JOCKEY PROFILE

Date of Birth: September 16, 1979

County of origin: Meath

First winner: Stagalier (Noel Meade), Down Royal, January 29, 1997

Final winner: Saint Roi (Willie Mullins), Cheltenham, March 13, 2020

(Final winner in Ireland: Charli Parcs (Aidan Howard), Leopardstown, March 1, 2020)

Champion jockey: 1999/2000, 2003/04

Leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival: 2003, 2012

Significant horses (selected): Monty’s Pass, Moscow Flyer, Kicking King, Bobs Worth, Jezki, Sprinter Sacre, Buveur D'Air, Epatante, Carlingford Lough, Shutthefrontdoor, Big Zeb, Jer's Girl, Sackville, Yanworth, Macs Joy, Iris’s Gift, No More Heroes, More Of That, Rebel Fitz, Captain Conan, Simonsig, Finian's Rainbow, Voler La Vedette, Punjabi, Forpadydeplasterer, Pizarro, Bust Out, Le Coudray, Limestone Lad, Florida Pearl, Moscow Express, Alexander Banquet, Market Lass, Miss Orchestra, Cockney Lad, Riverside Theatre, Defi Du Seuil, Tigris River, Minella Foru, Alfa Beat. 

Follow Barry on Twitter: @BarryJGeraghty

Did you know?

From Drumree, County Meath, Barry Geraghty was one of the greatest jump jockeys of his generation, enjoying a distinguished 23-year career in the saddle. He rode five winners at the Cheltenham Festival in 2003 and won the Grand National at Aintree on Monty's Pass only weeks later. On the back of that remarkable success, he was voted RTE Sports Personality of the Year. Never far from big-race success throughout his career, Barry was appointed as first jockey to owner JP McManus on June 21, 2015, a position he held until announcing his retirement in July, 2020.

Barry ended his career with 1,920 winners and (at the time) was the fourth winning-most National Hunt jockey in Ireland and Britain. Only Tony McCoy (4348), Richard Johnson and Ruby Walsh have ridden more winners. 

Since his first winner at Down Royal in 1997, Geraghty established himself as one of the sport's biggest stars. He rode his first Grade 1 winner on Alexander Banquet in the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse in 1999, the first of 43 Cheltenham Festival winners came just three years later and arguably his greatest moment came when he landed the Aintree Grand National on Monty's Pass in 2003.

Geraghty has also won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Kicking King (2005) and Bobs Worth (2013), as well as landing the Champion Hurdle on Punjabi (2009), Jezki (2014), Buveur D'Air (2018) and Epatante (2020). He won the Champion Chase at Cheltenham on five occasions. At his final festival in 2020, he rode five winners and finished second in the jockeys' standings to Paul Townend who rode the same number of winners but also had two runners-up placings. Five winners at the Festival in 2003 (then a record) and again in 2012 was enough to see him crowned the leading rider at Cheltenham in those years. 

Geraghty was crowned champion jockey in Ireland on two occasions, he was 20 years of age when winning in the 1999/2000 season and he won it again in 2003/04. Twenty years after his first championship, with 1,252 winners in Ireland to his name, he bowed out saying, “I’ve fulfilled all my dreams. As a kid growing up, you’re dreaming of Grand Nationals and Gold Cups and Champion Hurdles, so to get the chance to ride in them, let alone win them, was brilliant.”