On which horses did Barry Geraghty win the Queen Mother Champion Chase?

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In July 2020, County Meath-born Barry Geraghty called time on my career as a National Hunt jockey with 1,920 winners to his name, placing him fourth in the all-time list in Britain and Ireland, behind only Sir Anthony McCoy, Richard Johnson and Ruby Walsh. He was never champion jockey in Britain, but won that accolade in his native Ireland twice, in 2000 and 2004, and all the major races. On British soil, his high-profile victories included the Grand National on Monty’s Pass in 2003 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice, on Kicking King in 2005 and Bobs Worth in 2013.

Indeed, Geraghty, who succeeded Mick Fitzgerald as stable jockey to Nicky Henderson in 2008 and Sir Anthony McCoy as retained jockey for John Patrick ‘J.P.’ McManus in 2015, was anything but a stranger to the winners’ enclosure at the Cheltenham Festival. In fact, his career total of 43 winners at the March showpiece places him second on the all-time list, behind only Ruby Walsh.

The minimum-distance steeplechasing championship, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, is the feature race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival. Geraghty won it five times and jointly holds the record as the most successful jockey in its history. His winners were Moscow Flyer (2003, 2005), Big Zeb (2010), Finian’s Rainbow (2012) and Sprinter Sacre (2013). Geraghty shares the record with the late Patrick ‘Pat’ Taaffe, who is best remembered as the jockey of the indomitable Arkle, but nevertheless also rode five winners of the Two-Mile Champion Chase – as the race was known prior to 1980 – between 1960 and 1970.

Charlie Deutsch

Nowadays stable jockey to Venetia Williams in Kings Caple, Herefordshire, Charlie Deutsch rode his first winner under rules, Fitandproperjob, trained by Anthony Middleton, in an amateur riders’ handicap at Folkestone on December 4, 2012. He subsequently joined Charlie Longsdon in in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.and rode his first winner as a professional, Long Lunch, in a National Hunt flat race at Market Rasen on September 28, 2013.

After three years with Longsdon, Deutsch joined Williams and eventually rode out his claim on Luckime, owned the late Trevor Hemmings, in a novices’ hurdle at Catterick on February 12, 2018. Indeed, five days later, he rode Yala Enki to victory in the Grand National Trial at Haydock Park, which was, at the time, the biggest win of this career.

However, in the early hours of March 30, 2018, Deutsch was stopped the police for speeding on his way home from a night out in Cheltenham. He panicked and drove off at high speed, only to be arrested for dangerous driving while over the drink drive limit and escaping from police custody. He subsequently plead guilty at Gloucester Crown Court and was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment, of which he served two-and-a-half.

More recently Deutsch has reached a career-best 48 winners in a season twice, in 2021/22 and 2023/24. He has four Grade 1 victories to his name, two courtesy of L’Homme Presse and the other two courtesy of Royal Pagaille. The former won the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park and the Broadway Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, while the latter won back-to-back renewals of the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park in 2023 and 2024.

Brendan Powell

Brendan Powell is, of course, the son of former Grand National-winning Brendan Powell Sr.. Indeed, he rode his first winner, Home, trained by his father, in an amateur riders’ handicap on the Flat at Southwell on February 8, 2011. Having learned his trade on the competitive pony racing circuit in Ireland, Powell Jnr. Subsequently became conditional jockey to Colin Tizzard at Venn Farm in Milborne Port, Dorset. Indeed, he rode his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Golden Chieftain, trained by Tizzard, in the JLT Specialty Handicap Chase on March 12, 2013 while still claiming 3lb.

Powell was still a teenager when his lost his claim, but after a successful inaugural season as a fully-fledged professional, spent a few years in the wilderness. However, in recent seasons he has enjoyed a resurgence as principal jockey at Venn Farm, to Colin Tizzard and to his son, Joe, following his retirement at the end of the 2020/21 National Hunt season. In fact, that proved to be his most successful season, so far, numerically and fiscally; he rode 65 winners from 460 rides, at a strike rate of 14%, and amassed £1.14 million in prize money.

A Grade 1 winner has so far proved elusive, but Powell nonetheless has 19 Listed and Graded victories to his name, including at the Cheltenham Festival. In 2014, he won the Rewards4Racing Novices’ Handicap Chase on Present View, trained by Jamie Snowden, in 2020 the Ultima Handicap Chase on The Conditional, trained by David Bridgwater, and in 2022 the Paddy Power Novices’ Handicap Chase on Killer Kane, trained by Tizzard Snr..

Ben Jones

Born in Carmarthen, West Wales on November 16, 1999, Ben Jones was formerly an amateur and conditional jockey with Philip Hobbs Sandhill Racing Stables in Bilbook, near Minehead, Somerset. He rode his first winner under rules, Sahara Haze, trained by Philip Dando, in a conditional/amateur riders’ handicap hurdle at Warwick on February 23, 2018 and his first as a professional, Field Exhibition, trained by Grace Harris, in a mares’ handicap chase at Hereford on October 15, 2019. Indeed, just over six weeks later, on November 30, he rode De Rasher Counter, trained by Emma Lavelle, to victory in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury.

Jones rode out his claim in the summer of 2021 and reached the landmark of 100 career winners on Beau Haze, again trained by Dando, in handicap hurdle at Chepstow on March 24, 2022. He enjoyed his most successful season, so far, in 2023/24, when he rode 55 winners from 336 rides and amassed £784,321 in prize money. His seasonal tally included his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Shakem Up’arry, trained by Ben Pauling, in the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase.

In October 2024, Jones was confirmed as stable jockey to Pauling, who is based in Naunton, near
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. In the 2024/25 season, so far, he has ridden 52 winners from 338 rides, including his first Grade 1 winners, The Jukebox Man in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and Handstands in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown in February.