Danny Gilligan Grand National Wins
Danny Gilligan has never won the Grand National.
Their best finish to date was in 2026 with Favori De Champdou who came 6th.
Irish jockey Danny Gilligan has worked his way through the ranks of racing to become a prominent name in the country.
He would make his Grand National debut in 2024 on Chemical Energy for Gordon Elliott, but would pull him up two flights from home, and fail to complete the race. He had even worse luck a year later, atop Duffle Coat, who unseated him at the 3rd fence, making him the first to leave the race that year.
But it was third time lucky for Gilligan in 2026, as he not only finished the race but came in 6th place, just managing to finish inside the places. He was once more riding for Gordon Elliott, and this time he rode a much older horse, named Favori de Champdou.
Full Results
| Year | Horse | Result | Prize Money | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Favori De Champdou | 6 | £30,000 | Gordon Elliott |
| 2025 | Duffle Coat | Fence 3 - Unseated Rider | - | Gordon Elliott |
| 2024 | Chemical Energy | Fence 29 - Pulled Up | - | Gordon Elliott |
Career History
Starting off as a conditional, he would initially begin life as a flat jockey for Tommy Stack, this was at the age of just 16. However, when turning 17, he would then switch codes and move to jump racing.
He would ride his first rules winner in June 2022 at Leopardstown and would complete his time as a conditional by riding out his claim at the 2024 Galway Festival. This has left him riding on equal terms to the professionals and doing so as a teenager to begin with.
The Galway Festival has given Gilligan more success, because at just 17, he would win the Galway Plate on Ash Tree Meadow. He did it from the front in brilliant style and really put his name on the map early with that success.
Since that moment, Gilligan has found a partnership with one of the leading trainers in Ireland, Gordon Elliott. While not the stable number one, he’s called upon regularly, and because of the size of the yard, he’s always had the chance to ride plenty of good horses.
Big victories when partnering with Elliott include the Troytown Chase, the Mayo National and two big wins at the Cheltenham Festival. They both came in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys race, where he would win on Better Days Ahead in 2024, and then followed that up winning on Wodhooh in 2025.
Still young and with a really bright future ahead of him, you can expect to hear the name Danny Gilligan plenty more in the coming years, both at the Aintree Grand National and elsewhere.