Triple threat: Ross Millar identifies three jockeys worth following at Cheltenham

The Cheltenham festival is a best chance to showcase your riding talents. If your year has been quiet then a winner this week can give you a much-needed boost, while a blank four days could take the shine off the season. Cheltenham provides the perfect launchpad for young riders to hit the great heights and below are three jockeys that could be worth following.

Sean O’Keeffe 

There is no doubt that Sean O’Keeffe is short on Cheltenham experience, but from just two rides at the track he has already ridden a festival winner as he steered Galopin Des Champs to victory in last year's Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle.

That victory clearly cemented him as a leading rider for legendary trainer Willie Mullins, and he has provided O’Keeffe with 54 rides and 13 winners this season, helping to propel the youngster into third in the jockey standings.

Such is Mullins’ confidence, he has turned to him ahead of the vastly more experienced Danny Mullins for the spare rides on Saint Sam in the Arkle (2.10, Tuesday) and Burning Victory in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle (4.10, Tuesday).

I’m sure that more rides will follow in the coming days and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see O’Keeffe add one or even two more winners to his Cheltenham CV.

Harry Skelton

Champion jockey in 2020-21, Harry Skelton didn’t cover himself in glory at last year's festival as he made some grave tactical errors - Allmankind (Arkle), Shan Blue (Turners) and Third Time Lucki (County) are case in point.

To compound his week of frustration he then endured a torrid passage in the closing stages of the Champion Chase aboard Nube Negra. One quality a top sports-person must possess is the ability to bounce back from mistakes and learn from them.

This week is a big one for Skelton. He has solid chances in the championship races - Nube Negra (Champion Chase), Shan Blue (Ryanair) and Protektorat (Gold Cup) - as well as a host of good chances in the handicaps, and I expect to see him take a more conservative approach compared to last year.

Paul Townend

Paul Townend enjoyed a successful festival last year without quite hitting the dizzy heights of 2020. He finished second-best to Rachael Blackmore in the race to be leading rider and watched her win the Ryanair on Allaho and the Champion Bumper on Sir Gerhard, both of whom he could have ridden.

Such is the strength in depth of the Willie Mullins team that I’m sure he will end up on ‘the wrong one’ at some point, but he still enters the week with the most phenomenal book of rides. He looks good value to become the leading rider. 

Blackmore will be a worthy challenger once again, but most of her ammunition comes from Henry De Bromhead and concerns about the form of the yard surely still linger. Jack Kennedy and Davy Russell are as good as any in the weighing room, but the policy of Gordon Elliott to share rides between them will make it hard for either to realistically challenge Townend.