Paul Townend

Last updated

Paul Townend (born 15 September 1990) is an Irish jockey who competes in National Hunt racing. Townend comes from Lisgoold in County Cork [1] and is the stable jockey for Irish trainer Willie Mullins. Townend has worked for Mullins since he was just fifteen years of age, beginning his career as an apprentice flat racing jockey. He is a six-time Irish jump racing Champion Jockey. He was champion in the 2010–11, 2018–19, 2019–20, [2] 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23 seasons.

Contents

In 2019 he gave Willie Mullins his first Cheltenham Gold Cup winner with Al Boum Photo and he repeated this success in 2020. [3] He recorded his third and fourth win in the race on Galopin Des Champs in 2023 and 2024. He is bidding for history in 2025 going for three back to back Gold Cup victories. Following the retirement of Ruby Walsh, Townend became the number-one jockey to the Mullins yard. [4]

Early life

When Townend was 15 his mother Josephine died of cancer. [5] He his Junior Cert, he took Transition Year out. Townend's first cousin, David Condon, was a jockey in Willie Mullins’ yard at the time, and he took Paul under his wing. He never returned to school and has been a jockey ever since.

Career

In July 2008 Townend had his first winner over jumps. [5] He rode Indian Pace to victory in the Galway Hurdle. In November he rode Hurricane Fly in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle to win his first grade one. On New years Eve he rode out his claim by winning a treble at Tramore. [6]

In the 2011 Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle he rode What a Charm to get his first Cheltenham Festival winner. In the 2010/11 season Townend became Irish jump racing Champion Jockey at the age of 20 for the first time. [5]

At day one of the 2018 Punchestown Festival Townend picked up a 21 day ban for dangerous riding when he tried to bypass a fence that was meant to be jumped which caused Robbie Powers horse to be carried out. [7] However the ban did not take effect until the start of the 2018/19 season. [8] This meant Townend was able to get a treble the next day on Pravalaguna, Next Destination and Patricks Park. [8] In March 2019 Townend rode Al Boum Photo in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He won by 2 1/2 lengths to give both Townend and Willie Mullins a first win in this race. Later in March Townend then rode his 100th Irish winner of the season in Clonmel to move further ahead of his nearest rival Rachael Blackmore. [9] This was the first time Townend rode a century of Irish winners in a season. [9] At the end of the 2018/19 season Townend became Irish jump racing Champion Jockey for the second time.

In 2020 Paul Townend became top jockey at the Cheltenham Festival for the first time. He had 5 winners including Al Boum Photo in the Cheltenham Gold Cup again. At the end of the 2019/20 season Townend became Irish jump racing Champion Jockey for the third time.

In April 2024, Townend and Mullins won the Randox Grand National on favourite horse I Am Maximus, owned by JP McManus.

Personal Life

Townend lives in Co Kilkenny with his girlfriend Sophie Vard Ryan and three Shetland ponies. [10]

Cheltenham Festival winners (34)

Major wins

Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland


Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain


Flag of the United States.svg United States


Flag of France.svg France

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheltenham Festival</span> British horse racing festival

The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. It usually coincides with Saint Patrick's Day and is particularly popular with Irish visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Walsh</span> Irish jockey

Rupert "Ruby" Walsh is an Irish former jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen. Widely regarded as one of the greatest National Hunt jockeys of all time, Walsh is the third most prolific winner in British and Irish jump racing history behind only Sir Anthony McCoy and Richard Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Geraghty</span> Irish jockey

Barry Geraghty is a retired Irish jockey. He is the second most successful jockey of all time at the Cheltenham Festival.

William Peter Mullins is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey. He is a seventeen-time Irish National Hunt Champion trainer. Mullins is the most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, having saddled more than 100 winners.

