Who will be Top Jockey at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival?

Who will be the Top Jockey at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival? We look over the leading contenders in the betting market.

The 2021 Cheltenham Festival is almost upon us and the Prestbury Park spectacle will seem completely different this time around with no roar from the crowd due to lack of spectators. Nevertheless there will still be plenty of excitement coming our way from a meeting that is undoubtedly the pinnacle of racing as far as jockeys, trainers and owners are concerned. From a betting perspective it will be business as usual for punters as backing a Cheltenham winner will still have a feel-good factor and the same applies to the Top Jockey market.

 

Paul Townend – 2/5

 

The bookies’ favourite to be crowned Top Jockey at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival is Paul Townend, available at best odds of 2/5. He heads into this year’s festival on the back of some scintillating form with a 35% success rate over the past fortnight. The 30-year-old is a regular on Willie Mullins runners and having won in each of the past two Cheltenham Gold Cups, it’s hardly a shock to see him priced as huge odds-on favourite in the betting market.

 

Jack Kennedy – 4/1

 

Jack Kennedy comes in next in the market, the 21-year-old likely to be on Envoi Allen and Abacadabras at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. Kennedy is up for grabs at odds of 4/1 to become the Top Jockey at the meeting and he has collected 7 wins from his 23 rides over the past two weeks.

 

Nico de Boinvllle & Rachael Blackmore – 14/1

 

Nico de Boinville and Rachael Blackmore are both deemed to be in with a chance of finishing the Cheltenham Festival as Top Jockey, each priced as 14/1 joint third-favourite in the market. Nevertheless this equates to a perceived 6.7% chance of either of them winning the accolade.

 

 

Outsiders

Should none of the above take your fancy, there are many other contenders who are perhaps worthy of a punt in the Top Jockey market. The likes of Mark Walsh (20/1), Harry Cobden (25/1) and Aidan Coleman (25/1) certain to attract attention.

Mark Walsh has won just 2 of his last 24 rides and he will doubtless have been hoping to head into the Cheltenham Festival on the back of some better form than this. Nevertheless the 34-year-old took first place in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the 2020 Festival on-board Aramax and he will be confident of managing another Cheltenham win this time around.

With a win rate of 38% over the past fortnight, Aidan Coleman doesn’t seem such a bad shout and the jockey will have happy memories of Prestbury Park having triumphed in the Stayers’ Hurdle last year on Paisley Park.

As for Harry Cobden, the 22-year-old has managed 13 wins from 51 rides heading into the Festival and he looks set to ride third-favourite Bravemansgame in the Ballymore at best odds of 7/2 on Day Two.

 

Cheltenham Top Jockey Betting Odds

 

2/5  –  Paul Townend

4/1  –  Jack Kennedy

14/1 –  Rachael Blackmore

14/1 –  Nico de Boinville

20/1 –  Mark Walsh

25/1 –  Aidan Coleman

25/1 –  Harry Cobden

33/1 –  Harry Skelton

 

Cheltenham Festival Previous Top Jockey Winners