The jockey who holds the record for the highest number of winners at a single Cheltenham Festival is Rupert ‘Ruby’ Walsh, who rode seven winners over the four days in 2009 and equalled his own record in 2016. Kildare-born Walsh, who retired from the saddle on May 1, 2019 with 2,767 winners to his name, remains the third most profilic National Hunt jockey in British and Irish history, behind only Sir Anthony McCoy and Richard Johnson.
At the Cheltenham Festival, Walsh rode 59 winners in all, making him the most successful jockey of all time at the meeting. Indeed, he was leading jockey at the Festival 11 times in a 14-year period between 2004 and 2017, including five years running between 2013 and 2017. Following his retirement, the leading jockey award at the Cheletnham Festival was renamed the ‘Ruby Walsh Trophy’ in his honour.
In 2009, when he originally set the record, Walsh won on Quevega in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, Master Minded in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Big Buck’s in the Stayers’ Hurdle,
Mikael D’Haguenet in the Baringham Novices’ Hurdle, Cooldine in the Broadway Novices’ Chase,
American Trilogy in the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle and Kauto Star in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Seven years later, he won the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle and the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle again, on Vroum Vroum Mag and Yorkhill respectively, and five other races, including the Champion Hurdle on Annie Power. All seven winners that year were trained by Willie Mullins.
