JOCKEY PROFILE

Date of Birth: September 15, 1990

County of origin: Cork

First winner: The Chip Chopman (Seamus O'Donnell) Limerick, June 22, 2007

Champion jockey: (Six times) 2010/2011, 2018/2019, 2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023

Leading Jockey at the Cheltenham Festival: 2020, 2022, 2023

Assoc. Trainers: Willie Mullins

Significant horses (selected): Al Boum Photo, Douvan, Hurricane Fly, Quevega, Penhill, Chacun Pour Soi, Monkfish, Appreciate It, Laurina, Duc Des Genievres, Glens Melody, Min, Nichols Canyon, Yorkhill, Killultagh Vic, Champagne Fever, Thousand Stars, Boston Bob, Djakadam, Vautour, Arvika Ligeonniere, Blood Cotil, Mikael D'Haguenet, Blackstairmountain, What A Charm, Golden Silver, Unaccompanied, Wicklow Brave, Final Approach, Blazing Tempo, On His Own, Indian Pace, Arctic Fire, Cadmium, Gaillard Du Mesnil, Energumene. 

Follow him on Twitter: @PTownend

Did you know?

From Midleton, County Cork, Paul Townend began his career as an apprentice on the Flat with Willie Mullins and has been associated with the County Carlow trainer ever since. He was crowned champion jump jockey for the first time at the conclusion of the 2010/11 season. Champion again in 2018/19, he has retained the title ever since. 

Paul rode four winners at the same meeting for the fourth time in his career when taking the last four races at Cork on December 11, 2016. Included in his haul that day was a success in the Grade 2 Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase on the Willie Mullins-trained Douvan. He repeated the feat and was only a neck away from a fifth winner at the same meeting in 2018. 

As of the 2022 Festival, Paul has 23 Cheltenham winners to his name. He rode a double on the final day of the 2017 Festival, winning the County Hurdle on Arctic Fire and the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle on Penhill. Both were trained by Willie Mullins who again supplied Townend with two winners on the third day of the 2018 Festival, Stayers' Hurdle hero Penhill and the Mares' Novices' Hurdle winner, Laurina. 

He landed his biggest success when winning the Bulmers Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2019 on the Willie Mullins-trained Al Boum Photo. It was his second winner of the week as he had earlier won the Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase on Duc Des Genievres, another trained by Mullins. Al Boum Photo won the Gold Cup for a second successive year in 2020, one of three final-day winners for Townend who ended the Festival as the leading jockey for the first time with an overall tally of five, the same number of winners as Barry Geraghty but getting the nod on the number of second-placed horses he rode. 

Paul became the leading jockey at the Cheltenham festival for the second time when he rode five winners at the 2022 renewal. Among his winners was Energumene in the Champion Chase. He was the leading jockey at the Festival again in 2023, with his Gold cup success on Galopin Des Champs the highlight. Only Pat Taaffe has a better record in the race. 

Paul rode 100 winners in a season for the first time when successful on the Willie Mullins-trained Annamix in a maiden hurdle at Clonmel on March 26, 2019. He reached the century-mark again in the 2019/2020 season and was crowned champion jockey (for the third time) with a tally of 104 winners as the term was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.