Jockey Profile

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From Dingle, County Kerry, Jack Kennedy became the youngest jockey at 21 years of age to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in modern times when winning the 2021 renewal on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Minella Indo. Kennedy was 17 when he rode his first winner at the Festival. 

He burst onto the scene in the summer of 2015 and was undoubtedly the find of the year. He is a graduate of the pony racing circuit and won the Dingle Derby on Coola Boula in 2014. After starting out with Tommy Stack, he moved to Gordon Elliott and had his first ride on the racecourse at Clonmel on May 7th, 2015. Just two weeks later, he rode his first winner on just his seventh ride when partnering the Pat Flynn-trained Funny How to win a seven furlong handicap at Cork. His first success over hurdles came at Down Royal on May 29th when he rode Eshtiaal to win a handicap hurdle by 11 lengths for Gordon Elliott. In the very next race, he partnered a second winner for the County Meath trainer when winning another handicap hurdle on Mustadrik, this time by 17 lengths.

Jack rode his first winner over fences when taking the €100,000 Ladbrokes Troytown Handicap Chase on the JP McManus-owned Riverside City, another trained by Gordon Elliott at Navan on November 22nd, 2015. Riverside City was the middle leg of a treble for Kennedy that same day at Navan, the first of his career. A year and a day after riding his first winner over hurdles, Kennedy rode out his claim when partnering the Norman Lee-trained Troublesombrothers to win a maiden hurdle at Ballinrobe.

He landed his first Grade 1 success when partnering the Gordon Elliott-trained Outlander to win the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on December 28, 2016. It was also his 100th winner in the saddle. A second Grade 1 success came just two weeks later when Kennedy partnered the Elliott-trained Death Duty to success in the Lawlor's Hotel Novice Hurdle at Naas.

Kennedy was still 17 years old when he partnered his first winner at the Cheltenham Festival when the Gordon Elliott-trained Labaik won the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on March 14, 2017. The following year, he won four races at the Cheltenham Festival matching the tally of the week's leading rider, Davy Russell. However, Russell won the title as he had ridden more placed horses. Kennedy has nine Cheltenham Festival winners to his name after riding four winners at the 2021 Festival, finishing runner-up in the jockeys' title race to Rachael Blackmore (six winners). He missed the 2020 Festival through injury. His Cheltenham tally stands at 10 winners after the 2022 renewal.