The Jump Jockey Championship, also known as the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship, is a prestigious title awarded to the top jockey during each season. It’s determined by the number of wins that are accumulated throughout the year.
The champion receives a trophy alongside a cash prize of £15,000.00. The runners-up, from second through fifth place, are awarded lesser cash amounts too!
Let’s explore the British Jump Jockey Championship fully. But first, a glimpse at the updated scoreboard is needed. It covers all races spanning from Sunday, 30th April 2023 till Saturday, 27th April 2024.
- Harry Cobden (550 Rides and 126 Wins) – 23% Strike Rate
- Sean Bowen (540 Rides and 123 Wins) – 23% Strike Rate
- Brian Hughes (598 Rides and 90 Wins) – 15% Strike Rate
- Sam Twiston-Davies (499 Rides and 87 Wins) – 17% Strike Rate
- Gavin Sheehan (415 Rides and 77 Wins) – 19% Strike Rate
- Harry Skelton (294 Rides and 52 Wins) – 18% Strike Rate
- Nico de Boinville (193 Rides and 48 Wins) – 25% Strike Rate
- Jonjo O’Neill Jr (274 Rides and 45 Wins) – 16% Strike Rate
- Sean Quinlan (381 Rides and 43 Wins) – 11% Strike Rate
- Tom Cannon (277 Rides and 40 Wins) – 14% Strike Rate
It’s worth mentioning that even though the ‘Strike Rate’ of a jockey often grabs attention, it doesn’t influence the outcome of the National Hunt Jockeys Championship in any way.
British Jump Racing Champion Jockey Explained
The British Jump Racing Champion Jockey is given out based on a jockey’s number of wins within a season. This only considers National Hunt, or ‘Jump’, races, as they are informally known.
The event dates back to 1900. Initially, it was calculated over the course of a calendar year, not a racing season till 1925. Interestingly, only since the 2015/2016 edition, the winner gets a monetary prize.
Tony McCoy tops the list as the champion jockey, having won the title 20 times. Astonishingly, all of the 20 wins were back-to-back. The standout season from his stellar campaign was the 2001/2002 iteration which came with an impressive 289 victories!
Recent Jump Jockeys Championship Winners
Here’s a look at the most recent Jump Jockeys Championship winners. This chart shows the winners from the past 10 seasons of the competition!
| Season | Winner | Number of Wins |
| 2022-23 | Brian Hughes | 165 |
| 2021-22 | Brian Hughes | 204 |
| 2020-21 | Harry Skelton | 151 |
| 2019-20 | Brian Hughes | 141 |
| 2018-19 | Richard Johnson | 200 |
| 2017-18 | Richard Johnson | 176 |
| 2016-17 | Richard Johnson | 180 |
| 2015-16 | Richard Johnson | 235 |
| 2014-15 | Tony McCoy | 231 |
| 2013-14 | Tony McCoy | 218 |
Who is the National Hunt Champion Jockey 2022/2023?
Brian Hughes clinched the championship title for Jump Jockey in the 2022/23 season. Despite being the current champ, the chance to win this coveted trophy for a third straight time is not on his side.
Horse Racing Betting For The 2023/2024 Season
There’s lots of the 2023/2024 horse racing season left. Harry Cobden and Sean Bowen still have many races to prove who’ll take home the National Hunt Jockey Championship trophy.
Aside from this thrilling competition, there’s plenty coming up. The Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National are eagerly awaited events and, they both take place before this iteration of the championship ends.
Want to bet on horse racing? BetVictor is the place to be. We’ve got all the options you could want, including every race of the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National. BetVictor also offers extensive coverage of the most anticipated horse races to always keep you in the loop!
National Hunt Jockeys Championship FAQs
Who was victorious in the 2023 National Hunt Jockeys Championship?
The champ of the 2022/23 National Hunt Jockeys Championship was Brian Hughes. Hughes also emerged triumphant in the 2021/23 season with a tally of 204 wins.
Tony McCoy rules the roost in this competition with a tremendous score of 20 wins. Notably, these wins happened one after another from the season 1995/96 through to 2014/15.
Victories are the deciding factor in the National Hunt Jockeys Championship. The jockey with the most triumphs over the season gets to hoist the trophy. It is to be noted – in the championship, the total number of runs or the strike rate of a jockey doesn’t matter.
The champion of the National Hunt Jockeys Championship is distinguished with a trophy and a cash prize of £15,000. Other monetary awards await the jockeys who secure the second, third, fourth, and fifth positions.
