Can Paul Townend Win Another Top Jockey Title at the Cheltenham Festival in 2025?

To be the best jockey in racing, you need to have an immense amount of natural talent… and have friends in high places.

For Paul Townend, the stars have aligned to hand him both of those attributes. He’s a fantastic horseman, with an innate knowledge of race strategy relative to each individual horse he rides.

And that talent has seen him hand-selected by none other than Willie Mullins to be his number one rider… giving Townend access to some of the best jumps horses in training today.

Is it any wonder, then, that the 34-year-old is closing in on yet another Irish Champion Jockey title? At the time of writing in February, he’s earned £1.65 million in prize money during the 2024/25 season. His nearest competitor, Sam Ewing, is back on £1.17 million… and he’s ridden in twice the number of races.

With 34 Cheltenham Festival wins to his name, including four Gold Cups courtesy of Al Boum Photo and Galopin Des Champs (twice apiece), can anybody stop Townend from dominating at the March meeting once more?

Here’s a look at those most likely to challenge for top jockey honours…

Nico De Boinville

The best jockey crown at the Cheltenham Festival is awarded to the rider with the most wins over the four days… other results are only taken into consideration if two or more handlers are tied.

So that explains why Townend is such a hot favourite to land the honour, given that he gets the plum rides from Mullins’ yard – even just five or six winners could be enough to top the jockeys’ standings.

But Nico De Boinville is no forlorn hope in that regard, representing Great Britain’s best chance of ending the Irish monopoly at Prestbury Park.

He has a number of potential winners booked, with Constitution Hill – a former Champion Hurdle victor – looking to win again for De Boinville and his trainer, Nicky Henderson. The eight-year-old, who has won both of his races so far in 2024/25, is available at best Cheltenham odds of 4/6 to land a second triumph in the renewal.

However, De Boinville’s hopes have been tarnished by the absence of not one but two elite-level campaigners, who will both be forced to miss the Cheltenham Festival. Sir Gino, a Grade 1 winner who has already prevailed twice at Prestbury Park, has suffered a potentially career threatening injury.

And Joyeuse, who was so impressive when winning a prestigious handicap race at Newbury in February, cannot compete at Cheltenham because she hasn’t raced five times or more… a pre-requisite for the festival.

So can De Boinville get over those two losses and still challenge for top jockey honours?

Mark Walsh

Given Ireland’s dominance of the Cheltenham Festival – Irish horses won 12 of the 14 Grade 1 races at the meeting in 2024, it’s only natural that one of Townend’s countrymen could be one of his closest rivals at the March showpiece.

Mark Walsh is one of those quiet, under-the-radar types, but his talent cannot be questioned. At the time of writing, just four jockeys had amassed €1 million or more in prize money on Irish soil in 2024/25… Walsh, one of that contingent, had done so in the fewest number of races.

He’s a freelance jockey that will take rides from Mullins, Henry de Bromhead, Joseph O’Brien and more, which gives him the opportunity to saddle a wider range of horses than somebody like Townend, who has that exclusivity deal in place.

Walsh will likely take the ride on a number of big players at Cheltenham, including Majborough, Fact to File and Perceval Legallois.

Jack Kennedy

It’s a race against time for Jack Kennedy to be fit for the 2025 edition of the festival.

He broke his leg – the sixth time he has suffered such a sickening injury – back in November, with the recovery period such that it will be touch and go right up to the meeting’s start on March 11.

If he can make it in time, there’s no doubting Kennedy’s Cheltenham credentials. He’s been in the saddle for 12 wins at the festival – on eleven different horses, no less, with his triumph aboard Minella Indo in the Gold Cup back in 2021 the undoubted highlight.

Kennedy would presumably ride his regular companions, including Brighterdaysahead, Spillane’s Tower and Farren Glory, who would each be a genuine contender to win their respective races.

But, all that being said, Paul Townend remains very much the man to beat.