Cheltenham tips: Mick Fitzgerald's top jockey prediction for 202 Festival

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The Cheltenham Festival is almost here, and the bets are starting to pour in as punters predict which rider will finish top of the pile in 2021.

The competition to be Top Jockey is always fierce, but things will look a bit different at Prestbury Park this year with Barry Geraghty joining our very own Ruby Walsh in retirement and Davy Russell sidelined due to injury.

That leaves Paul Townend as the market leader with the 30-year-old set to have the pick of Willie Mullins’ stable, but Mick Fitzgerald is tipping up a rival to challenge the Closutton No 1.

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Top Jockey – Jack Kennedy

“Paul Townend is a very short price. He’s the most likely winner in this market, but he has some very tricky choices to make over the week so that might make it very difficult for him,” said Mick, who rode 10 Cheltenham Festival winners during his career.

“He might not always get it right. Jack Kennedy has some really good rides all week. Envoi Allen and Ballyadam are among his best rides of the week.

“He’s available at good value going into the Festival, and come the end of day two, we could be looking at a very different market for the top jockey.”

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Kennedy already has five festival winners under his belt, steering Labaik to success in the 2017 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle before claiming four victories a year later – including the Ballymore and the Triumph Hurdle aboard Samcro and Farclas respectively.

As well as Envoi Allen and Ballyadam, Kennedy is set to partner a third Cheveley Park Stud-owned horse in the form of Quilixios for a tilt at either the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle or the Triumph Hurdle this year.

Kennedy will also ride Galvin in the National Hunt Chase while the 21-year-old is expected to have plenty of other bookings throughout the week including potential partnerships with Abacadabras and Delta Work, but will it be enough to beat the likes of Townend, Rachael Blackmore and Nico de Boinville?