Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival: Top Jockey Betting without Paul Townend
The Cheltenham Festival is renowned for its superstar horses, but the battle for Top Jockey adds an extra layer of intrigue that can be just as compelling.
While the leading riders will be locked in a race to land Grade 1 glory and deliver for powerhouse stables, punters will also be watching the jockey standings closely – especially when it comes to betting markets without Paul Townend. Removing the reigning heavyweight from the equation opens the door to real value.
Mark Walsh – 6/5
In the Top Jockey (Without Paul Townend) market, Mark Walsh heads the betting at 6/5 – and it’s not hard to see why.
Walsh has been in exceptional form in recent months, underlining his big-race credentials with four Grade 1 winners at the Dublin Racing Festival. Momentum is everything heading into Cheltenham Festival, and Walsh looks to be peaking at just the right time with another strong book of rides awaiting him in the Cotswolds.
Interestingly, since the announcement that he will no longer continue as retained rider for JP McManus – with Harry Cobden set to take over next season – Walsh appears to have raised his game even further. Whether coincidence or added motivation, his recent performances suggest a jockey riding with real purpose.
When assessing the overall Top Jockey market, Walsh is priced at 9/4 alongside Paul Townend, but in the ‘without Townend’ market he tightens to 6/5.
A glance at Walsh’s likely rides suggests he has every chance of finishing the week on top. Star names such as Fact To File, Proactif, Dinoblue and Majborough feature on his card. At the time of writing, Fact To File and Majborough stand out as the only two odds-on favourites across the entire Cheltenham programme – a significant edge in a meeting where short-priced winners can prove decisive in the jockey standings.
If Walsh maintains his current strike rate and his headline mounts deliver, 6/5 in the ‘without Townend’ market could look a very fair price indeed.
Jack Kennedy – 3/1
Next in the Top Jockey (Without Paul Townend) market is Jack Kennedy at 3/1 – a price that makes plenty of appeal given the current form of his stable.
Kennedy is the number one rider at Cullentra House for Gordon Elliott, and the yard has been ticking over nicely in the lead-up to the Cheltenham Festival. While he may not quite boast the same depth of ammunition as Paul Townend or Mark Walsh, Kennedy still heads into the week with a number of genuine contenders.
Wodhooh looks the standout among his mounts, while the likes of Teahupoo, Romeo Coolio and Brighterdaysahead all hold strong claims in their respective races. It may not be an all-star book on paper, but it is certainly one packed with live chances and at a Festival, that’s often all you need.
Kennedy’s own form is another major positive. Currently leading the Irish jockeys’ title race, he has been riding with confidence and consistency throughout the season. Just as importantly, the Cullentra House number one has enjoyed a welcome injury-free campaign so far – no small factor given the setbacks he has faced in previous years.
In the ‘without Townend’ market, there’s also a tactical angle to consider. If Townend dominates the winners’ enclosure for the Willie Mullins team, that naturally reduces the number of victories available to the rest – potentially compressing the standings and bringing consistency into play. Kennedy is guaranteed to be busy across the four days and, should Elliott enjoy a productive week, it wouldn’t take much for him to rack up four or five winners and find himself topping the table without Townend in the equation.
Best of the rest
Another fascinating name in the Top Jockey (Without Paul Townend) market is Harry Cobden, currently priced at 5/1.
Cobden, who is set to don the famous green and gold silks of JP McManus next season, will surely be much shorter in this market 12 months from now. For the time being, however, he remains stable jockey to Paul Nicholls and leads a strong Ditcheat team into the Cheltenham Festival.
There’s also the intriguing possibility that Cobden could pick up outside rides during the week. A spare mount or two from his soon-to-be employer McManus wouldn’t be a surprise, and opportunities from the powerhouse yard of Willie Mullins can never be ruled out at a meeting like Cheltenham. It would hardly be the wildest Festival storyline to see Cobden featuring prominently in the Top Jockey standings come Friday afternoon.
Not far behind him in the betting is Harry Skelton at 13/2. The Skelton team will arrive at Cheltenham with strength in numbers, though perhaps without the same volume of short-priced Grade 1 favourites as some of the Irish superpowers. That said, they are masters at targeting the meeting – particularly the handicaps.
It’s no secret that several of their runners will be primed for big performances in those ultra-competitive handicap contests, races that often prove decisive in markets like this. If the handicaps fall their way, Skelton could quietly rack up a tally that puts him firmly in the mix.
Both riders bring compelling cases to the table – Cobden with his big-race pedigree and potential cross-yard opportunities, and Skelton with the backing of a shrewd, well-organised team aiming to strike where it matters most.
