Jockey Profile

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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.”