Irish jockeys have made their mark on the history books, both in years gone by and across recent events and festivals.
Horse racing is one of the most popular spectator sports in Ireland, and when you look at the history of the country’s top competitors, it’s not hard to see why. Irish jockeys, trainers, and owners have made their mark on the history books and dominated the sport in recent years. In fact, at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, Irish-trained horses won 18 of the 28 races contested!
Reading on, we’ll be taking a look at some of the most famous Irish jockeys in horse racing today, as well as reviewing some of the riders who paved the way for their success. Read on to learn about the greatest Irish jockeys of the past and present.
Which Irish jockeys are currently leading the way?
Thanks to Ireland’s rich horse racing history, many of the sport’s current top competitors hail from the Emerald Isle. From Grand National winners to Cheltenham Gold Cup victors, these are some of the most famous Irish jockeys competing today:
Paul Townend
Hailing from Lisgoold in County Cork, Paul Townend has become one of the most successful jockeys in recent memory thanks to his partnership with legendary Irish trainer Willie Mullins. His accomplishments include four Cheltenham Gold Cup wins, as well as victories in both the 2023 Irish Grand National and 2024 Aintree Grand National. It has been estimated that Townend has won more than €21 million in prize money since his first race in 2007.
Darragh O’Keeffe
Born in 2000, Darragh O’Keeffe is a young jockey who has so far been in top form across the 2025/26 National Hunt season, with more than 40 race wins to his name. His strong performances shouldn’t come as a surprise, though, given that in the 2024/25 season, he was estimated to have earned more than €1,139,225 across 583 runs. Notably, he was presented with the HRI Ride of the Year award in 2021 for his Savills Chase performance on A Plus Tard, who would later go on to win the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Sam Ewing
Sam Ewing began his career as a pony racer during childhood, where he racked up more than 100 wins and won the 2017 Dingle Derby at the age of 13. He moved to horse racing at just 16 years old, where he rode his first winner after ten races. Ewing is now regarded as one of the best jockeys in Ireland, having won 67 races and more than €1.8 million in prize money in the 2024/25 National Hunt season.
Keith Donoghue
Keith Donoghue rode his first winner in 2009 and has since solidified himself as one of the most famous Irish jump jockeys in the sport. His most notable victories have been at the Cheltenham Festival, where he is a record five-time winner of the Cross Country Chase. He won the first three of these races with the two-time Grand National-winning Irish racehorse Tiger Roll.
Danny Mullins
Danny Mullins’ family are one of the most successful dynasties in horse racing history. His uncle, Willie Mullins, has trained the most winners in Cheltenham history, while his father Tony has also trained multiple Grade 1 winners. Danny is living up to their success, winning the Irish Gold Cup and King George VI Chase to become one of Ireland’s top jockeys. He has also found success at the Cheltenham Festival, winning the 2021 Stayers’ Hurdle as a last-minute entrant when Jonathan Moore fell ill.
Mark Walsh
Rounding out our picks for the most famous Irish jockeys competing today, Mark Walsh has become a mainstay of the Cheltenham Festival in recent years. His first win at Cheltenham came in the 2019 Champion Hurdle, but he has since won the 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle and the 2025 Gold Cup. Walsh also came within touching distance of becoming a Grand National winner in 2022, eventually falling short to English jockey Sam Waley-Cohen.
Irish jockeys of years gone by
Ireland has made its mark on modern horse racing, but many of the country’s most successful jockeys wouldn’t be where they are without the work of these trailblazers:
AP McCoy
Regarded as one of the greatest jockeys of all time, AP McCoy rode a record-breaking 4,358 winning horses across his illustrious career. Some of his most notable wins include two Cheltenham Gold Cups, three Champion Hurdles, and the 2010 Grand National, which led to him being named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. To this day, McCoy holds the record for the most British Champion Jump Jockey titles of all time, with 20 consecutive seasons spent at the top of the sport.
Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh ranks as one of the most prolific winners in the history of Irish jump racing, having led horses such as Big Buck’s and Kauto Star to monumental wins at major competitions. Throughout his career, Walsh was one of the Cheltenham Festival’s most successful jockeys, having won two Cheltenham Gold Cups and the 2017 Stayers’ Hurdle. The 2016/17 Irish jump racing season was his last before retirement, where he won 35% of his races.
Mick Kinane
Boasting a 34-year career, Mick Kinane is one of the most prolific winners in the history of Irish flat racing. He found great success in some of the sport’s most prestigious flat races, including the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, which he won four times between 1990 and 2009. Kinane was also one of the most successful riders in Ascot history, winning the festival’s Gold Cup three times in his career.
John Murtagh
As a teenager in County Meath, Johnny Murtagh was initially training to be a boxer until a spectator encouraged him to take up horse racing. He would go on to become one of Ireland’s leading flat racers, with two wins in the 2,000 Guineas, five Ascot Gold Cups, and four Irish Derby wins. Since retiring from racing, Murtagh has also found great success as a trainer, as his horses won the 2020 Matron Stakes and 2021 Irish St. Leger.
Pat Taaffe
Throughout the 1960s, Pat Taaffe was one of the most dominant racers in the Irish National Hunt, primarily thanks to his riding of the legendary horse Arkle. This pairing led Taaffe to win four Cheltenham Gold Cups – more than any other jockey in history at the time. Meanwhile, he won the Aintree Grand National in 1955 and 1970, and won the Irish Grand National on six occasions. After his retirement, Taaffe would work as a trainer, where he led Captain Christy to a win at the 1974 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Rachael Blackmore
One of the most famous Irish female jockeys in history is Rachael Blackmore, whose run of dominance at the start of the 2020s saw her named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year in 2021. Blackmore has earned major wins in numerous Grade One races, including two Champion Hurdles (2021 and 2022), the Cheltenham Gold Cup (2022), and the Stayers’ Hurdle (2025). Most notably, though, Blackmore became the first woman ever to win the Grand National, riding Minella Times to victory in 2021.
Katie Walsh
Katie Walsh was one of the most successful female jockeys in Ireland in the 2010s, paving the way for equality in the sport. She finished third in the 2012 Grand National, which would remain the highest all-time finish for a woman until Blackmore’s 2021 victory. As a female jockey at the Cheltenham Festival, Walsh rode three winners: Poker De Sivola (National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, 2010), Thousand Stars (County Handicap Hurdle, 2010), and Relegate (Champion Bumper, 2018).
Now that you’ve learned all about the most famous Irish jockeys in horse racing history, why not get involved with Betway? Our horse racing sportsbook features up-to-date odds on all the biggest events of the racing calendar, from the Cheltenham Gold Cup to the King George VI Chase.
You can also visit the Betway Insider blog for more betting picks, tips, and advice. Here, you can learn more about horse racing history with our helpful guides, such as our comprehensive list of past Cheltenham Festival winners.