Robbie "Puppy" Power is a retired National Hunt jockey. The son of Irish show-jumper Con Power, Robbie Power rode the 33-1 outsider Silver Birch to victory in the 2007 John Smith's Grand National at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday 14 April 2007. It was his second Grand National ride after his Grand National debut in 2005. In 2011 he had his first Cheltenham Festival winner in the RSA Chase. In 2017 he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Punchestown Gold Cup on Sizing John. He also won the Irish Grand National on Our Duke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicky Henderson</span> British racehorse trainer (born 1950)

Nicholas John Henderson is a British racehorse trainer. He has been British jump racing Champion Trainer six times.

The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlong, and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.

The Champion Four Year Old Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May. The race is currently sponsored by the Ballymore Group

The Dr P. J. Moriarty Novice Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles and 5 furlongs, and during its running there are fourteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in February.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davy Russell</span> Irish National Hunt jockey

Davy Russell is an Irish retired National Hunt jockey. He was Irish jump racing Champion Jockey three times, and won the Grand National (twice), the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Des Champs</span> French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Sir Des Champs was a French-bred, Irish-trained AQPS racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. After winning only one of his five races in his native country, Sir Des Champs was transferred to Ireland and won seven races in succession including the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, Greenmount Park Novice Chase, Killiney Novice Chase, Jewson Novices' Chase and Growise Champion Novice Chase. The 2012/2013 saw the emergence of a rivalry between Sir Des Champs and another Irish-trained chaser Flemenstar. After beating his rival in the Hennessy Gold Cup, Sir Des Champs was regarded as a leading contender for the 2013 Cheltenham Gold Cup in which he finished second to Bobs Worth. He suffered a fatal injury when competing in Point-to-point racing in May 2018.

The Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles, and during its running there are fourteen hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.

The Mares Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to mares aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown Racecourse over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are twelve hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faugheen</span> Racehorse trained in Ireland

Faugheen is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2015 Champion Hurdle and back-to-back Christmas Hurdles in 2014 and 2015. His best performance on a racecourse came in the 2016 Irish Champion Hurdle for which he was rated the best two-mile hurdler of the 21st century. His career started over Point-to-point fences as a four-year-old and was sent racing under National Hunt rules in the 2013/2014 season where he emerged as a leading Novice hurdler, winning all of his races including the Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle, Cheltenham Novices Hurdle and Herald Champion Novice Hurdle acquiring the nickname "The Machine" in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Boum Photo</span> French-bred Thoroughbred National Hunt racehorse

Al Boum Photo is a French-bred, Irish-trained racehorse who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2019 and 2020.

Rachael Blackmore MBE is an Irish jockey who competes in National Hunt and flat racing. In 2021, she became the first female jockey to win the Grand National in the 182-year history of the race. She also became the first woman to be leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival with six victories, including the Champion Hurdle, in 2021. The following year she became the first female jockey to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Emmet Mullins is an Irish National Hunt trainer and former jockey based in County Carlow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galopin Des Champs</span> French-bred Thoroughbred National Hunt racehorse

Galopin Des Champs is a French-bred, Irish-trained thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. Trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, he won the 2023 and 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup was the 96th annual running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup horse race and was held at Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire, England, on 16 March 2024.

Aine O'Connor is an Irish jockey.

References

  1. "Cork's Paul Townend rides his fourth Cheltenham winner this week on Lossiemouth". Evening Echo.ie. Evening Echo. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  2. "Paul Townend". Horse Racing Ireland. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  3. "Al Boum Photo wins Willie Mullins his first Cheltenham Gold Cup". Guardian. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  4. "Unassuming number one Townend comfortable in his own skin". lwww.irishtimes.com. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Richard Forristal (12 December 2017). "Big interview with the man set to ride Douvan and Faugheen over Christmas". www.racingpost.com. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  6. Richard Forristal (7 March 2009). "Townend's teenage kicks". Independent.ie. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  7. "Panicked Townend apologises for 'genuine mistake'". 25 April 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Punchestown: Townend treble banishes Tuesday blues". 25 April 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Clonmel win seals maiden century for Paul Townend". 26 March 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  10. Gloss, The (28 April 2024). "Interview with A Man: Paul Townend". The Gloss Magazine. Retrieved 16 July 2024.