The names of the world’s highest-earning jockeys were released this week, with seven out of the top ten hailing from the UK. Leading all other jockeys in terms of total career earnings is Australian Damien Oliver, who has earned £26.6 million since starting his riding career in 1986 and continues to ride competitively today at 43 years old.
In second place on the list is Irishman Ruby Walsh, who has earned a total of £24.4 million throughout his career and still rides today despite previously suffering a broken neck in 2012. In third place we have Ryan Moore from England, whose earnings are estimated to be around £22 million – not bad for someone who started riding professionally back in 2000.
Fourth in the list is Welshman Tony McCoy, who retired from actively riding in 2015 after earning £21.2 million throughout his career. In fifth place – and only half a million pounds behind him – is his fellow countryman Richard Johnson, whose riding career began back in 1995 and has so far earned £20.7 million.
In sixth place is Scottish jockey Johnathan Burke, who has earned £15 million since starting out in 1984. Burke rides most frequently at Perth Races but also enjoys success across Europe.
Seventh on the list is another Scottish jockey in Jamie Spencer, whose estimated earnings are around the £13 million mark thanks to a string of top-level wins over many years of riding experience from 1994 onwards.
Eighth place is taken by Jamie Moore, another Irishman who has earned £10.6 million in his career since starting to ride in 2003
Ninth on the list of earners is American jockey Javier Castellano, who rides mainly in the US and has so far amassed total winnings of £7.3 million
Finally, rounding off the top ten highest earning jockeys are Julien Leparoux from France and Israel Ocampo from Mexico, with earnings currently estimated at around £5 million each thanks to impressive careers spanning over a decade or more respectively.
So there you have it – the world’s top ten highest-earning jockeys! With all these talented riders proving that you don’t need to be a superstar in the show jumping arena to make serious money as a professional rider, it seems clear that this is a sport where success can truly be found.
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