There are 122 professional jump jockeys in Ireland.
This is the story of three of them.
Racing is a whole world of its own.
Racing fans have a huge passion for the sport.
These jockeys are their heroes.
For the very first time,...
..we look behind the scenes of National Hunt Racing,...
..following three of Ireland's greatest jockeys...
..as they battle it out to become champion jockey.
They're bruised with broken bones.
An hour later, they're ready to race again.
It's the only profession where you are followed by an ambulance.
Cork's Davy Russell is one of racing's established stars...
..with more than 900 winners to his name.
Ruby Walsh from Kill, Co. Kildare has won over 2,000 races.
The 32 year old has been called...
..the most talented jockey of his generation.
He is part of one of Ireland's leading racing families.
Barry Geraghty, 32, is from Pelletstown, Co. Meath...
..and has won over 1,400 races.
His two brothers, sister and father were all jockeys.
The weighroom, or the jockey's room,...
..at the racecourse is the inner sanctum of racing...
..and is strictly off limits to the general public.
This is where the jockeys study the form, decide on their race tactics...
..and sweat off the final few pounds before the race.
With 223 days of National Hunt racing each year,...
..jockeys spend a huge amount of time together.
Despite the fierce rivalry, they are a close-knit group.
As a result of the dangers associated with the job...
..the jockeys share a special bond.
Fairyhouse hosts the first big national hunt meeting of...
..the season in early December.
The weekend is full of top class racing...
..including several Grade 1 races.
Typically jockeys are freelance.
Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty ride principally for a particular trainer.
Davy Russell is an exception. He is employed by a single owner.
Given the quality of horses at Gigginstown...
..it's difficult for Davy especially in the Grade 1 races.
Davy Russell is riding in the biggest race of the day...
..and he has had to make a difficult decision...
..before he even reaches the course.
On a cold winter's day, a pair of tights can be a jockey's best friend.
Davy has three races today.
He finishes second in the first race...
..and a disappointing fifth in the second.
The Drinmore Novice Steeplechase is one of the day's big races,...
..the winning jockey can expect to take home around E4,000.
Ruby Walsh is riding a horse that Davy turned down.
The race is a disaster for Davy and First Lieutenant.
The horse makes a terrible mistake at the eighth fence.
While Davy pulls up, Ruby Walsh gallops home...
..by a clear thirty lengths on Bog Warrior.
He's a wonderful jockey.
He is very knowledgeable.
Like anyone who excels at a sport, it's a part of their very being.
Whoever rides the most winners in the national hunt racing season...
..is crowned champion jockey.
Winning a Championship is confirmation of a jockey's status...
..at the top of his profession.
Ruby Walsh has been crowned champion eight times.
Barry Geraghty has won it twice.
Davy Russell has finished as runner-up five times.
It would be great to see Davy Russell win it.
He has been runner-up I believe five times now.
It would be amazing if he could win it this year.
We would all be delighted for him.
6.05am St. Stephen's Day
The schedule of a top jockey is gruelling.
Ruby Walsh works for two of racing's leading trainers,...
..which means he divides his time between Britain and Ireland.
Christmas for a jockey is often a time of hardship and denial.
Today Ruby is meeting Barry Geraghty to share a car to the racecourse.
The two riders often travel together.
Ruby Walsh has won the King George at Kempton four times on Kauto Star.
At almost 12 years old, many experts think he has no chance...
..against the favourite Long Run.
But Ruby has remained loyal.
Kempton Park 26 December 2011
When he arrives, Ruby heads straight for the weighing scales...
..and the news is good.
They're tall men.
If they didn't control the amount they eat...
..they would be at least two stone heavier.
They suffer day in day out.
That is the life they lead.
Kauto Star's trainer, Paul Nicholls consults with Ruby...
..before the big race.
They are one of the most successful partnerships in jump racing.
The busy Christmas season continues in Leopardstown in South Dublin.
Barry Geraghty has been suspended in Britain for careless use of the whip.
Barry is about to pay the price for a moment of festive indulgence.
It's difficult.
You're constantly thinking about what you can and cannot eat,...
..and you're using the sauna in an effort to lose weight.
It's extremely difficult.
On Day 3 of the four day festival, Gigginstown Stud,...
..Davy Russell's employers, have two horses...
..in one of the biggest races of the day.
Once again Davy is presented with a choice...
..and again he chooses to ride First Lieutenant.
Davy rides a strong race on First Lieutenant but he is beaten...
..by Last Instalment, the horse he could have ridden.
Davy has made the wrong decision, again.
As the horses came out of the back straight,...
..the field became congested and Davy's horse was crowded out.
The incident has caught the attention of the race stewards...
..who hold an enquiry to discover if the crowding out of Davy Russell..
..was deliberate.
When they're out on the course and the race is underway...
..they are battling and they are enemies.
But when the race is over, they're back to being colleagues.
They're exactly like boxers. They respect each other immensely.
Having looked at the evidence and heard from the jockeys,...
..the stewards deliver their verdict.
A jockey earns E169 for riding in a race,...
..plus around 8% of the prize money.
Finishing second instead of first has cost Davy Russell over E3,500.
