Boyman on Sport - A golden era for jump racing

There have been some exceptionally talented horses winning our top races since the turn of the century. Kauto Star, Denman, Best Mate and Big Buck’s have all thrilled the punters over the last few years.

However, while it is the horses who do a lot of the work, I’d also suggest that we have had more than our fair share of stellar jockeys during that time.

The obvious example is the great AP McCoy, who will retire this summer having ridden more than 4,000 winners and after collecting 20 consecutive Champion Jockey titles.

It’s an incredible record, which will probably never be equalled. When you think of the number of serious injuries picked up by jockeys, managing to stay fit enough to be the top rider for 20 years is astonishing.

One of McCoy’s main strengths has been an incredible work ethic. To ride 4,000 winners, he has had to ride an insane number of races, rarely having a day off during the season and travelling a huge amount of miles to pick up rides.

When you consider all of his success, you have to look at his record in the biggest races and wonder whether he should have won more. Or is that a bit harsh?

First of all, let’s put this in perspective. McCoy has ridden 31 winners at the Cheltenham Festival and claimed pretty much every big race going.

He’s won the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice, the Grand National, three Champion Hurdles and the Queen Mother Champion Chase, to name a few. That’s a list of races that most other jockeys would give their right arm to win.

However, when you consider the ridiculously high standards that McCoy has set for himself, maybe he will feel that he could have won more of these big races.

This is where my point about this being a golden era for jockeys comes in. There are two jockeys who, for the most part, have lived in McCoy’s shadow, but at most other times would have been considered in even higher regard.

Ruby Walsh has ridden more than 2,000 winners in his career, winning somewhere between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of his races.

He seems to lack McCoy’s drive for everyday winners, but when it comes to the big races, his record is second to none. It even eclipses the champ himself.

Walsh has ridden an amazing 45 winners at Cheltenham, 14 more than McCoy, claiming the top jockey title at the festival nine times, while his list of big race wins is even more impressive. The Irishman has won the Grand National twice, the Gold Cup twice, the Queen Mother Champion Chase three times, the World Hurdle four times and the Champion Hurdle three times.

For all of his achievements in the sport, I wouldn’t be surprised if McCoy looks at Walsh’s record in the big races slightly enviously.

While it cannot be argued that Walsh goes under the radar, this is something that can be said of the third fantastic jockey of this era, Barry Geraghty.

He’s not as prolific as the other two, winning a mere 1,000 races, but he has claimed 33 winners at Cheltenham, two more than McCoy, and won most of the big races.

Whether Walsh or Geraghty’s record in the big races makes them better jockeys than McCoy, I’m not sure. McCoy could have won more big races, but he has been incredibly loyal to JP McManus, the man he calls ‘the boss’.

McCoy has become synonymous with McManus’ distinctive colours, possibly to the detriment of his own career. He’s had plenty of success, but on numerous occasions, he’s ridden inferior horses for McManus when he surely could have got a ride on one of the more fancied runners.

McCoy will rightly go down as a legend of the sport, but Walsh and Geraghty have also been tremendous assets to the sport. Either of them could have been dominant were it not for McCoy – and they should certainly not be forgotten when we are looking back at a fantastic period for jump racing.