Alvaro, trained by Michael Pope, at Epsom on April 24, 1969.

Eddery was champion apprentice in 1971 and, the following year, became stable jockey to Peter Walwyn at Seven Barrows, Lambourn, Berkshire, for whom he would win his first two British Classics, the Oaks on Polygamy in 1974 and the Derby with Grundy in 1975. He also won the Flat Jockeys’ Championship four years running between 1974 and 1977. Eddery would become champion jockey seven more times, in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1996. His most successful season, numerically, came in 1990, when he rode 209 winners, making him the first jockey reach a double-century since the aforementioned Sir Gordon Richards rode 231 winners in 1952.

After eight years with Walwyn, Eddery became stable jockey to the original Master of Ballydoyle, Vincent O’Brien, for whom he won the Derby on Golden Fleece in 1982 and back-to-back renewals on the 2,000 Guineas on Lomond in 1983 and El Grand Senor in 1984, among other high-profile winners. Overseas, he won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe four times, on Detroit (1980), Rainbow Quest (1985), Dancing Brave (1986) and Trempolino (1987). In 1987, Eddery became retained jockey to Khalid Abdullah, the owner of Rainbow Quest and Dancing Brave, an association that would yield two more British Classic winners, Quest For Fame in the Derby in 1990 and Zafonic in the 2,000 Guineas in 1993.

Richard Johnson

admin May 28, 2026

Born in Hereford on July 21, 1977, Richard Johnson rode his first winner under Rules, Rusty Bridge, owned and trained by his parents, Keith and Sue Johnson, in a hunters’ chase at Hereford on April 30, 1994. As conditional jockey to David ‘The Duke’ Nicholson, he won the conditional jockeys’ title in 1995/96 and, as a fully-fledged professional, finished runner-up in the senior jockeys’ championship no fewer than 17 times, 16 times to Tony McCoy and once to Brian Hughes. McCoy retired on April 25, April and Johnson won his first senior jockeys’ title in 2015/16, with a career-best 235 winners on British soil, before successfully defending it in 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Johnson rode his last winner, Camprond, trained by Philip Hobbs, in a maiden hurdle at Taunton on March 23, 2021, before tearfully announcing his retirement, with immediate effect, at Newton Abbott on April 3, 2021. He told the ‘Racing Post’, “It was particularly important to me to finish on one for Philip and Sarah Hobbs [Brother Tedd, who finished third] who, like Henry Daly, have supported me for over 20 years. I’ll never be able to articulate what their loyalty has meant to me.”

At the end of his career, Johnson had ridden 3,819 National Hunt winners in Great Britain and Ireland, making him just the second man to exceed 3,000 winners – he reached that landmark on St. Saviour, trained by Hobbs, in a juvenile hurdle at Ludlow on February 3, 2016 – and the second-most-prolific National Hunt jockey in history, behind only McCoy. At the Cheltenham Festival, he rode total of 23 winners, including Looks Like Trouble, trained by Noel Chance, and Native River, trained by Colin Tizzard, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2000 and 2018, respectively. He also rode in the Grand National a record 21 times, without success, although he did finish second on What’s Up Boys and Balthazar King, both trained by Hobbs in 2002 and 2014.

Ruby Walsh

admin May 28, 2026

Born in Kill, County Kildare on May 14, 1979, Rupert ‘Ruby’ Walsh is the eldest son of trainer and former leading amateur jockey Ted Walsh. He rode his first winner, Siren Song, trained by his father, in a ‘bumper’ at Gowran Park on July 15, 1995 and his last, Kemboy, trained by Willie Mullins, in the Punchestown Gold Cup on May 1, 2019, after which he announced his immediate retirement. All told, Walsh rode 2,756 winners in Britain and Ireland, making him the third-most-prolific National Hunt jockey in history, behind only Tony Mcoy and Richard Johnson. In his native Ireland, where he rode a record 1,980 winners, he was champion amateur twice, in 1996/97 and 1997/98, and champion jockey a record 12 times between 1998/99 and 2016/17.

At the Cheltenham Festival, Walsh rode his first winner, Alexander Banquet, trained by Willie Mullins, in the Champion Bumper on March 18, 1998. Later in his career, he enjoyed profitable associations with Mullins, on one side of the Irish Sea, and Paul Nicholls, on the other, enabled him to ride a record 59 winners at the March showpiece meeting. Indeed, Walsh was leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival a record 11 times between 2004 and 2017, including a record seven winners over the four days in both 2009 and 2016. His Festival haul included winning the Stayers’ Hurdle a record five times, the Champion Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase four times apiece, the Queen Mother Champion Chase three times and the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice.

The best horse Walsh rode was Kauto Star, trained by Paul Nicholls – still the joint-fourth highest-rated steeplechaser in the history of Timeform – on whom he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice and the King George VI Chase a record five times. Last, but by no means least, Walsh also won the Grand National twice, on Papillon, trained by his father, in 2000 and Hedgehunter, trained byWillie Mullins, in 2005.

