Horse racing fans could not have missed the two unusually tall jockeys riding for success on Day One of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday.
Keen followers of the sport will remember the debut of 6ft 4in Jack Andrews last year, when he rode the 66/1 long shot Anightinlambourn.
Standing a full foot taller than most of his competitors, Andrews, unofficially crowned ‘tallest jockey in the world’, had no equal in the height department on what proved to be a maiden Cheltenham outing to forget.
Fast forward 12 months, and the title is well and truly up for grabs, with fellow 6ft 4in Thomas Costello making his bow.
The common perception that you need to be small to be a jockey has been exploded by the pair.
Jockeys Jack Andrews (left) and Thomas Costello (right) tower over their fellow competitors
Costello, 22, went in the Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser on Tuesday, riding Asian Masters
The 6ft 4in rider was making his Cheltenham Festival debut on the horse owned by his family
The 25-year-old Andrews comes from a Warwickshire riding family and was able to share the track with one of his siblings on Tuesday.
Sister Gina rode Mr Vango to third in the Maureen Mullins National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase, to close out Day One.
While, their other sibling Bridget became just the second female jockey to ride at winner at the festival when she won the County Hurdle in 2018 on Mohaayed before claiming another victory last year with Faivoir.
‘When I first started riding around the age of 15 or 16 I was tall but not as tall as I am now.’ Andrews told Mail Sport in 2023. ‘I was probably 5ft 10in when I had my first ride so I was okay and then when I got to about 17 I really shot up again and that is when I got quite tall.
‘There was a fear I might not be able to make it as I grew up thinking I would be a professional rider when I was older. When I had that growth spurt it was a bit of a kick in the teeth, but I always felt I could still ride as an amateur and in point-to-points – which I’ve managed to do.’
Meanwhile, Costello, who rode Willie Mullins’s Asian Master – owned by his family – in the festival’s curtain-raiser, admitted a similar concern of his rare stature in the sport.
‘I question myself sometimes why I am a jockey.’ he told The Guardian. ‘It’s tough – I can’t lie. I try to watch what I eat and do plenty of exercise to try and keep on top of my weight but it is difficult.’
The 22-year-old is based in Closutton in County Carlow, with the legendary trainer Mullins. His ride in the Supreme saw him claim a creditable fourth place as Rachael Blackmore took the victory aboard Slade Steel.
Jockeys tend to stand between 4ft 10in and 5ft 6in tall, with flat race jockeys usually at the smaller end of the spectrum. The average height of a jockey is 5ft 2in.
Thoroughbred racehorses average 16 hands (5ft 4in) at maturity.
A key part of a jockey’s day-to-day life is ensuring they don’t allow their weight to go over a certain limit. In 2022, The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) increased the jumps’ jockey weight allow from 11st 12lb to 12st.
Costello came home in fourth place behind eventual winner Slade Steel, ridden by Rachael Blackmore ( No 9)
Andrews comes from a riding family with sisters Bridget (left) and Gina (middle) also having extensive Cheltenham experience
Jack and Gina both went in the final race of Day One, which was won by Corbetts Cross
Asked if he had difficulties in keeping below that threshold, Andrews said that he had a naturally light frame, despite his height.
‘It is a daily thing that I have to constantly keep an eye on, I try to eat the right things; I try to eat regularly but eat the right things,’ he explained in an interview last year.
‘Obviously there’s a few cheat days every now and then like anyone. I must be quite light naturally anyway, quite a light frame.’
It’s a similar case for Costello, who divides his time as a jockey with a college degree in business, conscious of the limited time he has in the sport due to his height.
‘Breakfast is probably a no-go.’ He told The Guardian. ‘For lunch, I try to have a sandwich then have something like a pasta-based dinner, nothing too heavy. I try to drink plenty of water and avoid sugary drinks. Chocolate and fizzy drinks are my guilty pleasures. It’s difficult not to, but I try not to snack as it doesn’t suit me at all.’
While the Irish jockey had the delight on finishing his race at the festival, it was another disappointing outing for Andrews , riding Henry’s Friend, at the end of Day One.
The seven-year-old Gelding pulled up in the National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup just as Anightinlambourn had done a year prior.
Andrews made his Cheltenham debut last year, riding longshot Anightinlambourn
Though, that disappointment is unlikely to stop him. In 2022, he partnered 140 mounts, winning 16 races at a strike rate of 11 per cent. He raked in just shy of £250,000 in prize money as a result. The season before, he had ridden 11, with two wins at a strike rate of 18 per cent.
And as for his crown as the ‘tallest jockey in the world’ being stolen away by Costello, he was similarly unfazed.
‘I’ll have to stand next to him to see who is taller,’ he joked. Having inspected the evidence, the results are still inconclusive.