Jack Kennedy

The 2023/2024 Irish National Hunt champions were crowned at Punchestown on Saturday, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) announced. After a close tussle, Jack Kennedy earned his first Irish Champion Jockey title, just edging out Paul Townend, who was aiming for his seventh year-end award. The full list of champions for the 2023/2024 National Hunt season are as follows: Champion Owner: JP McManus Champion Trainer: Willie Mullins Champion Jockey: Jack Kennedy Champion Conditional: Danny Gilligan Champion Amateur: Patrick Mullins Champion Lady Amateur: Jody Townend HRI chief executive, Suzanne Eade, said, "It has...

Legendary jumps jockey Davy Russell says he hasn't thought about emulating Nina Carberry's achievements in flying the flag for racing by winning Ireland's version of Dancing With The Stars and revealed that riding in the Grand National or the Gold Cup does not compare to the nerves that come with competing on the show.  Russell, who bowed out from the saddle in December 2022 before briefly returning to race-riding for his long-time ally Gordon Elliott after Jack Kennedy broke his leg the following January, has heaped praise on his dancing...

Gerry McGrath, breeder of Champion Hurdler Jezki (Ire) (Milan {GB}) and high-class performers Jett (Ire) (Flemensfirth), Jered (Ire) (Presenting {GB}), Jetson (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) and Jenari (Ire) (Milan {GB}) all out of the outstanding broodmare La Noire (Ire) (Phardante {Fr}), has outlined hopes that the legacy can continue with leading Dublin Racing Festival contender Jetara (Ire) (Walk In The Park {Ire}). A granddaughter of La Noire, the mare who was famously gifted to McGrath by his late father in the nineties, Jetara will take on the boys in the G1...

Multiple champion and dual Grand National-winning jockey Davy Russell has confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that he will return to race-riding this weekend to fill the void at Gordon Elliott's stable due to the injury of Jack Kennedy. Kennedy broke his leg for a fifth time in a fall from Top Bandit at Naas on Sunday, leaving Elliott without an established number one with the major spring festivals just over the horizon. That led to growing speculation that Russell, who called time on his glittering career when bowing out...