Jockeys’ Championships 2020/2021
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.
Flat Jockeys’ Championship Betting
The winner of the Flat Jockeys’ Championship is not always who is the best Flat jockey in the sport at that moment in time. Many of the leading riders today do not ride enough to have a realistic chance of scooping this prize.
That said, it takes a great amount of skill and dedication to win the award and the achievement should not be undervalued.
The flat jockeys championship is decided on winners ridden on both the turf and all weather from 1st June 2020 until Saturday 7th November 2020 and Doncaster.
In 2020, jockey Oisin Murphy was crowned the leading flat champion jockey with 142 wins, beating William Buick into second place, who managed 134 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, Pat Eddery and Frankie Dettori.
Flat Jockeys Championship Odds
In 2020 Oisin Murphy won the title for the first time in his career with 142, 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.
The Flat Jockeys’ Championship runs from early June through to early November, with the British Champion Series the final meeting which counts towards the standings.
Murphy is currently the favourite to win the 2021 Flat jockeys’ title and retain his crown – he’s around Evs in the betting (odds correct 16th No 2020)* in the Flat Jockeys’ Championship betting. His biggest challengers are likely to be William Buick, who was second in 2020, Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle they have odds of 2/1, 6/1 and 10/1 in the flat jockeys’ outright betting market.
All eyes will be on Hollie Doyle in 2021 as she looks be become the first female jockey to win the jockeys’ title race – she had another top season in 2020 and rode 94 winners. She’s sure to be busy around the lesser tracks but is starting to get rides in the big Group and Listed races too – she would certainly give you a run for your money.
Leading Jockeys – Flat Jockeys Championship 2020 – by Total-Prize-Money
| Jockey | No. of Wins | No. of Rides | Total Prize Money* | Bet on Jockeys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oisin Murphy | 142 | 807 | £2,201,653 | Bet with |
| William Buick | 134 | 632 | 1,708,277 | Bet with |
| Tom Marquand | 114 | 822 | £1,454,108 | Bet with |
| Hollie Doyle | 94 | 655 | £944,831 | Bet with |
| Ben Curtis | 92 | 658 | £513,251 | Bet with |
*Statistics at time of writing November 2020.
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 so often had to settle for second place behind his rival but he has now won the award four times.
The Jump Jockeys Championship is decided on ridden winners in National Hunt races from 4 May 2019 to 25 April 2020. Brian Hughes is expected to be a new name on the title in 2020 when the 2019/20 is finally officially wrapped up. The Northern-based jockey has had the best season of his career so far.
Johnson is the favourite in the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship betting to become Champion Jockey for the fifth time next year. The campaign will run from early May 2020 through to the end of April 2021.
Leading Jockeys – National Hunt 2019/2020 – by Total-Prize-Money
| Jockey | No. of Wins | No. of Rides | Total Prize Money* | Bet on Jockeys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Hughes | 141 | 716 | £1,309,714 | Bet with |
| Richard Johnson | 122 | 669 | £1,206,688 | Bet with |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 99 | 589 | £1,623,215 | Bet with |
| Harry Skelton | 97 | 473 | £1,428,847 | Bet with |
| Harry Cobden | 83 | 399 | £1,513,102 | Bet with |
*Statistics at time of writing March 2020.
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.
Jonjo O’Neill Jr leads the way in the 2019/20 table and is expected to win the title. Ben Jones and Connor Brace and Rex Dingle are names which will be hoping to challenge for the crown next season.
Leading Jockeys – Conditional Jockeys 2019/2020 – by Total-Prize-Money
The Conditional Jump Jockeys Championship is decided on ridden winners of National Hunt races from 20th July 2020 to 24th April 2021.
The new jumps season will see up-and-coming jockeys like Jack Tudor, Max Kendrick, Rex Dingle, Bryan Carver and Danny McMenamin be popular choices to be the top jumps conditional jockey.
| Jockey | No. of Wins | No. of Rides | Total Prize Money* | Bet on Jockeys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonjo O’Neill Jr | 60 | 344 | £632,476 | Bet with |
| Ben Jones | 34 | 168 | £520,872 | Bet with |
| Connor Brace | 34 | 234 | £296,684 | Bet with |
| Danny McMenamin | 27 | 218 | £233,682 | Bet with |
| Rex Dingle | 24 | 143 | £1,513,102 | Bet with |
*Statistics at time of writing March 2020.
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 had an exceptional year over the last 12 months and he is the current All Weather top jockey. Ben Curtis rode 101 AW winners to secure the title, with 476 rides.
Leading Jockeys – All Weather Jockeys 2019/2020 – by Total-Prize-Money
The AW Jockeys’ Championship is decided on ridden winners of flat races taking place on the All Weather between 22/10/19 to 10/04/20:
| Jockey | No. of Wins | No. of Rides | Total Prize Money* | Bet on Jockeys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Curtis | 101 | 476 | £657,804 | Bet with |
| Luke Morris | 67 | 569 | £488,546 | Bet with |
| Hollie Doyle | 58 | 364 | £508,529 | Bet with |
| Jason Hart | 41 | 238 | £248,006 | Bet with |
| Jack Mitchell | 40 | 213 | £293,671 | Bet with |
*Statistics at time of writing March 2020.
Trainers’ Championship
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 this award over the last couple of decades. They are the top two in the National Hunt Trainers’ Championship betting for the 2020/21 season.
In Ireland, Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have been involved in a fascinating dual for the Irish National Hunt Trainers Championship over the last three years. Those two men are expected to be locked into a great battle for the title once again in 2020.
