Johnny Murtagh | |
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Occupation | Jockey / trainer |
Born | Navan, County Meath, Ireland | 14 May 1970
Significant horses | |
Sinndar, Kalanisi, Choisir, Soviet Song, Henrythenavigator, Yeats, Fame and Glory, Dancing Rain |
1000 Guineas (0) |
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2000 Guineas (2) | ||
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2002 | ||
Rock of Gibraltar | Hawk Wing | Redback |
2008 | ||
Henrythenavigator | New Approach | Stubbs Art |
Derby (3) | ||
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2000 | ||
Sinndar | Sakhee | Beat Hollow |
2002 | ||
High Chaparral | Hawk Wing | Moon Ballad |
2005 | ||
Motivator | Walk in the Park | Dubawi |
Oaks (1) | ||
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2011 | ||
Dancing Rain | Wonder of Wonders | Izzi Top |
St Leger (0) | ||
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Johnny Murtagh (born 14 May 1970) 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 [1] [2] [3] and Europe's biggest race the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was also Irish flat racing Champion Jockey five times. [4] As a trainer, based at stables near Kildare, he has saddled a winner at Royal Ascot and an Irish Classic winner.
Murtagh was born in Navan, County Meath. [5] He was a keen amateur boxer as a young boy and was once Irish boy's under-14 boxing champion. [4] He also came close to joining Blackburn Rovers' youth football team. [4]
At a boxing fight one evening in his native County Meath, a spectator advised his mother that Murtagh had the attributes to make a good jockey, balance, poise, weight, strength, courage. His mother wrote to the Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) in County Kildare, a school for apprentice jockeys, and got a two-week trial for her son. He was one of 26 successful candidates who progressed onto the RACE 10-month course. At the end of the course, he was apprenticed to John Oxx, one of Ireland's leading trainers. [6]
Murtagh rode his first winner, Chicago Style, at Limerick in 1987. [4]
He became stable jockey to Oxx in 1992, and from then until his departure in 2003, rode 18 Group 1 winners for Oxx's leading owner, the Aga Khan. [1] [2] [3] [7] [8]
For Oxx, Murtagh rode Sinndar to win The Derby and Irish Derby, as well as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2000. [9] [10] He won the Derby again on the Michael Bell trained Motivator. [11] Murtagh was also the regular jockey for talented filly Soviet Song. In 2004, the partnership won two Group 1 races, including the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. Here she beat a strong field of colts, including the 2,000 Guineas winner Haafhd.
From 2008 to 2010, he was stable jockey for Coolmore, taking over from the drug-banned Kieren Fallon. He had been riding for them on an ad-hoc basis since 2002, most notably winning the Derby on High Chaparral in 2002. [12] In 2008, he rode 19 Group 1 winners in a single season for O'Brien (21 in total for Coolmore), and followed it up in 2009 with another 10, including the Irish Derby, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Ascot Gold Cup, St. James's Palace Stakes and an Irish 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas double.
He resigned his post as stable jockey to Coolmore in November 2010, issuing a statement via his agent to say he had informed Coolmore he wouldn't be renewing his contract. [12] No reason was given but there was speculation that O'Brien was looking for another jockey, and on his recent return from the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs, where he had ridden four losers for O'Brien, one bookmaker had been offering odds on his replacement. [12] His last Group 1 winner for the team was Roderic O'Connor in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud on 31 October 2010.
This meant he was back riding for Oxx who trained 90 of the Aga Khan's horses, and additionally for Mick Halford who trained 30.
"I am thrilled to be renewing my association with His Highness' horses in Ireland," Murtagh said in a statement, "We have shared some fantastic moments over the years and I have always enjoyed riding in the green and red colours. This will also give me an opportunity to ride for John Oxx again. I started off riding for Mr Oxx and it has always been a pleasure to be part of his Currabeg team". [13]
In February 2014, Murtagh announced that he would retire from riding to concentrate on his training career. [14]
Murtagh obtained his trainer's licence in 2013. In his first season he achieved a Group 2 and two Group 3 wins, including the Blandford Stakes with Belle de Crecy and the British Champions Long Distance Cup with Royal Diamond, riding the horses himself. [15] His first Group 1 winner as a trainer was Champers Elysees in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse in September 2020. [15] His first win at Royal Ascot as a trainer came in 2021, when Create Belief, ridden by stable jockey Ben Coen, won the Sandringham Stakes. [16] Later that season, Sonnyboyliston provided the trainer with his first Irish Classic win when Coen rode him to victory in the Irish St. Leger. [17]
He is married to Orla, daughter of famous Tipperary hurler Michael "Babs" Keating, and has five children, Caroline, Charles, Lauren, Grace and Tom.
Sinndar was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career that lasted from September 1999 until October 2000, he ran eight times and won seven races. He was notable for his unique achievement in winning The Derby, Irish Derby Stakes and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the same year.
