Paul Townend Profile

A genuine modern-day Cheltenham great, Paul Townend is one of the most popular and successful jockeys in the sport.

A stalwart of the Willie Mullins stock ever since beginning his career as an apprentice under him on the Flat, Townend has been Irish jump racing Champion Jockey on six separate occasions (2010/11, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23).

Townend is a force to be reckoned with in the saddle and is once again odds-on favourite for top jockey at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

Paul Townend Record and Previous Winners

Townend has registered over 1,400 winners in his 16-year career, amassing more than €20 million in prize money.

In the previous five seasons over Irish jumps, his 37% strike rate is staggering. He has landed more than 85 winners in Ireland this season.

Outside of Cheltenham, he has a number of big race triumphs to his name, including the Irish Gold Cup at the end of January 2025, where he guided Mullins’ irrepressible Galopin Des Champs to a memorable hat-trick.

That result also solidified Galopin Des Champs as the favourite to become the first horse since Best Mate in 2004, and only the second since Arkle in the 1960s, to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times.

Townend is expected to pilot him again in the 14th March showpiece.

Paul Townend Cheltenham Record

There is no other jockey around at the moment with a better Cheltenham Festival record than Townend.

He has 34 winners to his name and has won the top jockey accolade at four of the last five Cheltenham Festivals.

The Townend backers will point to his relationship with Mullins as to why he will once again come out on top as the best rider at the festival. Indeed, more than 95% of his Cheltenham winners have been returned on Mullins horses.

Last year he won his fourth Gold Cup on Galopin Des Champs and will be eyeing a fifth triumph when he mounts the same horse at the 2025 event.

It’s difficult to see how the relentless Townend Cheltenham runaway train will stop anytime soon.

Paul Townend Recent Winners

Townend has been having an imperious Irish jumps season. Here are some of his most recent big race winners:

• 15th February – Red Mills Trial Hurdle (Kitzbuhel at 2/7)
• 2nd February – Irish Champion Hurdle (State Man at 2/5)
• 1st February – Irish Gold Cup (Galopin Des Champs at 1/2)
• 28th December – Savills Chase (Galopin Des Champs at 5/6)
• 26th December – King George VI Chase (Banbridge at 7/1)

Paul Townend in Numbers

• 36 – Paul Townend has a strike rate of 36% this Irish jumps season
• 57.7 – At the time of writing, 57.79% of Paul Townend’s Irish jumps rides this season have finished in the top two
• 34 – the number of Cheltenham Festival winners ridden by Paul Townend
• 4 – Townend has lifted four Gold Cups, two apiece with Al Boum Photo (2019/20) and Galopin Des Champs (2023/24)

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