WHAT a difference a few years can make. Back when Irish racing was under its most heavy scrutiny in the face of high-profile drug cheat allegations, the publication of something like the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s annual report would have been the subject of all sorts of intense interrogation in mainstream and racing media.

When the regulator announced its publication of the same 72-page document for 2025 earlier this month, though, there was barely a peep about it. In fairness, on the face of it at least, the latest report wasn’t chock-full of headline-grabbing material. However, there were still some interesting facts and figures to be picked apart amidst the various tables of data.

Under the section surrounding licensing, a somewhat unexpected trend emerged in terms of the number of National Hunt riders being issued licences in 2025. It was eye-catching to see details of what appears to be a fairly sizeable drop in jump jockeys in Ireland over the last couple of years.

Using data available from Horse Racing Ireland and the IHRB for 2000 to 2023, there was no year since at least the turn of the millennium where Ireland’s professional jockey colony over jumps had been lower than 100.

For example, there were 131 with National Hunt licences in the year 2000, a peak of 137 in 2009 and, more recently, four of the five years from 2018 to 2022 saw totals of 123, 124, 125 and 125.

The average number of NH licences for jockeys in Ireland from 2000 to 2023 comes in at 121, while isolating 2016 to 2023 (for the sake of a more recent comparison) is 118.

Against that backdrop, it was curious to see that in 2024, there was a considerable drop to 90 professional jump jockeys on the IHRB’s books, and that trend continued in the latest annual statistics publication when only 91 such riders were registered.The IHRB hasn’t indicated any change in the way licences are being categorised in this period, so it feels like a notable falloff.

While there has been a slight pick-up in the last couple of years for dual National Hunt and flat licences, the figures don’t add up to bridging the shortfall between the two (43 and 40 dual issues for 2024 and 2025, versus 36, 28 and 37 respectively in the three years before).

In actual fact, there was a nearly identical number of dual licences issued to riders in 2021 versus 2025, and the NH total has fallen from 114 to 91 in that period.

All in all, we are looking at a 27% drop in professional NH licences issued in Ireland since before the pandemic - and a fall of 26% since 2022 alone.

Jumping decline

As for the flat, there was a slight dip in figures over the last two years from 121 to 106 licences, but the latest figure is still pretty close to where we stood in 2022 (108 that year). The current crop is also greater than the post-Covid levels of 97 flat licences, so there hasn’t been the same type of slide as with NH professionals. Qualified rider licences haven’t seen red lights flashing either.

From a race programming point of view, it’s not as though the number of opportunities for professional jump jockeys has shrunk.

In the peak year with 137 jumping licences issued in 2009, there were 1,412 races under National Hunt rules in Ireland. This is actually higher now, with 1,539 National Hunt races run in 2025.However, there are less rides to go around since then.

A total of 20,295 mounts were up for grabs in 2009 - much higher than the 17,690 recorded for 2025 (field sizes an average of three runners less per NH race now versus 2009). There has only been a marginal fall in field sizes now versus 2022, though - the point from which we’ve seen a noticeable decline in rider licences.

It seems much more likely that the reduction in jump jockeys is being driven by a combination of factors in the ecosystem around them at present.

It’s no secret that costs have spiralled for anyone operating in business in Ireland, especially for a profession that requires putting a substantial amount of fuel into a car each year.

According to the Central Statistics Office, between 2010 and 2020, petrol prices averaged €1.31 to €1.37 per litre and diesel came in at €1.23 to €1.27 per litre. The latest AA Ireland fuel survey says that petrol averaged €1.75 a litre last month and diesel was €1.73 a litre - a major surge. There are also fears these levels could spike again with renewed attacks between the USA and Iran in the gulf region.

Competitive landscape

Fuel is only one barometer for demonstrating the increased financial pressures impacting riders, but we all know rising costs don’t stop there by any means. The price of running any enterprise is undoubtedly higher now, and the reward of finding a flagship horse appears to be tougher for those operating outside the top stables, as the big yards simply get bigger and bigger.

Of the 35 Grade 1s run in Ireland last season, 26 were won by either Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott or Henry de Bromhead - nearly 75% of the pie.

In the calendar year of 2025, 11 jockeys rode Grade 1 winners in Ireland (two of whom were amateurs, another was a visiting rider, James Bowen). In comparison, back in 2010, there were 17 different jockeys on the Grade 1 scoresheet in Ireland, even though there were five fewer Grade 1s in the calendar.

You could also argue that the era of riders being able to make a strong living as stable jockeys for yards outside the top handful of stables has passed. A number of talented and highly-motivated riders are making continued strides in their careers, proving it can be done, but how many in the wider pool are really making a significant income? A higher proportion are surely facing much more difficult bottom lines.

We have seen a number of Irish-born riders successfully carve out careers abroad, both in Australia and America, while Britain clearly remains a plentiful area of opportunity for jump jockeys to ride winners. Is there a chance for them to stand out more in less competitive jurisdictions too?

Whatever the factors behind individuals’ decisions, it can’t be viewed as a positive to see such a proportion of National Hunt riders slipping out of the net. Especially when they are apparently doing so quietly, without any major noise being made in the industry.