County of origin: Kildare
First winner: Teknash (Niall Madden) Wexford, July 12, 2002
Final winner: The Long Mile (Philip Dempsey) Limerick, December 28, 2020
Champion Amateur Rider: 2004/05
Grand National winner: Numbersixvervalde (Martin Brassil) Aintree, April 8, 2006
Significant horses (Selected): Numbersixvalverde, Jazz Messenger, Nickname, Arch Rebel, Henryville, War Of Attrition, The Hurl, Carthalawn, Cailin Alainn, Liskennett, Orbit O'Gold, Toofarback, Pearly Jack, Parsons Pistol, Fisher Bridge, Crossed My Mind, De Name Escapes Me, Some Article, Pass The Ball, Princeton Plains, Knockfierna, The Long Mile, Ambobo, A New Story, Rockall Blizzard, Teknash.
Did you know:
From Naas, County Kildare, Grand National winning jockey
Niall Madden, who retired from the saddle after an 18-year career on New Year's
Eve, 2020, will be remembered for plenty more than his Aintree heroics.
He began his career in racing in the amateur ranks and was
crowned champion amateur with 39 winners in the 2004/05 season. As an amateur rider,
he scored notable wins on the likes of the Arthur Moore-trained Marcus Du
Berlais, the Michael Grassick-trained Pixie Dust and Noel Meade’s Arch Rebel which
landed the Grade 2 Durkan New Homes Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown on St
Stephen's Day, 2004. However, the crowning glory of his amateur days came in January
2005 at Gowran Park where he won the Thyestes Chase on the Martin
Brassil-trained Numbersixvalverde.
Niall relinquished his amateur status at the beginning of
the 2005/2006 season and rode his first winner as a professional on the Noel
Meade-trained Ballintra Boy at Wexford in May 2005. Just two months later, he
captured the Guinness Galway Hurdle on Meade’s More Rainbows and in November of
the same year, Niall won the Cork Grand National on the Michael
Hourigan-trained A New Story.
His old friend Numbersixvalverde gave him his greatest day
in the saddle when winning the Aintree Grand National the following April. Indeed
2006 was a year to remember for Madden. He rode two Grade 1 winners during his career and they came
in the space of 24 hours. He landed the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park on St
Stephen's Day on the Noel Meade-trained Jazz Messenger and returned to Leopardstown
the following afternoon to win the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase on Martin
Brassil’s Nickname.
Niall rode 10 Grade 2 winners, five Grade 3 winners and
enjoyed significant success in a number of high-profile handicaps, notably in
the Tote Munster National Handicap Chase at Limerick on the David Fitzgerald-trained
Pearly Jack in 2006, the Barrack Homes Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase at the Punchestown
festival in 2007 on the Michael Cullen-trained American Jennie, the Ladbrokes.com
Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse’s Easter Festival on the Noel Meade-trained Fisher
Bridge in 2009 and a second Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase at Punchestown in the
same year, this time on the Martin Brassil-trained Ambobo. He won big handicap
hurdles on the Tom Mullins-trained Some Article at both the Fairyhouse and Punchestown
festivals in 2015.
Niall rode his final winner on the Philip Dempsey-trained
The Long Mile at Limerick on December 28, 2020 and called time on his career
three days later at Punchestown saying, “This is my local track. I had my first
ride here back so it was great to start and finish my career at Punchestown. Winning
the Grand National aboard Numbersixvalverde was obviously the major highlight
and to ride two Grade 1 winners – Jazz Messenger and Nickname – was huge as
well.”