by In a sport dominated by the small, the prospect of giant riders at racing’s premier Cheltenham Festival is perhaps a tall order.
This week, however, there are many 6ft 4in single competitors who can comfortably claim to be the world’s tallest elite showjumpers.
Size matters more in horse racing than almost any other sport because of weight restrictions, which makes smaller riders thrive. The riders on the flat usually stand around 4ft 10-5ft 7 inches, and their jumping equivalent is often slightly higher at up to around 5ft 10.
In the coming days, Jack Andrews and Thomas Costello are expected to outscore their smaller rivals. Andrews prompted horrified looks from onlookers last year when he rode Anightinlambourn in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup during the sport’s premier four-day event.
This year, Andrews feels less out of place as Irish-based Costello has emerged on the show jumping scene and is a well rounded game.
Costello, who is originally from Newmarket-On-Fergus in County Clare, admitted that his height makes life difficult in the sport. He said he has trained specifically to “clean up my riding style and keep my balance [as] I’m at least four or five inches taller than everyone else.”
He added: “I haven’t met Jack Andrews yet but I’ve seen him. With my height, when I first walked in the weight room they looked at me like I had four heads. But when you start riding the winners you are soon accepted.
“I sometimes ask myself why I am a jockey.”
He added: “It’s tough – I can’t lie. I try to watch what I eat and do plenty of exercise to maintain my weight but it’s hard. I like it though, and with a horse like Asian Master under you, it makes it harder to work where you want to go. It’s my motivation and it makes it so much easier.
“When he came and we started to get excited, he pushed me that little bit extra to stay motivated and in the future. You need a horse like him to keep them going.”
Describing his strict diet, he said breakfast is “probably” not allowed.
He said: “For lunch, I try to have a sandwich then something like a pasta-based dinner, nothing too heavy. It’s hard not to, but I try not to snack because it doesn’t suit me at all.
“I try to drink plenty of water and avoid sugary drinks. Chocolate and fizzy drinks are my guilty pleasures.”
Although he and Costello will be competing in different races this week, Andrews admits there is a friendly rivalry between the two. “I’ll probably have to stand next to him to see who’s taller,” said the 25-year-old, from Dunchurch, near Rugby. “I finished second at the Cheltenham Festival a few years ago but I haven’t had a winner yet.”
There is no height limit for riders, but as they carefully watch their weight to aid their racing, most are considerably shorter than the pair. Andrews has previously described a “daily struggle” to make weight. He said last year that he has adapted his riding style and posture to take his shape into account, tucking his legs and knees in to ensure he is “neat and tidy” during races, especially when jumping.
He explained: “One of the best compliments someone can give me is that I don’t look too high on the horse. I’m trying to prove that I’m not just a tall tall rider and I’m not just a good rider in general.”
Although the pair will not be riding against each other, joint odds are being offered at 389-1 if they both win their respective competitions.
Costello will go 25-1 chance on Asian Masters in the first race of the day, the Grade One Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at 1.30pm, while Andrews is partnered by Henry’s Friend, who runs in the Maureen Mullins National Hunt Chase at 5.30pm and is a 14-1 general with bookmakers. Another thing that Andrews missed is that he is riding against his sister Gina Andrews in the final. Another sister, Bridget, is married to Harry Skelton and won at the Festival but is pregnant and is not riding this year.
Costello, 22, is based in Closutton in County Carlow, Ireland, with trainer Willie Mullins, who has 94 winners at the Cheltenham Festival to his name and hopes this week to become the first ever to reach 100.
Costello and Asian Master – owned by the jockey’s parents – are unbeaten in their two starts together under Mullins.
Attendance at this year’s Cheltenham Festival looks set to be no less than last year’s figures, Ian Renton, the track’s managing director, confirmed on Monday. He told Racing TV that “we will be down some from last year”, with attendances already down 14 per cent from the four-day record of 280,267 in 2022.
Looking for the latest Cheltenham betting offers? Our comprehensive list includes every major bookmaker
