Jump Jockeys’ Championship 2024: Cobden Chasing Bowen’s back

The Jump Jockeys’ Championship 2024 promises heart-pounding races and unforgettable moments. Explore our coverage for in-depth analyses, rider spotlights, and everything you need to know about this year’s chase for the championship.

Below we have the top three jockeys in terms of wins this current season in the battle for the Jockeys Championship 2024. The wins are in accordance with when this blog was written.

What is the Jump Jockeys’ Championship?

The Jump Jockeys’ Championship 2024 runs from the beginning of the season to the end, this year from Monday 1st May 2023 to Saturday 27th April 2024.

Jump jockeys compete to win the prize, with the rider that secures the most wins in the season crowned the Champion Jump Jockey on the final day of the season at Sandown Park.

Brian Hughes – 84 wins

Brian Hughes currently holds the Jump Jockeys’ title, having ridden 204 winners last season to land his second title. He has had a successful campaign to date, picking up wins at many different racecourses across the UK. The Northern Irish rider has had more than five winners at eight different racecourses, and has also had winners in big races including two valuable handicaps with the Donald McCain-trained Richmond Lake, one being at Ayr and the other at Aintree. These two races have increased Hughes’ winnings by over £50,000.

Hughes has total earnings of over £935,000 this season and his 84 wins gives him a win percentage of 15%, having ridden 552 horses this season to date. His most recent notable success was the victory in the Albert Bartlett River Don Novices’ Hurdle. He flew home to victory, winning by 7½ lengths aboard Kerryhill. Hughes had won this race in 2023 with Maximillian, so this win would’ve felt extra special for Hughes. Although he’s had a very successful year filled with many victories, he is still quite a fair way off of the other two jockeys ahead of him in this year’s title race, so it looks likely that he will be handing over the trophy come April.

Harry Cobden – 112 wins

Harry Cobden is aiming for a first Jump Jockeys’ title and is currently second in the total wins this season on 112. The key story here is how Cobden is closing on the number one ranked jockey, Sean Bowen, every day. Cobden has had more than five winners at 10 different racecourses. He has also had winners in big race’s including the November Gold Cup Chase at Cheltenham with Stage Star. He also won The Ascot Hurdle with Blueking D’Oroux in November.

Cobden has total earnings of over £1,990,000 this season and his 112 wins gives him a win percentage of 22%, having ridden 492 horses this campaign to date. Cobden is in full flow, and with the horses which are at Paul Nicholls’ Ditcheat stables, you can only see him continuing this form and further diminishing the gap between himself and his rival ahead of him in the championship race.

Sean Bowen – 121 wins

Sean Bowen was the talk of the town in 2023, he reached a total of 121 wins before a very unfortunate injury on New Year’s Eve. This accident has put him on the sideline for over a month to date and has allowed Harry Cobden to close the gap which at various points has been a deficit of over 30 winners. However, Bowen has been rumoured to be almost fit for action in the near future which leads us racing fans to question – who is going to win the Jockey Championship?

Bowen’s 121 wins came from a total of 521 meaning he has a 23%-win percentage which is marginally better than Cobden’s at this point in time. Bowen has total earnings of over £1,135,000 and he has won some big races, including the Fighting Fifth hurdle at Sandown with Not So Sleepy for Hughie Morrison. Bowen has also won a Listed and a Graded race on Grand National star Noble Yeats this season.

With the form that his nearest rival is in, you feel Bowen will have to get back in the saddle soon if he’s to repel Cobden’s challenge and land his first Jump jockeys’ title. Whatever happens, it looks as though we’re in for a nail-biting conclusion to this year’s title race.

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