For four days in the spring, Prestbury Park is the epicentre of the sporting world, putting racing front and centre like no other event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unmatched sporting theatre takes place on the famous Cotswolds turf and history records those that succeed here favourably. Here’s a look at the Top 5 Most Successful Jockeys at the Cheltenham Festival<\/a> through the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruby Walsh was crowned leading rider at The Festival on no less than 11 occasions. The Irish pilot was, at one stage, retained rider for Britain’s champion trainer Paul Nicholls and Ireland’s kingpin Willie Mullins at the same time – the pair happy to share his brilliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walsh’s first win at The Festival came in 1998 on the back of Alexander Banquet as an amateur. He won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on the Nicholls-trained Kauto Star in 2007 and 2009, the Champion Hurdle on four occasions for Mullins (Hurricane Fly (2011, 2013), Faugheen (2015) and Annie Power (2016)) and the Champion Chase three times on the Paul Nicholls-trained pair Azertyuiop (2004) and Master Minded (2008, 2009).<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also won four Stayers’ Hurdles<\/a> on the mighty Big Buck’s for Nicholls, while he partnered the great mare Quevega to six Festival wins in the Mares’ Hurdles – matching the feat of Golden Miller for successes at the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His last Cheltenham Festival winner came courtesy of Klassical Dream, again trained by Willie Mullins, in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle<\/a> in 2019, just a couple of months before he shocked the racing world with an immediate retirement after landing the Punchestown Gold Cup on Kemboy at his home track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Barry Geraghty was twice leading rider at the meeting (2003, 2012), with his first Festival winner having come on board Moscow Flyer in the 2002 Arkle.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRuby Walsh – Festival Winners: 59<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Barry Geraghty – Festival winners: 43<\/h2>\n\n\n\n