Cheltenham 13 March 2012
It's March, the height of the national hunt racing season.
Davy Russell is 13 wins ahead in the race for the Jockey's Championship...
..but Ruby Walsh is getting closer.
The standard of racing here is the best in the world.
50,000 spectators each day.
Many of the races are Grade 1.
Even the handicap races are fantastic.
If you're interested in racing, this is the place to be,...
..it's the best place in the world.
If the jockeys win one race here, they're happy.
But they'll be hugely disappointed returning to Ireland without a win.
At home, people will come up to them and say...
..'You didn't do well at Cheltenham this year'!
Ruby Walsh is the most successful jockey in Cheltenham's history.
In today's big race, The Champion Hurdle...
..he is riding Willie Mullins' Hurricane Fly,...
..the favourite who is carrying the hopes of thousands of punters.
But in the end, Hurricane Fly finishes a poor third...
..and the inquest begins into the performance of horse and jockey.
Last year Hurricane Fly beat the horse which came second today.
That horse beat Hurricane Fly easily today.
We had the best result of the year at Cheltenham.
We were delighted but I don't think anyone else was!
When the favourite loses, every punter has a theory.
Perhaps this time, he held back for too long.
Ruby doesn't make those types of mistakes often.
The punters who lost the bets are criticising him.
When you lose money, you find fault with everyone.
By contrast, Barry Geraghty is having a brilliant festival...
..riding three Grade 1 winners for trainer Nicky Henderson.
Davy Russell is relaxing after winning today on Sir Des Champs.
Getting a win under his belt has eased the pressure.
Cheltenham 16 March 2012
Gold Cup day.
This is the most prestigious steeplechase in the racing calendar.
After the disappointment of the Champion Hurdle,...
..Ruby has switched his attention to the Gold Cup.
He is riding the horse who has won it twice before, Kauto Star.
The Gold Cup is what jockeys, trainers and punters...
..have been looking forward to all year long.
The horse wasn't right for a couple of days.
However Paul Nicholls said he was back to his old self.
We won't know until the race is over...
..whether Kauto Star is in the same form he was in at Christmas.
If not, if there is anything wrong with him,...
..he won't win the Gold Cup.
The Gold Cup result was great for us as a company...
..but it isn't nice to see a horse like that being pulled up.
Aintree 14 April 2012
The Aintree Grand National is the most popular National Hunt race...
..on earth, watched by 500 million people worldwide.
It has a prize fund of almost £1,000,000.
The Grand National is a huge event for us.
With so many horses running,...
..the amount of money spent on the race is unbelievable.
Everyone in the country is watching.
The amount of bets placed with us is amazing, up to 20 million euro.
Everyone puts a bet down. It's a wonderful race.
As the crowds pour into the racecourse,...
..Davy Russell goes on course to take a look at...
..one of Aintree's most infamous fences, The Chair.
But Ruby's luck deserts him before the Grand National even starts.
A bad fall in the Aintree Hurdle rules him out of the big race.
The end of the race is the closest in years.
Daryl Jacobs wins narrowly on Neptune Collonges,...
..Barry Geraghty finishes in 9th place...
..and Davy Russell falls at the seventh fence.
They may fall off the horse going at speeds of 37 or 38 mph...
..onto hard ground, with a field of horses coming after them.
It's highly dangerous but they accept it as part of the job.
Jockeys do die.
We've seen that happen to Kieran Kelly and Jack Tyner.
It's devastating when it does happen.
When jockeys go out racing,...
..their wives and families don't know if they'll be coming back.
It's an extremely dangerous sport.
At every race, the jockeys are followed by an ambulance...
..carrying doctors.
They aren't big lads but they're very tough.
They put themselves under a huge amount of pressure.
If they sustain an injury,...
..they can tolerate an unbelievable level of pain.
The fall is what causes the most injury.
Even if a lot of jockeys fall at the same fence,...
..it isn't the horses that inflict the most damage.
The jockeys rarely receive a blow from the horse.
The fall is what causes most injuries.
When you hear on the radio that there has been a fall,...
..you just spring into action and run to the location.
It is dangerous.
15% of injuries are concussions.
A concussed jockey must stop riding for a minimum of 3 weeks.
It is Chief Medical Officer Adrian McGoldrick's job...
..to break the bad news.
Punchestown, Co. Kildare 24 April 2012
The Punchestown Festival marks the end of the racing season...
..and the battle for the championship is almost over.
Davy Russell has stayed injury-free.
He has ridden in 522 races and won 102 of them.
Barry Geraghty ends the year with a bang,...
..winning the Ryanair Novice Chase on Lucky William.
He finishes the season with 56 winners.
Ruby Walsh guides Hurricane Fly to victory in the Champion Hurdle,...
..bringing his total to 85.
Davy Russell storms home in the Champion Novice Hurdle on Dedigout.
It's his 104th winner of the year,...
..which means he is Ireland's champion jockey for the first time.
It's the fulfilment of a childhood dream.
You have to cross your fingers when riding against the other jockeys...
..because we have wonderful jockeys here in Ireland.
With Ruby in second place there was always the danger...
..that he would win as he has done in previous years.