Jockeys’ Championships 2024/25
Winning any race, from the Grand National to a maiden chase, is down to far more than just a horse’s ability, so it can pay to be aware of the best jockeys. Both codes of horse racing (jumps and flat) in the UK and Ireland include a jockeys’ championship which runs throughout the season, and this gives a good idea of which jockey are the ones to watch. The jockey with the most winners at the end of the campaign is crowned the Champion Jockey.
National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship Betting
The National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship has been dominated by Tony McCoy, who is the leading jumps jockey championship winner with 20 titles before retiring in 2015.
McCoy’s retirement opened the door for Richard Johnson to claim the title in 2016. Johnson had to settle for second place behind his rival a remarkable 17 times, but finally won the award four times before retiring too.
The Jump Jockeys Championship is decided on ridden winners in National Hunt races from May to the following April. Brian Hughes regained the accolade during the 2021/22 season, retained it in 2022/23, but the trend didn’t continue as expected as Harry Cobden managed to win his first Jump Jockeys Championship in the 2023/24 season.
National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship betting is released ahead of the season, and some bookmakers are quoting odds. As of August 2024, Sean Bowen is leading the betting as the 2/5 favourite, but we have a long way to go as the current campaign runs through to the end of April 2025.
Leading National Hunt Jockeys 2024/25 – by Total Wins
Have a look at the current leaders in the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship so far for the 2024/25 season.
| Jockey | Wins | Rides |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Bowen | 47 | 283 |
| Harry Skelton | 46 | 163 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 27 | 166 |
| James Bowen | 26 | 126 |
| Henry Brooke | 24 | 123 |
*Statistics last updated on 23rd September 2024.
FILE PHOTO: Horse Racing – Cheltenham Festival – Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Britain – March 16, 2018 Richard Johnson on Native River celebrates after winning the 15.30 Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo/Ritzau Scanpix
Conditional Jockeys’ Championship Betting
The Conditional Jockeys’ Championship runs in National Hunt racing for jockeys who are able to claim weight for their ride.
Conditional jockeys can claim 7lb on their ride until they have ridden 20 winners. They are able to take 5lb off until they have 40 winners to their name, while it is 3lb up until they reach 75 winners. An additional 3lb is also taken off for Conditional Jockeys with fewer than five winners and are riding for their own stable.
Leading Conditional Jockeys 2023/24 – by Strike Rate
The Conditional Jumps Jockeys Championship is decided on ridden winners of National Hunt races, starting in May and running through to the following April.
| Jockey | Wins | Rides | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freddie Gingell | 11 | 39 | 28% |
| Jack Hogan | 8 | 50 | 16% |
| Caolin Quinn | 5 | 42 | 12% |
| Dylan Johnston | 5 | 49 | 10% |
| Joshua Thompson | 4 | 16 | 25% |
*Statistics last updated on 23rd September 2024
Flat Jockeys’ Championship Betting
It takes a great amount of skill and dedication to win the Flat Jockeys’ Championship. The next award will be determined by the number of winners ridden on both the turf and all weather from the Guineas Festival on 4th May to the 19th October, 2024
In 2022, jockey William Buick was crowned the leading flat champion jockey, with 157 wins, comfortably ahead of Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle, who recorded 91 winners apiece. Meanwhile, Buick held onto his crown in 2023, winning the Championship with 135 wins in 611 rides and had a good lead over Oisin Murphy and Rossa Ryan.
When you go through the course of history, some of the great flat riders have been Champion Jockeys, including Gordon Richards, Scobie Breasley, Lester Piggott and Pat Eddery. More recent winners include Frankie Dettori, Kieren Fallon and Ryan Moore.
Flat Jockeys Championship Odds
Many eyes were on Hollie Doyle in 2023 as she looked to become the first female jockey to win the jockeys’ title race, but William Buick came out on top. Now, Oisin Murphy is leading the way in 2024.
Leading Jockeys – Flat Jockeys Championship 2024 – by Total Wins
| Jockey | Wins | Rides | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oisin Murphy | 139 | 646 | 22% |
| Rosa Ryan | 92 | 527 | 17% |
| Tom Marquand | 92 | 547 | 17% |
| Billy Loughnane | 80 | 544 | 25% |
| William Buick | 69 | 345 | 20% |
*Statistics last updated on 23rd September 2024.
Trainers’ Championship – by Total Prize Money
| Trainer | Wins | Runs | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Skelton | 52 | 225 | £410,166 |
| Fergal O’Brien | 17 | 180 | £242,873 |
| Olly Murphy | 20 | 95 | £239,661 |
| Peter & Michael Bowen | 25 | 139 | £235,792 |
| Donald McCain | 21 | 155 | £207,547 |
*Statistics last updated on 23rd September 2024.
There are also championship titles handed out to trainers in Flat and National Hunt racing. In the UK, Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls have dominated the jump racing award over the last couple of decades. Willie Mullins has trained many top horses in Ireland for many years now.
It was no shock to see Willie Mullins win the British Jump Trainers’ Championship for 2023/24, with the trainer dominating at many of the big events over the course of the year. He will be looking to win it again over 2024/25.
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