Donnacha O'Brien (born 22 July 1998) is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey who competed in Flat racing.
O'Brien is the son of multiple champion trainer Aidan O'Brien and brother of jockey and trainer Joseph O'Brien. Donnacha O'Brien rode his first winner on Quartz, trained by his father, at Dundalk Stadium in September 2014, and gained his first Group 1 victory when he rode Intricately to win the 2016 Moyglare Stud Stakes. Intricately was bred by his mother, Anne Marie, and trained by his brother. O'Brien was Irish flat racing champion apprentice jockey in 2016 and Irish flat racing Champion Jockey for the first time in 2018. [1] He retained his title in 2019, beating Colin Keane in a season which saw two jockeys ride over 100 winners in a season in Ireland for the first time. [2]
O'Brien announced his retirement from race riding on 25 November 2019 and announced his intention to take up training. [3]
Johnny Murtagh is an Irish flat racing trainer and former jockey from Bohermeen, near Navan, Kells, County Meath. As a jockey he won many of the major flat races in Europe, including all the Irish Classics, all the Group 1 Races at Royal Ascot, The Derby, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and Europe's biggest race the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was also Irish flat racing Champion Jockey five times. As a trainer, based at stables near Kildare, he has saddled a winner at Royal Ascot and an Irish Classic winner.
The Moyglare Stud Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late August or early September.
Aidan Patrick O'Brien is an Irish horse racing trainer. Since 1996, he has been the private trainer at Ballydoyle Stables near Rosegreen in County Tipperary for John Magnier and his Coolmore Stud associates. He is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest horse racing trainers of all time.
Michael Vincent O'Brien was an Irish race horse trainer from Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland. In 2003 he was voted the greatest influence in horse racing history in a worldwide poll hosted by the Racing Post. In earlier Racing Post polls he was voted the best ever trainer of national hunt and of flat racehorses. He trained six horses to win the Epsom Derby, won three Grand Nationals in succession and trained the only British Triple Crown winner, Nijinsky, since the Second World War. He was twice British champion trainer in flat racing and also twice in national hunt racing; the only trainer in history to have been champion under both rules. Aidan O'Brien took over the Ballydoyle stables after his retirement.
Ryan Lee Moore is an English flat racing jockey, who was Champion Jockey in 2006, 2008 and 2009. He is currently the first choice jockey for Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle operation, a role in which he mainly rides horses owned by Coolmore Stud. He also sometimes rides horses for Juddmonte and The Royal Family. As of 2024, Moore has ridden over 200 Group and Grade 1 winners internationally. He has the most British Group & Listed wins of any active jockey.
Jamie Spencer is an Irish flat racing jockey currently riding in the UK. He has been champion jockey in both Ireland and Britain and has won seven classics, five in Ireland and two in England. Spencer is an advocate for the art of holding up horses late into the races, and then making use of their natural dash of speed.
Patrick Joseph Smullen, was an Irish jockey who won the Irish flat racing Champion Jockey title nine times. In a career running from 1992 to 2018 he rode 1,845 winners in Ireland and 47 in Britain. Amongst his biggest successes were riding Harzand to victories in the Epsom Derby and Irish Derby in 2016. He was stable jockey to Dermot Weld from 1999 until 2018.
Joseph Patrick O'Brien is an Irish horse racing trainer and former flat racing jockey. He is the son of trainer Aidan O'Brien. In 2012 he rode Camelot to win the 2,000 Guineas, the 2012 Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby.
James Anthony "Seamie" Heffernan is an Irish flat racing jockey associated for most of his career with the stable of horse racing trainer Aidan O'Brien. From a family with no racing connections, Heffernan was introduced to the sport when he took a summer holiday job with the National Hunt trainer Arthur Moore. He began his racing career as an apprentice jockey for P J Finn and rode his first winner on 10 August 1988 at the age of sixteen. When Finn retired he moved to the yard of Jim Bolger and shared the Irish champion apprentices title in 1994. He was runner-up in the same competition in 1995 and moved to Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable in 1996 where he was second jockey after Christy Roche.
Colin Keane is an Irish jockey who competes in flat racing. He was Irish flat racing Champion Jockey in 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Happily is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2017 she was one of best of her generation in Europe, winning four of her seven races including two at Group 1 level. After finishing unplaced on her debut she won a maiden race and the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes before running second to her stablemate Magical in the Debutante Stakes. She reversed the form to beat Magical in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and then defeated male opposition to take the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère. At the end of the season she was voted Cartier Champion Two-year-old Filly. In the following year she was placed in the 1000 Guineas, Irish 1,000 Guineas and Sun Chariot Stakes.
Oisin Murphy is an Irish jockey based in the United Kingdom who competes in flat racing. He has won two British Classics and a number of Group 1 races. He was British Champion Jockey in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Fairyland is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies in Europe in 2018 when her wins included the Marble Hill Stakes, Lowther Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes. In the following year she won the Flying Five Stakes and ran well in several major sprint races.
Magna Grecia is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed top class form as a two-year-old in 2018 when he won two of his three races including the Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy. On his three-year-old debut he won the 2000 Guineas Stakes.
Circus Maximus, is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promise as a juvenile in 2018 when he won one minor race and ran well in both the Autumn Stakes and the Vertem Futurity Trophy. In the following year he showed top class form over a mile, winning the Dee Stakes, St James's Palace Stakes and Prix du Moulin as well as finishing second in the Sussex Stakes. As a four-year-old he won the Queen Anne Stakes and finished second in both the Sussex Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Mile.
Love is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. She showed top-class form as a juvenile in 2019 when she won three of her seven races including the Silver Flash Stakes and the Moyglare Stud Stakes as well as running third in the Fillies' Mile. On her first appearance as a three-year-old she won the 1000 Guineas, following up with a facile victory in the Oaks Stakes and a similar win in the Yorkshire Oaks.
Peaceful is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. She showed some promise in three starts as a juvenile in 2019 when she won one minor race and was narrowly beaten in the Montrose Stakes. On her first run as a three-year-old she won the Irish 1,000 Guineas. She later finished third in the Prix de Diane and second in the Matron Stakes.
Fancy Blue is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. She showed considerable promise as a juvenile in 2019 when she won both of her races including the Listed Staffordstown Stud Stakes. In the following year she finished second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas before winning the Prix de Diane and Nassau Stakes.
Tom Marquand is a British jockey who competes in flat racing.
Shale is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2020 she made steady progress, winning a minor race on her second start and going on to take the Silver Flash Stakes and finish second in the Debutante Stakes before winning the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.