Johnny Murtagh

Murtagh was a keen amateur boxer as a young boy and was once Irish boy's under-14 boxing champion. He also came close to joining Blackburn Rovers’ youth football team.

In the same RTÉ interview, Johnny stated that he knew riding was for him as soon as he stepped into the world of horses. From the trial, he got on the ten-month training course, and within a year, he was apprenticed to John Oxx, one of Ireland’s leading trainers.

He announced his retirement on 25 February 2014, citing that it was to concentrate on his training career.

He resigned his post as stable jockey to Coolmore in November 2010, issuing a statement via his agent to say he had informed Coolmore he wouldn't be renewing his contract. No reason was given but there was speculation that O'Brien was looking for another jockey, and on his recent return from the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs, where he had ridden four losers for O'Brien, one bookmaker had been offering odds on his replacement. His last Group One winner for the team was Roderic O'Connor in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud on 31 October 2010.

From 2008 to 2010, he was stable jockey for Coolmore, taking over from the drug-banned Kieren Fallon. He had been riding for them on an ad-hoc basis since 2002, most notably winning the Derby on High Chaparral in 2002. In 2008, he rode 19 Group One winners in a single season for O'Brien (21 in total for Coolmore), and followed it up in 2009 with another 10, including the Irish Derby, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Ascot Gold Cup, St. James's Palace Stakes and an Irish 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas double.

For Oxx, Murtagh rode Sinndar to win The Derby and Irish Derby, as well as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2000. He won the Derby again on the Michael Bell trained Motivator. Johnny was also the regular jockey for talented filly Soviet Song. In 2004, the partnership won two Group 1 races, including the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. Here she beat a strong field of colts, including the 2,000 Guineas winner Haafhd.

He became stable jockey to Oxx in 1992, and from then until his departure in 2003, rode 18 Group One winners for the Oxx's leading owner, the Aga Khan.

Murtagh rode his first winner, Chicago Style, at Limerick in 1987.

Johnny Murtagh (born 14 May 1970) is an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer from Bohermeen, Kells, County Meath. He has won many of the major flat races in Europe, including all the Irish Classics, all the Group 1 Races at Royal Ascot, The Derby, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and Europe's biggest race the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He has also been Irish flat racing Champion Jockey five times.