Pat Eddery

Patrick James John "Pat" Eddery (born 18 March 1952, County Kildare, Ireland) is a former flat racing jockey. Pat's father Jimmy Eddery was a jockey, as is his brother Paul Eddery.

Contents

Career

He began his career in 1967 and rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a figure exceeded only by Sir Gordon Richards[1]

He rode three winners of the Epsom Derby, and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions, a record he shares with Lester Piggott. With four victories, he is co-holder of the record for most wins in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

In 1985 he rode Pebbles to victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf and 1991 won the Breeders' Cup Sprint aboard Sheikh Albadou. In 1990 he was the winner of the inaugural Lester Award for Flat Jockey of the Year, which he again won in 1991 and 1996, sharing on the latter occasion with Frankie Dettori. He also received two Flat Jockey Special Recognition awards in 2002 and 2003. He retired from the saddle at the end of the 2003 flat season.

In July 2005 Eddery was granted a training license and he has set up his stable of 40 horses at Musk Hill Stud in Nether Winchendon, near Aylesbury. He has a good team behind him with his brother, Paul Eddery as Assistant Trainer and Racing Manager Simon Double who also co-founded Pat Eddery Racing, the racehorse syndication company which provides the opportunity for people to own shares in racehorses.

Eddery's first runner as a trainer was Perez, who finished second in an all-weather maiden race at Wolverhampton in December 2005. His first training success was with the horse Visionist in a handicap race at Kempton Park in April 2006. His first winner on turf was the two-year-old filly Cavort in a maiden 6 furlong race at Goodwood.

Awards

He was awarded an honorary OBE in 2005.

Family

His ex-wife, the former Carolyn Jane Mercer, is the daughter of flat jockey Manny Mercer, niece of jockey Joe Mercer and granddaughter of jockey Harry Wragg[1]. Carolyn and Pat Eddery have two children, a son and a daughter.

Major wins as a jockey

Great Britain


Canada


France


Germany


Ireland


Japan


Slovakia


United States

Major wins as a trainer

Italy

References

  1. ^ BBC report on Eddery.