Jockeys’ Championships 2022/2023
Both codes of horse racing (jumps and flat) in the UK and Ireland include a jockeys’ championship which runs throughout the season. 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 30th April 2022 to 29th April 2023. Brian Hughes regained the accolade during the 2021/22 season, and the trend is expected to continue.
National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship betting was released ahead of the season, and some bookmakers are still quoting odds. As of August, Brian Hughes (4/11 favourite) leads the standing, but Sean Bowen (4/1) and Harry Skelton (6/1) both remain in contention. The campaign will run through to the end of April 2023.
Leading Jockeys – National Hunt 2022/2023 – by Total Wins
| Jockey | Wins | Rides | Prize Money | Bet on Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Hughes | 50 | 214 | £432,787 | Bet with |
| Sean Bowen | 46 | 170 | £377,623 | Bet with |
| Paddy Brennan | 25 | 74 | £174,349 | Bet with |
| Kielan Woods | 24 | 95 | £172,143 | Bet with |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 24 | 146 | £241,014 | Bet with |
*Odds and statistics last updated on 4th August 2022.
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.
Kevin Brogan and Liam Harrison led the way in 2021/22, with Brogan eventually winning out in the fight for the title. Fergus Gregory and Ben Godfrey are other names which will hope to challenge for the crown this season.
Leading Jockeys – Conditional Jockeys 2022/2023 – by Total Prize Money
The Conditional Jumps Jockeys Championship is decided on ridden winners of National Hunt races from 30th April 2022 to 22nd April 2023.
The new jumps season will see up-and-coming jockeys like Chester Williams, Luca Morgan and Niall Houlihan as popular choices to be the top jumps conditional jockey.
| Jockey | Wins | Rides | Prize Money | Bet on Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Armson | 18 | 115 | £201,453 | Bet with |
| Kevin Brogan | 13 | 70 | £122,951 | Bet with |
| Luca Morgan | 8 | 39 | £54,691 | Bet with |
| Tom Midgley | 8 | 50 | £67,649 | Bet with |
| Harry Kimber | 7 | 25 | £40,755 | Bet with |
*Statistics last updated on 4th August 2022.
Flat Jockeys’ Championship Betting
It takes a great amount of skill and dedication to win the Flat Jockeys’ Championship. The most recent award was decided on winners ridden on both the turf and all weather from the Guineas Festival on 30th April 2022 to British Champions Day at Ascot on 15th October 2022.
In 2021, jockey Oisin Murphy was crowned the leading flat champion jockey for the third time, with 153 wins, narrowly beating William Buick into second place, who managed 151 winners.
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
In 2021, Oisin Murphy won the title for the third time in his career with 153, but that wasn’t as many as his haul in 2019 – 168 winners. That was the biggest total since Richard Hughes was successful in 2013 with 208 winners in the year.
Murphy’s decision to temporarily relinquish his licence in December 2021 means we’ll have a new Champion Jockey in 2022. William Buick, second in 2020 and 2021 – is heavy odds-on at 1/10 in the betting (odds correct on 4th August 2022). However the battle for second is more competitive, as Tom Marquand (2/1), who was third in 2021, goes up against Hollie Doyle (4/6) and Ben Curtis (6/1) in the Flat Jockeys Championship 2022 betting without William Buick.
Many eyes have been on Hollie Doyle in 2022 as she looks to become the first female jockey to win the jockeys’ title race, and she’s certainly giving her backers a run for their money.
Leading Jockeys – Flat Jockeys Championship 2022 – by Total Prize Money
| Jockey | Wins | Rides | Prize Money | Bet on Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Buick | 96 | 378 | £3,249,363 | Bet with |
| Hollie Doyle | 66 | 358 | £1,679,094 | Bet with |
| Tom Marquand | 57 | 370 | £1,931,473 | Bet with |
| Ben Curtis | 56 | 283 | £866,976 | Bet with |
| Paul Mulrennan | 52 | 308 | £529,936 | Bet with |
*Odds and statistics last updated on 4th August 2022.
All-weather Jockeys’ Championship Betting
The British All-Weather Jockeys’ Championship takes place from late October through to late April. The winner is decided by the jockey who rides the most winners in this period on all-weather tracks.
Ben Curtis has has been forced to undergo shoulder and foot operations, so improving the prospects of David Probert and Hollie Doyle as they vied to be All Weather top jockey 2022.
Leading Jockeys – All Weather Jockeys 2021/2022 – by Total Prize Money
The AW Jockeys’ Championship is decided on ridden winners of flat races taking place on the All Weather between 19/10/21 and 15/04/22:
| Jockey | Wins | Rides | Prize Money | Bet on Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Probert | 81 | 486 | £683,739 | Bet with |
| Hollie Doyle | 62 | 448 | £656,622 | Bet with |
| Daniel Muscutt | 52 | 302 | £384,616 | Bet with |
| Jason Watson | 49 | 306 | £348,169 | Bet with |
| Marco Ghiani | 48 | 274 | £341,099 | Bet with |
*Statistics are the final standings from 2022.
Trainers’ Championship – by Total Prize Money
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. They were the top two in the National Hunt Trainers’ Championship betting for the 2021/22 season, and headed the Trainers’ Championship standings alongside Dan Skelton.
| Trainer | Wins | Runs | Prize Money | Bet on Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fergal O’Brien | 45 | 112 | £375,545 | Bet with |
| David Pipe | 23 | 105 | £293,210 | Bet with |
| Dan Skelton | 25 | 74 | £211,907 | Bet with |
| Paul Nicholls | 17 | 36 | £209,896 | Bet with |
| Neil Mulholland | 21 | 72 | £188,797 | Bet with |
*Statistics last updated on 4th August 2022.
In Ireland, Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have been involved in a fascinating duel for the Irish National Hunt Trainers Championship in recent years. Those two men were again locked in a battle for the title in 2021/22.
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