It isn’t exactly outrageous to suggest that men tend to dominate the horse racing industry, in spite of the fact that there is nothing that men can do that women can’t. There have long been a number of women looking to forge their own path to success, ensuring that their male counterparts don’t get everything their own way and looking to break the glass ceiling for those coming after them. W
hether she likes it or not, that is very much the path that Jessica Harrington has spent her career following, in both National Hunt and flat racing disciplines.
About
Jessica Harrington was born in London on the 12th of February 1947. Her father, Bryan Fowler, was an officer in the British Army who came from the town of Kells in County Meath, Ireland, serving with the Royal Artillery in both the First and Second World Wars. She grew up with an older brother, John, who died in 2008 in an accident on the family’s estate. Although born in London, Harrington is very much considered to be one of the Irish trainers, on account of the fact that her father left the army and returned to Ireland in 1949, meaning that she grew up there from the age of two.
Harrington was tutored until eventually going to school at the age of 12, heading to Hatherop School and a Finishing School in France to complete her education. At the age of 21, she married David Lloyd, having two children, but the marriage ended in 1976 and she later married Johnny Harrington, taking his name and having two children. She spent the early part of her career in the horse racing industry, becoming well-known as one of Ireland’s best three-day event riders, representing her country in the Olympics.
Major Successes
Jessica Harrington got her trainer’s licence in 1989, working hard to establish herself as a trainer of horses on both the National Hunt circuit and on the flat. She started to earn attention in the wider racing community in 1994 when Oh So Grumpy won the Galway Hurdle, which was seen as a major success. Not long after, Dance Beat won the Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown, cementing her place in the sport. In the years that followed, she began to work with some high-profile horses, which allowed her to win more prestigious events.
She soon began turning in winners at the Cheltenham Festival, becoming one of Ireland’s most prolific winners at the meeting in the days before the domination of the likes of Willie Mullins. If you want to prove yourself to the horse racing community, then the Festival is the place to do it, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup being the event to do it in. You can imagine Harrington’s delight, therefore, when Sizing John won the race in 2017. That was, in many ways, the crowning achievement of a glorious career that had taken in numerous other big-name races besides.
Here is a look at just some of the events that Harrington has trained the winner of at least once in her career:
- Cheltenham Gold Cup
- Queen Mother Champion Chase
- Champion Hurdle
- Coronation Stakes
- Melling Chase
- Prix Jacques Le Marois
- Irish 1,000 Guineas
- Irish Oaks
- Punchestown Gold Cup
- Champion Stayers’ Hurdle
Horses Trained
What a day! Alpha Centauri winning the Irish 1,000 Guineas for the Niarchos Family!! pic.twitter.com/IF2RGE4z0z
— Jessica Harrington (@Jessica_Racing) May 27, 2018
Given the fact that the list of races that Harrington has won in Ireland alone is long enough to mean that some people would be extremely jealous of her, it’s fair to say that the trainer has worked with some decent horses over the years. Names like Jetson, Intelligent, Bostons Angel and Hotazhell will be well known to many within the industry, before we even get to those that have won the big races for her. Jessica Harrington’s name and reputation are such that owners are always keen to work with her, proving her ability in the role.
Here is a look at some of the well-known horses that Harrington has trained over the years:
Sizing John
The fact that Jessica Harrington trains horses both on the flat and for National Hunt events could mean that she is the jack of both trades but master of none. Sizing John is one of the horses that disproves that theory, having won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2017. Owned by Ann and Alan Potts, both Jonathon Burke and Robbie Power have developed relations with him as jockeys, with the latter being the one who was in the saddle when he won that Gold Cup, which came on the back of numerous other impressive victories.
Moscow Flyer
If you want another horse to prove the theory that Jessica Harrington knows what she’s doing when she saddles horses, it might well come in the form of Moscow Flyer. The Irish-bred horse was a top-class jumper, winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase in both 2003 and 2005 as well as the Arkle Challenge Trophy the year before. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that those are the only races that he won, however. The bay gelding’s list of notable wins is more impressive than some yards manage in their lifetime, let alone other horses.
Alpha Centauri
The proof of Harrington’s versatility as a trainer might be best demonstrated via the success of Alpha Centauri, who won four Group 1 races in a row on the flat in 2018. Those were the Irish 1,000 Guineas, the Coronation Stakes, the Falmouth Stakes and the Prix Jacques Le Marois. The grey mare was bred in Ireland before being sent to train with Harrington, developing an excellent relationship on the course with Colm O’Donoghue. Her future success might well have been signalled by the win in the Fillies’ Sprint Stakes in 2017.
