Mark Walsh jockey profile and stats

As a recent Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Mark Walsh is one of racing’s most exciting modern jockeys. Learn more about the Irishman with our quick career profile.

The 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Mark Walsh, has become one of the must-watch jockeys in National Hunt racing. Although he’s currently enjoying a career peak, the Irishman has been honing his craft since the early 2000s, with many significant wins in his trophy cabinet.

So, which horses is Mark Walsh known for racing, and what does his race record look like? Read on as we recap the career of a master jockey, from his early success to some of the biggest victories in the racing calendar.

An introduction to Mark Walsh

Born in Ireland in 1986, Mark Walsh is an Irish jockey who has risen to prominence in recent years after multiple high-profile wins. At the age of fifteen, he worked for trainer Christy Roche before eventually riding his first winner at Punchestown in September 2002. Following a dry spell, he found his stride in the 2008-09 season and would later earn major victories in the mid-2010s, including the 2016 Irish Gold Cup.

After a shock Champion Hurdle win in 2019 and multiple Cheltenham victories with Fact To File, Walsh became one of the most attention-grabbing jockeys at the Festival. He cemented that fact with a 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup win, where he blocked the favourites, Galopin Des Champs and Paul Townend, from banking a historic three-peat together.

Walsh is renowned for his racing tactics, allowing his horses to find a rhythm rather than pushing them too hard out of the gates. His smart pacing means you can never rule him out, even if he seems to be falling behind!

What is Mark Walsh’s race record?

Since Mark Walsh is still active in the horse racing scene, the numbers in our race record are bound to increase as his career progresses. With thousands of rides and millions of pounds in prize money under his belt, though, there’s no denying his experience.

At the time of writing, Walsh has ridden in 7,296 races since his debut, with 874 wins to his name. That gives him an all-time win record of just under 12%, but when focusing on his last five seasons, his recent run of success becomes more apparent:

Since April 2021, Walsh has won 221 of his 1,242 jumps races in Ireland, and 21 of his 96 rides in the UK. That gives him an 18% win rate in Irish competition over the last five years and a 22% win rate in British competition.

Across his career, Walsh has won more than £3,000,000 in prize money. While he’s mostly raced over hurdles (4,822 rides to date), he’s most successful in steeplechases, with 314 wins across 2,430 races. This puts his chase win rate at 12.92%, compared to 11.61% over hurdles.

Key horses ridden by Mark Walsh

From Gold Cup winners to unexpected outsider successes, Mark Walsh’s list of winning horses is as impressive as it is varied. Here are some of his most notable pairings:

Inothewayurthinkin

Arguably, the most famous horse Mark Walsh has ridden is Inothewayurthinkin, the Gavin Cromwell-trained thoroughbred who emerged as one of the best steeplechasers in British and Irish racing in the mid-2020s. The pairing made headlines worldwide after they won the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when Galopin Des Champs and Paul Townend were heavily favoured to secure a hat-trick.

Walsh also won the 2024 Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree on Inothewayurthinkin, racing as the odds-on favourite and beating the likes of Heart Wood and Iroko.

Espoir D’Allen

One of Mark Walsh’s most iconic wins came in the 2019 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, when Espoir D’Allen took an unexpected victory at odds of 16/1. After two-time winner Buveur D’Air fell at the third hurdle, Walsh took the opportunity to blaze into the lead, delivering an upset for the ages.

The pair had also earned victories across Ireland, in the 2017 Fairyhouse Juvenile Hurdle and 2018 Fishery Lane Hurdle at Naas. Tragically, their Champion Hurdle win would be their final race together, as Espoir D’Allen suffered a shoulder injury in August 2019.

Sire Du Berlais

The Gordon Elliott-trained Sire Du Berlais was one of the finest hurdlers of the 2020s in his prime, with Mark Walsh serving as his primary jockey throughout the hottest streak of his racing career. One of their most famous races together was the 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, which the pair won by less than a length after starting at 33/1 odds.

Walsh also earned back-to-back victories in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree with the horse. This made Sire Du Berlais only the fourth horse to win the race in consecutive years.

Fact to File

One of the favourites at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is Fact To File, who has already given Mark Walsh several wins during their rides together. After a first-place finish in the 2023 Rising Stars Beginners Chase at Leopardstown, Walsh became the premier jockey for the Irish bay gelding, who was trained by Willie Mullins.

