Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports Legendary Irish jockey Paul Carberry has given his perspective on the Irish Trainers Championship and the battle between Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliot and reflects on his experiences riding in Leopardstown.
Carberry also name checks the two jockeys who could rival the Irish during Cheltenham 2026 and speaks candidly about the struggles of being a jockey in 2026 compared with when he was riding.
Irish Trainers Championship
Mullins vs Elliot
He’s had a bit of a quiet start, usually he goes big at Leopardstown at Christmas, but he didn’t quite have them firing then but now he will be really going for it.
Gordon, if he keeps going the way he is going, he will put up a really good fight to him this season. I know he said he isn’t thinking about it [the Irish Champion Trainers’ title] at the moment, but I am sure in the back of his head he is thinking about it, alright.
Gordon has been flying the last six weeks, two months. It'll be interesting because he kind of avoided it [the Dublin Racing Festival] last year, but I think he will have a bigger team this year, he had a good Leopardstown at Christmas, but Willie Mullins is starting to fire now as well.
Leopardstown
Leopardstown
Absolutely. Definitely, I used to love riding around there. When you’re on a good horse, and you win, it probably helps! It is great to ride when you turn down the back, and there’s seven fences in front of you. If you are on a good horse, then you get some thrill out of that.
I won the Irish Gold Cup on Beef Or Salmon and Florida Pearl. It is one of the biggest races. Beef Or Salmon was a super horse; he never quite liked Cheltenham, but he loved Leopardstown. This year? Galopin Des Champs didn’t put up a bad showing for his first run this season. If he is on form, he could be hard to beat at the DRF in the Irish Gold Cup.
He was very good at Christmas last year and then not as good at DRF, then got beaten at Cheltenham and then came back to Punchestown and looked absolutely awesome. He has been brilliant; he is probably a better horse to rider than most, and I suspect Paul Townend gets a real thrill out of riding him. Noel Meade has Affordale Fury, that was a great win at Leopardstown [in the Savills Chase]. I think he will have a decent chance in the Gold Cup, and it would be nice for Noel as well.
Cheltenham 2026
Skelton And Murphy Can Challenge The Irish
The Irish will dominate the Cheltenham Gold Cup, that's for sure. I don’t think that’ll change. It is so strong over here with Wille and Gordon, plus Gavin [Cromwell] with Inothewayurthinkin, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup last year; he’s feeling a bit better now as well after his first run of this season, I have been told.
From Britain, Dan Skelton will be putting it up to them now. Olly Murphy is having a great season, it won’t be all Irish at Cheltenham this year - we will share it out a bit!
Jockeys 2026
Tougher Ride For Jockeys Today
I’d say it is very hard to be a jockey these days. If you are not in the big yards, the big ones, you are struggling to get winners. It has gotten a lot harder. Even when I was riding, I was a freelance, Barry [Geraghty] too, we were picking up plenty of winners, but that day has gone now.
You have to be in big yards, then there are five or six fighting riders for the second spot; it has gotten very hard for jockeys. My advice to the jockeys? Get yourself into a good yard; you have to work your way up. Simply work hard and get some winners, especially on the television days!
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