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| Johnny Murtagh |
Stats Updated Through: 11/19/2009
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| 2009 Stats: | | Starts | | 12 | | 1st-2nd-3rd | | 1-1-0 | | Earnings (Rank) | | $556,800 (443) | | Win % (In-The-Money %) | | 8% (16%) |
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Biography, Highlights and Media:
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- Weight: 120
- Born: May 14, 1970
- Residence: Coolaghknock Glebe, County Kildare, Ireland
- Family: wife; Orla; five children. Is the son of former jockey, John.
- Murtagh holds two Breeders' Cup victories; the 1995 Mile aboard Ridgewood Pearl (GB) and 2000 Turf aboard Kalanisi (Ire) ... His two wins and earnings of $3,513,420 rank him fourth behind Frankie Dettori, Mick Kinane and Pat Eddery among European based riders with success at the Breeders' Cup.
- His extraordinary exploits of 2000 were eclipsed in 2008, when he landed an amazing 21 Group 1 victories, all but two in association with trainer Aidan O'Brien. The odd-pair-out were provided by the David Wachman-trained Bushranger. He finished the season in third place in the Irish jockeys' championship with 80 wins. 2009 has brought a mere nine Group 1 wins (to Oct 16) and he is chasing Pat Smullen hard in the Irish title race, just three behind with 78 wins.
- Murtagh took advantage of Kieren Fallon's absence in 2007 and, when Fallon was slapped with an 18-month suspension in 2008, Murtagh was named the retained jockey for Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle operation, the training base for Coolmore.
- The 2007 Breeders' Cup provided him with four mounts; he managed two runner-up places with Achill Island in the Juvenile Turf and Excellent Art in the Mile. Dylan Thomas ran a disappointing fifth in the Turf.
- Murtagh failed to hit the Group 1 bullseye in 2006 but had a good year in Ireland, finishing third in the riders' standings. In 2007, he won seven Group 1 races in all, including three aboard Peeping Fawn and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Dylan Thomas.
- The high point of 2005 was Murtagh's third Epsom Derby win, aboard Motivator. Soviet Song added another Group 1 success in the Falmouth Stakes, but Murtagh's campaign was blighted by a 21-day suspension picked up for punching fellow jockey Pat Smullen following a race at Leopardstown in August. He also split with Fanshawe.
- He began riding freelance and spent much of 2004 in England, initially based with David Loder but then teaming up in particular with James Fanshawe, an association which brought three Group 1 wins with Soviet Song and another with Frizzante.
- His flagbearer in 2003 was Alamshar, who won the Irish Derby and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. Murtagh also won the Golden Jubilee Stakes on Choisir but dropped a bombshell at the end of the season when he announced that he would be splitting from Oxx because of ongoing problems with his weight.
- The year 2002 started well for the affable Irishman, with classic wins aboard Rock of Gibraltar in the English 2000 Guineas and High Chaparral in the Epsom Derby. He also repeated his Ascot Gold Cup triumph on Royal Rebel. But he lost out to Mick Kinane in a very tight battle for the Irish jockeys' championship which went to the last day of the season.
- He could manage only three Group 1 winners in 2001, Black Minnaloushe in the Irish 2000 Guineas and the St James's Palace Stakes, and Royal Rebel in the Ascot Gold Cup.
- Murtagh's services were in demand more than ever in 2000, especially after Kieren Fallon was injured at Royal Ascot and Sir Michael Stoute needed an able deputy for his Newmarket stable. Murtagh won eight group 1 races for Stoute. His greatest day came at Longchamp in October when he completed a group 1 treble, winning the Prix de l'Opera on Petrushka, the Prix de l'Abbaye on Namid and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Sinndar. Murtagh finished the year with an incredible tally of 12 group 1 wins worldwide, including the Breeders' Cup Turf on Kalanisi.
- The Murtagh and Oxx team ended the 1999 season with two Group 1 wins, the Ascot Gold Cup with Enzeli and the Irish National Stakes with Sinndar. Sinndar went on to give him his first victory in the Epsom Derby. This classic win was followed up by a repeat performance in the Irish Derby.
- In 1996, he was the regular partner of two of Oxx's star fillies, Timarida and Key Change. His Group 1 wins were the Yorkshire Oaks with Key Change, and the Irish Champion Stakes, Beverly D. Stakes and Bayerisches Zuchtrennen with Timarida.
- He was apprenticed to trainer John Oxx and rode his first winner on Chicago Style at Limerick in July 1987 … Became champion apprentice in 1989 and won his first Irish jockeys' championship in 1995. He won it again in 1996 and a third time in 1998. In 1995, he and his first world-class mount, Ridgewood Pearl, partnered for five Group wins, including the Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park.
Breeders' Cup Record| Starts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Earnings | | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0 | $3,513,420 |
| 2007 | Filly & Mare Turf | Simply Perfect | 11th | | | Juvenile Turf | Achill Island | 2nd | | | Mile | Excellent Art | 2nd | | | Turf | Dylan Thomas | 5th | | 2008 | Classic | Duke of Marmalade | 9th | | | Dirt Mile | Lord Admiral | 8th | | | Filly & Mare Turf | Halfway to Heaven | 7th | | | Juvenile | Bushranger (Ire) | 11th | | | Juvenile Fillies | Pursuit of Glory (Ire) | 11th | | | Juvenile Fillies Turf | Heart Shaped | 2nd | | | Juvenile Turf | Westphalia (Ire) | 2nd | | | Mile | U S Ranger | 5th | | | Turf | Soldier of Fortune | 4th | | | Turf Sprint | Fleeting Spirit | 4th |
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NOTE: Stats include North American and selected international races. Click here to view selected international race list.
Biographies on jockeys, trainers and owners are from the Breeders' Cup World Championships events from 2001 through 2009, and are intended as informational resources. Biographies will be updated if an individual is again a participant in the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Biographies are available for most horses appearing in the top 100 money earnings list, and/or for those who are frequently making headlines in the news starting with the 2006 Triple Crown season.
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