'Kennedy Looks Sure To Have A Winner' - Jockeys To Follow At Down Royal On Saturday The biggest day of the season at Down Royal is upon us as the BetVictor Champion Chase will get underway at 2.40pm on Saturday, a race that is steeped in history and attracts some of the biggest stars across Britain and Ireland. Below, we will take a look at the jockeys who are usually worth following at the Northern Irish track and might be worth considering on Saturday for your bets. Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott targets this meeting big time and is certain to have a winner or even a few across the weekend and that means Jack Kennedy is without doubt the number one jockey to follow on Saturday. Kennedy has an incredible 33 percent strike-rate at the track, racking up 48 winners from his 147 rides there, returning a level stakes profit of +21.81, so if you put £10 on every one of his rides at the track at starting price in his career, you would be up £218.10. The opening contest is the 2m1f three-year-old hurdle and Kennedy has won the race twice since 2020, riding Quilixios to victory that year for Henry de Bromhead before gaining another win in 2023 on Wodhooh. He has also won the following 2m1f maiden hurdle twice since 2020, aboard Ballyadam in that year before landing the contest aboard Mighty Potter a year later. With one career win in each of the next two handicaps, perhaps his next big chance will come in the Grade 1 Champion Chase, a race he has won twice - Outlander in 2017 and Gerri Colombe in 2023. The Grace 2 chase over the extended 2m3f is up next and it's another race that he has also won twice to date. In a nutshell, Gordon Elliott has an unbelievable record at this meeting and Kennedy looks sure to have a winner. Danny Gilligan Another rider who often rides for Gordon Elliott, Danny Gilligan will be worth following regardless of what trainer he is riding for and his record at Down Royal speaks for itself. Last season, Gilligan returned an incredible strike-rate of 44 percent, riding eight winners from his 18 rides at the track with a level stakes profit of +15.99, while in the last five seasons he boasts a 26 percent return. Jack Kennedy is obviously Elliott's stable jockey but if you see Gilligan riding for another trainer, he might prove to be a bit of value in the saddle around here. Darragh O'Keeffe Now Rachael Blackmore has hung up her boots, Darragh O'Keeffe is the main jockey for Henry de Bromhead and he could make a big impact at the track this weekend. O'Keeffe won the feature Champion Chase last year aboard 3/1 shot Envoi Allen and the 11-year-old looks set to be back to try and defend his crown. The talented rider had three winners from 16 rides at the track last season and should have a few good chances on Saturday.
