In the world of horse racing, there’s a lot of great talent out there. Some names may have been in the spotlight for many years, whereas some may have just emerged onto the scene in recent years. It’s fascinating to see new names pop up and dominate the sport, people who may not have even heard about a year ago.
With that in mind , before you check out the TVG’s Pegasus World Cup picks, here are some of our picks for the top 5 jockeys to look out for in 2022, including both old and new talent.
- Rachael Blackmore
Rachael was one of the best female jockeys in 2021. Actually, in reality she was the top jockey as a whole for the year of 2021, and she even ended up almost winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
This is a jockey with some serious talent, and definitely one that you will want to keep an eye on for the 2022 season. She is known for her skills exhibited in the Cheltenham Festival, alongside her abilities in National Hunt Racing. She knows how to control a horse and gives it her all for every race. It most certainly pays off, making her the top pick on our list for this year.
- Paul Townend
Paul Townend is yet another name that you definitely want to keep an eye out for in 2022. He’s often associated with the Willie Mullins yard, and has a bunch of rides lined up in 2022 that should make for an exhilarating viewing experience. Townend is an Irish jockey that is well known for his racing in National Hunt. He began his career racing for Mullins and is certainly one of his better riders. We don’t know about you, but we’re very excited to see what 2022 has in store for this spectacular rider.
- Jack Kennedy
Jack Kennedy is a name that we’re hearing a lot about lately. He’s an Irish jockey who again tends to compete in National Hunt. He had a great win with Minella Indo in the 2021 Gold Cup, and it was certainly something to praise. At just 22 years old, Kennedy clearly has a long and fulfilling career ahead of him, and he has oodles of talent to spare.
What’s especially interesting about Jack Kennedy is that he holds the title of the youngest jockey to ever win the Cheltenham gold cup. So far we’ve known of him since 2015, and in 2014 he also won the Dingle Derby. For 2022, we’re expecting to see Kennedy riding in the main grade 1 races in the Cheltenham festival, and we’re very excited to see how he does!
- Harry Skelton
Harry Skelton was involved in a battle for the title in the previous season against the jockey Brian Hughes, and what a fierce battle it was! He’s a jockey that we’ve been interested in watching since the beginning.
He has a spectacular work ethic and his skill is incredibly impressive. A British jockey who specializes in National Hunt Racing, Harry Skelton had big boots to fill. His father is a British gold medal Olympian – Nick Skelton, and his brother Dan is a horse trainer.
It’s hard to think that someone could compete with that, but Harry certainly has been showing us just what he can do. We’re looking forward to seeing more from him in the 2022 season.
- Brian Hughes
Finally we have Brian Hughes. If you’ve been watching horse racing for at least a while, then you will probably know about this name. Back in the 2019 – 2020 season he won the title for British Jump Racing Champion Jockey. He’s Northern Irish in descent and he already has a series of wins under his belt.
He’s an incredibly determined jockey, often riding for trainers that haven’t had a lot of publicity in the media. He’s ridden a lot of winners throughout his career.
He has a number of rides coming up that we are looking forward to seeing him in, but will his great performance continue? Only time will tell! One thing is certainly for sure – he’s a talented jockey that can run rings around many of the others out there. If you’re a jockey, you certainly don’t want to be riding against Brian Hughes.
Conclusion
Those are just a few of the top 5 jockeys that we are looking forward to seeing more of in 2022. There are certainly more though. Who knows – maybe 2022 will yield even more new names that will go down in the history books?