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.
|} The 2000 Epsom Derby was a horse race which took place at Epsom Downs on Saturday 10 June 2000. It was the 221st running of the Derby, and it was won by Sinndar. The winner was ridden by Johnny Murtagh and trained by John Oxx. The pre-race favourite Beat Hollow finished third.
John M. Oxx is a retired Irish trainer of thoroughbred racehorses. By the end of the 2009 season Oxx had trained 35 Group One winners over his career, including the winners of 11 Classic races. He is best known as the trainer of Sinndar and Sea The Stars.
Dylan Thomas is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 2005 until December 2007, he ran twenty times and won ten races. After winning two minor races in 2005 he improved to become one of the leading European three-year-olds of 2006, winning the Irish Derby and the Irish Champion Stakes as well as finishing a close third in The Derby. In 2007 he won three of Europe's most important weight-for-age races, taking the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, a second Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. His performances led to his being named European Horse of the Year in 2007.
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.
Henrythenavigator is an American-bred and Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the 2000 Guineas, the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St. James's Palace Stakes and the Sussex Stakes in 2008.
New Approach is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active stallion. In a racing career which lasted from July 2007 to October 2008 he ran eleven times and won eight races. He was undefeated in five races as a two-year-old in 2007 including the National Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes. As a three-year-old he won the Epsom Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and Champion Stakes and was rated the best racehorse in the world in the 2008 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. As a breeding stallion, New Approach has sired the classic winners Masar, Dawn Approach and Talent.
Duke of Marmalade was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He is best known for winning five consecutive Group One races in 2008, for which he was named European Champion Older Horse. Upon retirement at the end of the 2008 racing season he stood as a stallion for Coolmore Stud, being moved between stud farms in Ireland and Australia. In July 2014 he was sold and relocated to Drakenstein Stud in South Africa.
Fame and Glory was an Irish Thoroughbred horse whose wins include the Critérium de Saint-Cloud, Irish Derby, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Coronation Cup and Ascot Gold Cup.
Sea The Stars is a retired champion Irish Thoroughbred racehorse regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He won the 2000 Guineas, the Derby, the Eclipse Stakes – the first colt to accomplish this treble since 1989 champion Nashwan – the International Stakes, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the same year. Sea The Stars is also a successful sire.
Colm O'Donoghue is a multiple Group 1 and Classic winning flat jockey. For most of his career, he was based at the Ballydoyle racing stables in Rosegreen, Cashel, County Tipperary.
Mastercraftsman was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. The four-time Group One-winning colt was trained by Aidan O'Brien and was ridden by Johnny Murtagh in all of his wins. He was out of mare Starlight Dreams and by top stallion Danehill Dancer.
Alamshar is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He won five of his nine races in a career which lasted from September 2002 to September 2003. He is best known for his performances as a three-year-old when he overcame chronic injury problems to win the Irish Derby and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
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.
Oratorio is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a two-year-old in 2004 he won four of his seven races including the Anglesey Stakes, Futurity Stakes and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère as well as finishing second in the Phoenix Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes. He showed his best form when tried over a mile and a quarter in 2005, when he defeated strong international fields in the Eclipse Stakes and the Irish Champion Stakes, beating The Derby winner Motivator on both occasions. He was retired to stud at the end of 2005 and has had some success as a sire of winners.
Bushranger is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed his best form as a two-year-old in 2008 when he won four of his seven races including the Anglesey Stakes in Ireland, the Prix Morny in France and the Middle Park Stakes in England as well as finishing second in the Phoenix Stakes. He was rated the second-best juvenile of the year in Europe. Bushranger failed to recapture his form in three starts as a three-year-old and was retired to stud at the end of 2009. He has had some success as a sire of winners.
Beethoven is an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his upset victory in the 2009 Dewhurst Stakes. He was highly tried as a juvenile and ran prominently in several major races before winning the Dewhurst on his tenth appearance of the season at odds of 33/1. As a three-year-old he won the Desmond Stakes and ended his year with a success in the Qatar Derby. He was based in Qatar for the rest of his racing career, making his last appearance in 2015.
Ebadiyla was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Bred and owned by the Aga Khan and trained by John Oxx she was unraced as a two-year-old in 1996 but quickly established herself as a very promising filly in the following spring with an emphatic win on her racecourse debut followed by a narrow defeat in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial. After finishing sixth in The Oaks she won the Irish Oaks and ended her season with a six length win in the Prix Royal-Oak. She remained in training as a four-year-old but failed to win in three races although she did finish third in a strong renewal of the Coronation Cup. After her retirement from racing she had considerable success as a dam of winners.
Timarida was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare bred and owned by the Aga Khan, who competed in six different countries and won major races in five of them. In a racing career which lasted from March 1995 until December 1996 she ran sixteen times, recording ten wins, two seconds and two third places.