The 5 best horses that Barry Geraghty rode to victory

Barry Geraghty announced his retirement from the saddle this weekend and below we will go through the five best horses he ever sat on during his illustrious career.

1 – Sprinter Sacre

Sprinter Sacre was the best horse Geraghty ever sat on and was once rated an incredible 188.

When the legendary chaser was at his peak, the combination were invincible, winning nine races on the trot between the end of 2011 and April 2013.

Barry rode him to victory in an Arkle, a Champion Chase and many other big races which saw the combination win 13 times from 17 starts together.

2 – Moscow Flyer

To get the opportunity to ride Sprinter Sacre may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, however Barry was fortunate enough to ride Moscow Flyer, another who was close to unbeatable at his peak.

The combination won 19 times over the larger obstacles from 28 starts together and the only thing that could beat the horse was himself between 2001 and 2005.

They won two Champion Chases and an Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival, and nobody will ever forget the amazing battles he had with Azertyuiop in the Tingle Creek in both 2003 and 2004.

3 – Buveur D’Air

Geraghty is a three-time winner of the Champion Hurdle on three occasions and although Punjabi and Jezki in particular were fantastic horses in their own right, none could tie the shoe laces of Buveur D’Air.

Barry missed out on his win in the Champion Hurdle in 2017 where Noel Fehily came in to cover for him but he got his chance a year later to double up on the J.P. McManus-owned runner.

He was one of the most natural jumpers of a hurdle you would ever see, low and slick, barely clearing them which saved him so much time and ground over the course of the two mile course.

4 – Kicking King

How could anyone forget Tom Taaffe’s tremendous Kicking King? This horse gave Geraghty his first victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup when storming to victory in 2005.

The partnership won 11 times from their 26 runs over obstacles together. He proved himself to be a versatile horse with plenty of pace too as he was runner-up to Well Chief in the 2004 Arkle.

They won back-to-back King Georges in 2004 and 2005 and sadly injury meant they couldn’t go for a second Gold Cup but what a team they were.

5 – Bobs Worth

What many might not know about Barry Geraghty is that he purchased Bobs Worth as a yearling before selling him for a profit two and a half years later.

Funny enough, it was Nicky Henderson who bought the horse and they had an incredible adventure together, winning at three consecutive Cheltenham Festivals, winning the Albert Bartlett, RSA and Gold Cup.

Many would class Bobs Worth as a bit of a boat, he was far from flashy but he knew how to get the job done and he had a terrific resume that included a Hennessy and Lexus Chase to boot.

Read More:

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