Lester Piggott

admin May 28, 2026

Born in Wantage, Berkshire on November 5, 1935, Lester Piggott became apprenticed to his father, Keith, and rode his first winner, The Chase, at Haydock on August 18, 1948, when still only 12 years old. Indeed, he was still only 14 when he rode out his claim on Zina at Brighton on September 20, 1950. Fast forward to October 5, 1994, again at Haydock, and Piggott guided Palacegate Jack, trained by Jack Berry, to a short-head victory in a five-furlong conditions stakes race, thereby recording his final winner on British soil prior to his retirement, for the second and final time, the following season, at the age of 59.

At the time of his retirement, Piggott had ridden 4,493 winners on the Flat in Britain alone, including a record 30 British Classic winners. He first won the Derby on Never Say Die, trained by Joseph Lawson, in 1954, but went on to win the second colts’ Classic on Crepello (1957), St Paddy (1960), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977) and Teenoso (1983) for a record nine wins altogether. Of course, Nijinsky, trained by Vincent O’Brien, subsequently became the last horse to win the Triple Crown, justify odds of 2/7 with a comfortable win in the St. Leger at Doncaster.

At various stages of his career, Piggott was stable jockey to Noel (later Sir Noel) Murless, Vincent O’Brien and Murless’ son-in-law, Henry (later Sir Henry) Cecil. He was champion jockey 11 times between 1960 and 1982, including eight years running between 1964 and 1971, and reached the landmark of 4,000 career winners on Ardross, trained by Henry Cecil, in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury on August 14, 1982. Ardross also won back-to-back renewals of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 1981 and 1982, contributing two to the record 116 victories Piggott chalked up at the June showpiece.

Kieren Fallon

admin May 27, 2026

Born in Crusheen, County Clare on February 22, 1965, Kieren Fallon retired from race riding, aged 51, in July suffering from what Dr. Adrian McGoldrick, chief medical officer for the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) described as “quite profound depression”. At the time of his retirement, Fallon had ridden 2,578 winners in Britain alone, including 16 British Classic winners, and won the Flat Jockeys’ Championship six times. At various points in his career, he had been stable jockey to Sir Henry Cecil, Sir Michael Stoute and Aidan O’Brien.

However, despite his success on the racecourse, Fallon was a rather divisive character, who courted controversy throughout his career. He rode his first winner on British soil, Evichstar, trained by the late Jimmy Fitzgerald, at Thirsk on April 16, 1988 and was a leading jockey in the North of England by the time of a well-publicised disciplinary incident at Beverley on September 14, 1994. After passing the post, Fallon dragged winning jockey Stuart Webster, from his mount, Sailormate, and was banned for six months for “violent and improper conduct”. In December 7, Fallon was acquitted, along with his co-defendants, of conspiracy to defraud Betfair at the Old Bailey, due to lack of evidence, but on January 25, 2008 received an 18-month ban after failing a drugs test, for the second time, at Deauville the previous August.

In happier times, Fallon became stable jockey to the late Sir Henry Cecil in Newmarket in 1997. He rode his first Classic winner, Sleepytime, trained by Cecil, in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 4, 1997 and went on to become champion jockey that year, with 202 winners, in 1998, with 204 winners and, again, in 1999, with 202 winners. Shortly after completing the Derby/Oaks double with Oath and Ramruna, Cecil and Fallon parted company but, notwithstanding a fall at Royal Ascot in 2000, which led to six months on the sidelines, Fallon continued to prosper. He was champion jockey again in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Joe Fanning

admin May 27, 2026

Born in Dublin, Ireland on on September 24, 1970, Joseph ‘Joe’ Fanning graduated from Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) at the Curragh, Co. Kildare, and rode his first winner on British soil, Holdenby, trained by the late Tommy ‘Squeak’ Fairhurst, in a handicap hurdle at Sedgefield on November 14, 1989. However, his career as a National Hunt jockey was short-lived; two fractured cervical vertebrae, sustained in a first-flight fall from Pansong, trained by Fairhurst, in a conditional jockeys’ selling handicap hurdle at Newcastle on March 19, 1990 prompted a switch to the Flat.

As a Flat jockey, Fanning rode his first winner, Henry Will, trained by Fairhurst, in an apprentice handicap at Yarmouth on Jube 6, 1990. He rode 17 winners in 1990, 43 winners in 1991 and 45 winners in 1992, thereby riding out his claim. In his first season as a fully-fledged professional, Fanning won the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle on Highflying, trained by George Moore, on June 26, 1993. By that stage of his career, he had already formed an association with the Kingsley Park yard of Mark Johnston, also in Middleham Moor, North Yorkshire, which would become formalised to years later and has continued to the present day.

Nowadays stable jockey to Charlie Johnston, son of Mark, Fanning enjoyed his most successful season, numerically, in 2012, when he rode 188 winners. He finally won the first Group 1 race of his career, the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on The Last Lion, trained by Mark Johnston, on September 24, 2016, the day on which he turned 46 years of age. At that point, he confessed to having “a feeling of relief”, but has since added two more, the Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp on October 25, 2020 and the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on June 17, 2021, both courtesy of Subjectivist, also trained by Johnston.

Currently the seventh most-prolific jockey in the history of British Flat racing, with nearly 3,000 winners to his name, Fanning has not been seen in competitive action since November 2025 and underwent surgery for prostate cancer in February 2026. He has not, however, ruled out a return to race riding in due course.