Danny McMenamin

Born in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, Danny McMenamin received early tutelage from local trainer Brian Hamilton and Ger Lyons in County Meath. He was still only 17 when he took the advice of former Grand National-winning jockey Tony Dobbin and crossed the Irish Sea to join Nicky Richards at Greystoke Stables in Penrith Cumbria.

McMenamin got off the mark for the yard at the first attempt, steering Western Rules to a short-head victory in an amateur riders’ handicap hurdle at Ayr on March 9, 2018. The following November he made his big breakthrough when, as a 7lb claimer, he won the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham on Nietzsche, trained by Brian Ellison. McMenamin rode 16 winners in 2018/19, 28 winners in 2019/20 and 46 winners in 2020/21. In the latter season, he rode out his claim on Archie Brown, trained by Henry Hogarth, in a novices’ handicap chase at Market Rasen on February 21m en route to winning the conditional jockeys’ title.

Richards aside, McMenamin has formed a profitable association with Ann Hamilton, who trains a small string in Capheaton, Northumberland, but has nonetheless provided him with 32 winners in his career to date, including three of his four Grade 2 winners. The partnership won the Old Roan Chase at Aintree on Nuts Well in 2020, the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock Park with Tommy’s Oscar in 2022 and the Lightning Novices’ Chase at Doncaster with the same horse the following year. At the time of writing, McMenamin look destined for his most successful season yet, having already equalled his career-best total of 49 winners, which he achieved in 2023/24.

Dylan Johnston

A graduate of the Racing Academy, County Kildare and formerly conditional jockey to Stuart Crawford, who is based at Newlands Farm, near Larne, County Antrim, Dylan Johnston rode his first winner under rules, Willyouwalkwithme, trained by Harry Smyth, in a handicap hurdle at Downpatrick on June 13, 2021. He subsequently crossed the Irish Sea to join Rose Dobbin in South Hazelrigg, Northumbria and rode his first winner for the yard, Cliffs Of Dooneen, in a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Carlisle on April 16, 2022.

Johnston subsequently moved south to join Olly Murphy at Warren Chase Stables, in Wilmcote, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, for whom he won the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock Park on Pickanumber on May 11, 2024. Shortly afterwards, he was offered the job as principal jockey to powerful owner Dai Walters, the founder of Ffos Las Racecourse, and is now based predominantly with Sam Thomas in Lisvane, Cardiff, who also holds his licence.

After riding just a single winner on British soil in 2021/22, Johnston increased his seasonal tally to eight winners in 2022/23 and 19 in 2023/24. He is currently enjoying his most successful season yet in 2024/25, having ridden 22 winners so far, at a strike rate of 15%, and amassed over £450,000 in prize money. His association with Walters has already yielded two high-profile winners, Lump Sum in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las in October and Steel Ally in an equally valuable handicap hurdle at Haydock Park in November. Johnston looks a live contender for the 2024/25 conditional jockeys’ title and currently lies second in table behind Freddie Gingell.

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

  • Posted on
  • /Under News

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.