Ireland is known for its incredibly rich horse racing history. Many credible jockeys have exhibited their talents from all over the world, meaning their popularity goes way beyond Ireland itself. Ireland is a region that is fond of racing betting, so most of the best Irish jockeys mentioned below will have not been strangers to riding many of the biggest horses of the times. So, with all that being said, shall we get straight into who the best candidates are?
Michael Kinane
The first within our top best Irish Jockey lists, is Mick Kinane. After spending over 30 years at the top, he also travelled the entire world in his pursuit to become one of the best jockeys in the game. His participation within the Leading Group One race, in addition to being a stable jockey for Aidan O’Brien, John Ox and Dermot Weld brought the possibility for riding some of the greatest horses within the entire of Ireland. At the end of his career, he did in fact participate in the Sea the Stars, a campaign where he won the Guineas Derby, in addition to the renowned Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France. Michael Kinane is an Irish legend that will never be forgotten.
Kieran Fallon
Another successful Irishman within the world of racing is Kieran Fallon. Fallon has won plenty of races within the UK, and in fact, he was crowned as the British Champion across multiple British Classics and occasions (6 times in total). He also managed to land a large and very strong finish to his career, with the big races across the USA, Hong Kong and the UAE. Retiring within the year 2016, means he very much still is a talent of the past decade with 2253 wins under his belt.
Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh is another famous Irish jockey. Having been the Irish National Hunt Champion over 11 times, this helped him get awarded with the International Jockey of the Year Award, three times, which he definitely deserved. In addition to this achievement, he also celebrates winning the most recognisable horse tournaments of the sporting calendar- Cheltenham Festival. This victory was over 12 recorded and different years, and exactly because of this, he is celebrated as one of the most recognised jump-worthy jockeys within the history books. His talent opened up many avenues for him and his career, for example, he formed an amazing partnership with Willie Mullins, and also worked as the stable jockey for Paul Nicholls, a UK establishment. For this very reason, he is probably one of the most network worthy racers within all of Ireland.
Pat Eddery
Pat Eddery is a former flat jockey who ended his career with an all-time total of 4632 wins-this was for British racing alone and does not count those races beyond the region. For three decades, he dominated the leader boards and was seen as an unbeatable talent. The Irish jockey holds 11 wins across separate occasions within his participation as a British Champion Jockey, and for that reason he was always sought out by many trainers within the region, especially when the Derby at Epsom was concerned. That is where he excelled impeccably.
Tony McCoy
Last but not least, we have Tony McCoy, however in the sport he was also known as AP. This Irish man is arguably one of the most talented in the entire world, when it comes to recognised jumps within the history books. While he did retire within the year 2015, he finished on an impeccable record of 4358 wins in total, which is huge for British horse racing history. He is the only jockey ever to have managed to win any of the BBC Sports Personality awards, so that definitely is saying something there. This award was received within 2010, which was the peak of his career, and the same following year that he managed to pick up the world renowned Grand National.
It goes without saying that this racer was very popular amongst the generations and his fan base was way beyond the region of Ireland, he has fans that awaited and celebrated his every achievement within the UK, USA and beyond. His reputation was beyond his years and for that reason, so many jockeys today look to him as inspiration and motivation for the careers they hope to achieve in the future. To have almost every huge race under your belt within this career is certainly special, and not even the best of jockeys today can boast that achievement. It takes a special few like Tony, to have such prestige success to look back on.
