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: (Seven times) 2010/2011, 2018/2019, 2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2024/2025

Leading Jockey at the Cheltenham Festival: (Five times) 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Assoc. Trainers: Willie Mullins

Significant horses (selected): Al Boum Photo, Galopin Des Champs, State Man, 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, I Am Maximus, Fact To File. 

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. Paul has more winners at the Cheltenham Festival to his name than any other current rider. 

At the conclusion of the 2025 Festival, he had ridden 38 Cheltenham Festival winners. Paul rode his first Cheltenham Festival winner on the Arthur Moore-trained What A Charm in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, a race also known as the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. 

He won the Bulmers Cheltenham Gold Cup for the first time in 2019 on the Willie Mullins-trained Al Boum Photo. Al Boum Photo won the Gold Cup for a second time a year later, 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 which gave him a first victory in the Champion Chase.

Paul was the leading jockey at the Festival again in 2023, with his Gold cup success on Galopin Des Champs the highlight. He joined the legendary Pat Taaffe (Arkle (1964,1965,1966) and Fory Leney (1968)) as a four-time winner of the race when Galopin Des Champs landed the Gold Cup for a second time in 2024 when he was again the festival's winningmost jockey with six winners. 

State Man gave Paul his first success in the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle in 2024. He is one of eight jockeys who has now ridden the winner of a Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup. Paul has ridden more Cheltenham Festival winners than any other current jockey and sits in third place, behind Ruby Walsh (59 winners) and Barry Geraghty (43 winners), in the all-time Festival leading jockeys list. 

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 was champion jockey, for the second time, that season with 109 winners. He reached the century-mark again in the 2019/2020 season and was crowned champion jockey (for the third time) with a tally of 105 winners as the term was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic. He won his fourth jockeys' championship with a final tally of 100 winners in the 2020/2021 season, 84 winners saw him home in the 2021/2022 season while 107 winners was his total for his sixth championship success in the 2022/2023 season. 

He surpassed his previous best tally of 109 winners in a season when registering a figure of 121 in the 2023/24 season but he lost out in the championship race by two to Jack Kennedy. Paul regained the title, his seventh championship success in all, the following season (2024/2025).

Paul has ridden any number of big-race winners in Ireland and tasted success in the BoyleSports Irish Grand National for the first time on the Willie Mullins-trained I Am Maximus in April, 2023. He won the Aintree Grand National for the first time on the same horse 12 months later. 

Updated March 24, 2025