He rose to prominence after winning the 2024 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham, claiming his second win in the Ryanair Chase at the 2025 Festival, with Walsh leading the charge both times. After a disappointing finish in the 2025 King George VI Chase at Kempton, the pair are looking to bounce back in the Cotswolds this year.

Majborough

Another horse to keep your eye on at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is Majborough, who Walsh rode to a win in the 2024 Triumph Hurdle at 6/1 odds, beating the favourite Storm Heart, who placed fifth. Majborough has also earned Walsh wins in the 2024 Beginners Chase at Fairyhouse, the 2025 Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown, and the 2025 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at Punchestown.

In all nine of his rules races (as of January 2026), Majborough has never placed lower than third. After starting his racing career on hurdles, his switch to steeplechases has taken him to new heights, and he’s expected to be a strong competitor in many of 2026’s biggest events.

Any Second Now

While Any Second Now is a Cheltenham Winner, having won the Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase in 2019, it was Derek O’Connor who jockeyed him in that race.

Instead, Walsh enjoyed success with the horse on the Irish racing circuit. The pair first won the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in 2017, before later emerging victorious in the 2021 and 2023 Webster Cup Chases at Navan Racecourse.

Carlingford Lough

One of the first steeplechasers that Walsh became associated with was Carlingford Lough, who legendary Northern Irish jockey AP McCoy often rode in the early 2010s. Although he was never a Cheltenham winner, Carlingford Lough still won five races with Walsh as his jockey.

Some of the most notable victories from their pairing include the 2016 Irish Gold Cup at Punchestown, beating the favourite Road To Riches by 12 lengths, and the 2013 Topaz Novice Chase at Leopardstown.

Which trainer does Mark Walsh work with?

In 2020, Mark Walsh became the retained jockey for Irish horse owner JP McManus. Since McManus owns horses that were raised at stables belonging to a wide range of trainers, Mark Walsh has been able to represent multiple trainers throughout his career. He has worked with Gavin Cromwell (Inothewayurthinkin, Espoir D’Allen), Gordon Elliott (Sire Du Berlais), Willie Mullins (Fact To File, Majborough), and more.

What are Mark Walsh’s major performances?

Mark Walsh has earned his stripes and competed in some of the biggest events in National Hunt racing, from the prestigious Cheltenham Festival, to the Irish Gold Cup. Here are some of his most notable career wins so far:

Cheltenham Festival

Since his first victory in the 2018 Coral Cup on Bleu Berry, Walsh has become a mainstay of the Cheltenham Festival in the 2020s, having ridden 13 winners to date. His most notable win was the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup, denying Galopin Des Champs and Paul Townend their hat-trick, when Inothewayurthinkin caused a significant upset.

He has also won the 2019 Champion Hurdle, the 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle, the 2024 Triumph Hurdle, and the 2025 Ryanair Chase. Here are all of his Cheltenham victories to date: 

Other events

Mark Walsh has found success in plenty of other races, not just at Prestbury Park. He rode Carlingford Lough to a win in the 2016 Irish Gold Cup and claimed two consecutive Liverpool Hurdle wins in 2022 and 2023. He also won the 2024 Mildmay Novices’ Chase on Inothewayurthinkin, one year before their success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Mark Walsh’s best prospects for 2026

There’s every chance that we could see Mark Walsh ride another Cheltenham winner in 2026. The current Gold Cup betting odds have Inothewayurthinkin as the favourite to retain his title, with rival Galopin Des Champs in a close second.

Meanwhile, Fact To File is the favourite in the Ryanair Chase betting, as he looks to claim his second consecutive title. Majborough, another of Walsh’s Cheltenham winners, is also in the running for the race.

Inothewayurthinkin is also ranking highly in this year’s Grand National odds, proving that Walsh’s dominance isn’t just confined to the Cotswolds.

How to bet on Mark Walsh this season?

Looking to follow Mark Walsh’s biggest races? Head to our horse racing betting page to see all the latest odds across the sport, and keep an eye out for Walsh’s horses.

If you’re a first-time bettor, try reading our guide on how to bet on horse racing for tips, tricks, and strategies to help you pick your ideal horse.