Colm O'Donoghue (born 13 November 1980, Buttevant, County Cork, Ireland) is a multiple Group 1 and Classic winning flat

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

. For most of his career, he was based at the Ballydoyle racing stables in Rosegreen, Cashel, County Tipperary.

Career

In his final days as a schoolboy in 1996, O'Donoghue rang Aidan O'Brien to ask to be his apprentice. O'Brien agreed. The association continued for two decades. O'Donoghue rode his first winner, My Lorraine, at

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

in 1997. Less than a week later he partnered Theano to a surprise win in the valuable John Roarty Memorial Scurry Handicap at the Curragh on Derby Day, one of the most competitive handicaps of the season. Other trainers began to use him on a regular basis and in October 1999, he partnered Zelden to success in the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Handicap final at the Curragh. Since then he has won numerous listed, group and other major races in Ireland including the Phoenix Stakes, Noblesse Stakes,

Greenlands Stakes The Greenlands Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is schedul ...

, Round Tower Stakes, Debutante Stakes,

Ulster Derby The Ulster Derby is a flat handicap horse race in Northern Ireland open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Down Royal over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs and 150 yards (2,551 metres), and it is scheduled to take ...

, the Irish Cesarewich and the McDonagh Handicap at the

Galway Festival The Galway Races ( Irish: ''Rásaí na Gaillimhe'') is an Irish horse-racing festival that starts on the last Monday of July every year. Held at Ballybrit Racecourse in Galway, Ireland over seven days, it is one of the longest of all the ra ...

. In 2011, O'Donoghue rode the Aidan O'Brien trained

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in The Derby, finishing second by a head. Mick Kinane described O'Donoghue's performance on the horse as the best ride in the race. He then won the Irish Derby at the Curragh Racecourse on the same horse. This was his second European classic success following victory in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, which he won on Astronomer Royal in 2007. Two months later, in August 2011, he won the Shergar Cup at Ascot as a member of the victorious Irish Jockeys' team, winning the 12 furlong Shergar Cup Classic race on Parlour Games, his first ride for Godolphin. In November he was nominated for an Outstanding Achievement Award by Horse Racing Ireland. In January 2012, he was invited to represent Ireland in the Meydan Masters International jockeys challenge in Dubai and in March won the UAE Derby on

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at the Dubai Carnival meeting. O'Donoghue has ridden for many leading trainers and owners including Aidan O'Brien, Jessica Harrington, Jim Bolger, Dermot Weld and John Oxx in Ireland,

Bobby Frankel Robert Julian Frankel (July 9, 1941 – November 16, 2009) was an American thoroughbred race horse trainer whom ESPN called "one of the most successful and respected trainers in the history of thoroughbred racing."Privman, Jay"Robert Frankel Dies ...

Neil Drysdale Neil D. Drysdale (born 11 December 1947, Haslemere, Surrey, England) is an American-based thoroughbred race horse trainer. Based in Playa Del Rey, California, he has won two Triple Crown races – the Belmont Stakes (G1) with A.P. Indy i ...

, Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher in the US, Lee Freedman in Australia, Dr MAM Ramaswamy, Subaiah Ganapathy and Vijay Mallya in India and Katsuhiko Sumii in Japan. He also won the inaugural running of the American St. Leger at the Arlington Million meeting at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois, in August 2012. O'Donoghue won the race on Jakkalberry for the Newmarket based trainer, Marco Botti. From 2016, he replaced Fran Berry (who had moved to England) as first jockey on the flat for dual-purpose trainer Jessica Harrington, initially mixing that role with his Ballydoyle position. He rode his first

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

winner, Sword fighter, for Aidan O'Brien in the Queen's Vase in 2016. In 2018, he rode the Harrington-trained

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to win four Group One races, including one at Royal Ascot. O'Donoghue also established a relationship with Godolphin, riding for trainer Charlie Appleby at all eight Dubai World Cup Carnival meetings in 2019. In February 2019, it was announced that Shane Foley would replace O'Donoghue as the Harrington stable jockey. By the following month, it had been announced that O'Donoghue would be used by the new training partnership of John Oxx and Patrick Prendergast.

Major wins

* Irish 1,000 Guineas – (1) – ''

(2018)'' * Irish Derby – (1) – ''

(2011)'' * Irish Oaks – (1) – ''Bracelet (2014)'' * Phoenix Stakes – (1) – ''Spartacus (2002)'' ---- Great Britain * Coronation Stakes – (1) – ''Alpha Centauri (2018)'' * Epsom Oaks – (1) – ''

Qualify Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

(2015)'' * Falmouth Stakes – (1) – ''Alpha Centauri (2018)'' * Yorkshire Oaks – (1) – '' Seventh Heaven (2016)'' ---- *

Secretariat Stakes The Secretariat Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of one mile on the Grass, turf. The event was originally raced at the now-closed Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illi ...

– (1) – ''

(2011)'' * Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes – (1) – ''Together (2011)'' ---- * Critérium International – (1) – ''Jan Vermeer (2009)'' * Poule d'Essai des Poulains – (1) – ''Astronomer Royal (2007)'' *

Prix Jacques Le Marois The Prix Jacques Le Marois is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile ...

– (1) – ''Alpha Centauri (2018)'' ---- *

Copa Republica Argentina The Copa Republica Argentina (Japanese language, Japanese アルゼンチン共和国杯) is a Conditions races, Grade 2 Handicap (horse racing), handicap Horse racing, horse race for Thoroughbred Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies aged three ...

– (1) – ''Perform A Promise (2018)'' ---- * McDowell's Indian Derby – (1)–- ''Diabolical (2007)'' *Indian 1,000 Guineas – (2) – ''Desert Lightning (2005) Sweeping Success (2007)'' *Indian Oaks – (1) – ''Sweeping Success (2008)'' *Indian 2,000 Guineas – (1) – ''Burbon King (2007)'' *Royal Western Indian Turf Invitation Cup - (1) - ''Southern Empire (2007)'' *Ever Ready Calcutta Derby – (1) – ''Moon Forrest (2007)'' *Calcutta 2,000 Guineas – (1) – ''Star Team (2007)'' *Calcutta Oaks – (1) – ''Classic Sky (2007)'' *Bangalore 1,000 Guineas – (1) – ''Star Luminary (2006)'' *Poonawalla Bangalore Derby – (3) – ''Star Luminary (2007)'' *The Colts Championship Stakes (Gr.1) – (1) – ''Phoenix Tiger (2015)'' ---- * UAE Derby – (1) – ''

(2012)'' ---- * Canadian International – (1) – ''Joshua Tree (2012)'' ----

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ODonoghue, Colm 1980 births Living people Irish jockeys Sportspeople from County Cork