At the time of his ‘shock’ retirement from the saddle in July, 2020, Barry Geraghty had ridden 43 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, making him the second most successful jockey in the history of the so-called ‘Olympics of National Hunt racing’, behind only compatriot Ruby Walsh. Indeed, his career total is some way ahead of the 25 winners ridden by Davy Russell, who is the only one of the top five jockeys in the all-time list still riding, so his position looks assured for years to come.
Geraghty rode his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Moscow Flyer, in the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 2002 and his last, Saint Roi, in the County Handicap Hurdle in 2020. In between times, he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice, on Kicking King in 2005 and Bobs Worth in 2013, the Champion Hurdle a record-equalling four times, on Punjabi in 2009, Jezki in 2014, Buveur D’Air in 2018 and Epatante in 2020, the Queen Mother Champion Chase a record-equalling five times, on Moscow Flyer in 2003 and 2005, Big Zeb in 2010, Finian’s Rainbow in 2012 and Sprinter Sacre in 2013 and the Stayers’ Hurdle twice, on Iris’s Gift in 2004 and More Of That in 2014.
Geraghty was leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival twice, in 2003 and 2012, with five winners on both occasions. Indeed, he went agonisingly close to becoming leading jockey again in 2020, when he rode five winners for leading owner John Patrick ‘J.P.’ McManus – for whom he replaced Sir Anthony McCoy as retained jockey in 2015 – only to lose out on countback to Paul Townend. Remarkably, with the exception of 2017, Geraghty rode at least one winner at the Cheltenham Festival every year between 2002 and 2020.