Keith Donoghue (born 15 September 1990) is an Irish

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), 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 ...

who competes in

National Hunt racing National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, horse racing in Great Britain, Great Britain and horse racing in Ireland, Ireland. Jump Racin ...

. He has had multiple successes at Grade level and holds the record of five wins in the

Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase is a National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Cross-Country Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 m ...

at the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Race ...

. After a long association with trainer Gordon Elliott, he decided to switch to riding freelance and has had notable victories for trainer

Gavin Cromwell Gavin Cromwell (born 29 September 1974) is an Irish dual-purpose racehorse trainer. He has won multiple Grade 1 races, including the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Background Cromwell comes from Ardcath, County Meath, where his grandfather and uncl ...

Background

Donoghue grew up in

Dunshaughlin Dunshaughlin ( or locally ) is a town in County Meath, Ireland. A commuter town for nearby Dublin, Dunshaughlin more than tripled in population (from 2,139 to 6,644 inhabitants) between the 1996 and 2022 censuses. The town is in a townland and ...

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

, in a family with racing connections. His maternal great uncle, Andy Lynch, was a trainer and his grandfather worked at

Fairyhouse Racecourse Fairyhouse Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is situated in the parish of Ratoath in County Meath, on the R155 road, R155 Regional road (Ireland), regional road, off the N3 road (Ireland), N3. It hosted its ...

and took the young Donoghue to watch races there. Donoghue went hunting with his mother and took part in pony racing, riding over 150 winners. He left school at fifteen to work at the yard of Gordon Elliott.

Racing career

Donoghue was sixteen when he rode his first winner, Nino Cochise for Elliott at

Listowel Listowel ( ; , ) is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,794 according to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the third large ...

on 13 September 2009. Standing at about six feet tall with a sturdy frame, he experienced weight problems and in March 2017 he announced that he was taking a break from racing. It meant that he missed a winning ride on Labaik in the

Supreme Novices' Hurdle The Supreme Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance o ...

at the 2017 Cheltenham Festival. But he was race-riding again in May 2017 and at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival rode Tiger Roll to victory in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase. Donoghue would go on to win the race a record five times. He was unable to get his weight down enough to take the 2018 Grand National ride on Tiger Roll, who won under

Davy Russell David Niall Russell (born 27 June 1979) is an Irish retired National Hunt jockey. He was Irish jump racing Champion Jockey three times, and won the Grand National (twice), the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. Childho ...

, with Donoghue coming eighth on Valseur Lido. The following season, Donoghue secured his first Grade 1 victory when Hardline won the Matchbook Betting Exchange Novice Chase at

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

for Elliott in December 2018. In February 2019, he rode Tiger Roll to an unexpected 25/1 victory in the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle. A few weeks later the pair won the second of their three Cross Country wins at the Cheltenham Festival. After fourteen years with Elliott, Donoghue decided to ride as a freelance, although still taking rides for Elliott, including the winning ride on Delta Work in the Cross Country Chase at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. He ended the 2022/23 season with a career-best of 48 winners and fifth place in the Irish Jump Jockeys Championship. As a freelancer he established a particularly strong association with trainer Gavin Cromwell, which included success on Limerick Lace in the Liberthine Mares' Chase at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. He has also ridden winners for his older brother, Ian Donoghue, who took out a trainer's licence in 2021.

Cheltenham Festival winners (6)

- (5) '' Tiger Roll (2018, 2019, 2021), Delta Work (2023), Stumptown (2025)'' * Liberthine Mares' Chase - (1) ''Limerick Lace (2025)

Other major wins

Ireland * Matchbook Betting Exchange Novice Chase - (1) ''Hardline (2018)'' * Ladbrokes Champion Chase - (1) ''The Storyteller (2020)'' *

Spring Juvenile Hurdle The Spring Juvenile Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland. It is run at Leopardstown Racecourse in February, over a distance of 2 miles. The race is restricted to four-year-old horses on ...

- (1) ''Hello Neighbour (2025)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donoghue, Keith Living people 1993 births Irish jockeys Equestrians from County Meath