Martin Joseph Dwyer (born 28 June 1975 in

Aintree Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, northeast of Liverpool city centre. In 2011 the parish had a p ...

, Liverpool, Merseyside) is a retired English jockey who competed in

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all spor ...

, winning the 2006

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

on Sir Percy and the 2003

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 ya ...

on Casual Look.

Career

Dwyer, who was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, was apprenticed to trainer

Ian Balding Ian Balding (born 7 November 1938) is a British retired horse trainer. He is the son of the polo player and racehorse trainer Gerald Matthews Balding and the younger brother of trainer Toby Balding. Ian Balding was born in the US, but his fami ...

Kingsclere Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. At the centre of the village lies the Church Of England parish church of St. Mary's with its distinctive tower. St. Mary's church has C12 origins. It is cruciform and has N ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. His first winner was Susquehanna Days at

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

on 9 July 1993 and his first Group race winner was Halmahera in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes in 1997. On 6 June 2003, Dwyer rode Casual Look, trained by Andrew Balding to victory in the Epsom Oaks. It was his first Group 1 win. In 2006 he achieved a second

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

success when Sir Percy, trained by Marcus Tregoning, won the Epsom Derby. Dwyer spent several winters in India, winning the 2012 Indian Derby on In the Spotlight. His association with India ended in controversy. He received a 56-day ban for not riding a horse on its merits in February 2013. A recording then emerged of a 2010 telephone conversation in which he discussed betting with jockey Paul Mulrennan. In 2019, Dwyer established a successful partnership with Pyledriver, trained by his father-in-law

William Muir Sir William Muir (27 April 1819 – 11 July 1905) was a Scottish oriental studies, Orientalist, and colonial administrator, Principal of the University of Edinburgh and Lieutenant Governor of the North-Western Provinces of British Raj, Brit ...

. They won the King Edward VII Stakes and Great Voltigeur Stakes in 2020 and the following year won the Coronation Cup, giving Muir (by then joined by co-trainer Chris Grassick) his first Group 1 victory. Dwyer was injured in a fall while riding out for Brian Meehan in March 2022. He underwent two operations on his knee but the injury left him unable to ride in races and he announced his retirement in July 2022. He said: "I'm proud that I tried my best and was able to achieve more than I ever thought I would do.... I came into racing with no background in the sport, no family members in it, and I worked hard to get to where I did". During a career spanning thirty years, Dwyer rode 1,543 winners in Great Britain with his best season being 2002 with 106 winners. He rode eight Group/Grade 1 wins, and eight Royal Ascot wins.

Personal life

Dwyer is married to Claire Muir and has two children.

Awards and honours

* Lester Awards ** Flat Ride of the Year in 2003 ''(on Persian Punch in the Jockey Club Cup)'' ** Flat Ride of the Year in 2006 ''(on Sir Percy in the

)''

Major wins

Great Britain * Coronation Cup – (1) '' Pyledriver (2021) '' *

Dewhurst Stakes The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mi ...

– (1) – '' Sir Percy (2005)'' *

– (1) – '' Sir Percy (2006)'' *

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 ya ...

– (1) – '' Casual Look (2003)'' *

King's Stand Stakes The King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King's Stand Stakes) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 fu ...

– (1) – ''Dominica (2002)'' ---- Canada * Canadian International Stakes – (1) – ''Phoenix Reach (2003)'' ---- Hong Kong * Hong Kong Vase – (1) – ''Phoenix Reach (2004)'' ---- Italy * Gran Criterium – (1) – ''Nayarra (2011)'' ---- United Arab Emirates * Dubai Sheema Classic – (1) – ''Phoenix Reach (2005)'' ----

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwyer, Martin 1975 births English jockeys Lester Award winners Living people People from Aintree Sportspeople from the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton Sportspeople from Liverpool

Career

Personal life

Awards and honours

Major wins

See also

References