The Best Jockeys Of All Time

There have been some incredible jockeys over the years, and it’s extremely difficult to narrow down the best jockeys across both flat and jump racing. In this article, we give our top five for both codes of racing. Horse Racing is notorious for splitting opinions, so there’s every chance our lists may differ from other records, but we can guarantee you that every member on our list is a real legend of the sport and should be considered among the best jockeys of all time.  

FLAT JOCKEYS

Frankie Dettori

Arguably the household name of the horseracing industry, Frankie Dettori is the ultimate showman in racing and is a firm fan favourite. He is perhaps best known for completing the ‘magnificent seven’ – riding all seven winners on the card at Royal Ascot in 1996. His trademark ‘flying dismount’ celebration has been a staple at racecourses around the world, including at Longchamp where he holds the record for being the most successful jockey ever in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (six wins). 

Lester Piggott

Widely regarded as one of the best Flat jockeys of all time, Lester Piggott’s career spanned a whopping 42 years, resulting in a total of 4,493 winners. He won the Champion Flat Jockey award a total of 11 times and has won multiple classics, including the Derby a record nine times. To celebrate this, there are nine statues erected at different racecourses, including the likes of Epsom, Ascot and Newmarket. 

Sir Gordon Richards

The only Flat jockey to have been knighted, and deservedly so, having won the British Champion Jockey accolade a record 26 times! He rode a total of 4,870 winners – the most of any British jockey in the history of horse racing. He was well known for gaining several lengths at the start of the race, in the days before stalls were introduced, which helped him dominate the sport for three decades between 1921-1954. 

Pat Eddery

The second most successful jockey, numerically, in the history of British horse racing (behind Sir Gordon Richards), Pat Eddery rode a total of 4,633 winners during a career that spanned 34 years. He was crowned Champion Jockey 11 times and won a total of 14 Classic races, including the Derby three times. He also rode more winners than the likes of Lester Piggott and Frankie Dettori, firmly cementing himself as one of the best flat jockeys of all time. 

Ryan Moore

Having won every British and Irish Classic at least once, Ryan Moore has to be on the list. He’s had over 400 Group or Listed winners in Britain, including a total of 16 Classic victories. It’s not just in Britain that he has excelled though, as he’s also won notable races worldwide, including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Japan Cup, Melbourne Cup, Hong Kong Cup and Breeders’ Cup Turf.

NATIONAL HUNT/JUMP JOCKEYS

Sir Anthony McCoy

The starting point for the best jump jockey has to be AP McCoy. He was Champion Jockey a remarkable 20 times in a row from 1996-2016, and won almost every major race in Britain and Ireland, including wins in the Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, and King George VI Chase. He has ridden more winners than any other jumps jockey in the history of British horse racing. 

Ruby Walsh

The 12-time Irish Champion jumps jockey, Ruby Walsh was the man for the big occasion, landing the top jockey award at the Cheltenham Festival a record 11 times. Coincidentally, he has ridden more winners at the Cheltenham Festival than any other jockey, with an impressive 59 victories at the premier event in the jumps racing calendar. He’s also won the Grand National twice too, with his first win coming on board his father Ted Walsh’s horse Papillon on his first-ever ride over the Aintree fences. 

John Francome

Champion Jump Jockey an impressive seven times, picking up a total of 1,138 career wins in the process, John Francome is regarded as one of the best jump jockeys of all time. His notable wins include the Cheltenham Gold Cup (Midnight Court – 1978) and the King George VI Chase (Wayward Lad – 1982 and Burrough Hill Lad – 1984), but he famously never managed to win the Grand National, despite contesting the Aintree feature on ten occasions. 

Fred Winter

A great jockey and trainer, Fred Winter was Champion Jump Jockey four times and Champion Trainer eight times. He is the only person to have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Grand National as both a jockey and a trainer. He won the Grand National and Gold Cup twice as a jockey, but his most famous victory came in France when he won on board Mandarin in the 1962 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris at Auteuil. He won despite the horse’s bit breaking and the horse breaking down in the last half-mile – the ride was voted the greatest ride ever in a 2006 Racing Post poll. 

Richard Dunwoody

Having ridden 1,699 winners over an 18-year career, Richard Dunwoody had the perfect blend of style, drive and determination, making him one of the best jump jockeys of his era. He won many of the big races, including the Grand National, Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle, as well as steering the great Desert Orchid to victory in two consecutive King George VI Chases.