The Grand National Meeting – Top Jockey Award
ByThe Cheltenham Top Jockey Award for the Festival seems to go the way of Ruby Walsh with monotonous regularity but it’s not so easy for the Irishman at Aintree and he has only captured the award in 2003 and 2008. Far more dominant at Aintree is his great friend and rival AP McCoy who last season captured the prize for being leading rider at the meeting for the seventh time. Anyone looking for tips for Grand National should remember there’s more to the meeting than just the big race.
Last year was a close run affair for the award as three jockeys tied with three winners apiece; the aforementioned Walsh and McCoy were joined by another Irish rider In Barry Geraghty. McCoy took the title in the close battle due to having more places on the board but his success in the Grand National itself on board Don’t Push It was the highlight of his three winners. The 15-times champion jockey also scored on Albertas Run in the Melling Chase and Ringaroses in the Smithy The Horse Handicap Hurdle. Fans of Grand National betting will have plenty to get their teeth into.
Geraghty’s highlight was his second day double on General Miller and Burton Port while Walsh experienced an up and down meeting – he landed the feature races on the first day, with Big Buck’s victory in the Liverpool Hurdle and What A Friend in the totesport Bowl. Saturday started well for Walsh winning on Tataniano in the Maghull Novices’ Chase but he broke his arm when falling on Celestial Halo in the very next race – not only did that end his meeting putting him out of the National but side-lined him for a further four months.
Walsh had just missed out in 2009 for this award also, this time to Robert Thornton, although he dominated the race in 2008 with five victories and four seconds. He even managed that tally despite the fact that two of his best mounts were beaten – both Master Minded and Kauto Star failing to deliver.
McCoy rattled up a hat-trick of victories for this award between 2005-2007 recording 10 wins over those campaigns. In fact of the current jockeys riding at the Grand National meeting it is McCoy and Walsh who dominate with 32 and 26 wins respectively.
We are sure that those two names will be well to the fore for this year’s award and it will take a good performance from the other jockeys to break their domination.
Originally written by Bet123.net, an online Betting Guide
The Grand National Meeting – Top Jockey Award
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