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Commonstown Stud Moone Kildare
Jessica Harrington is renowned for her success across both National Hunt and Flat racing. With a career spanning decades, she has consistently demonstrated remarkable versatility, producing elite performers over jumps and on the Flat. Based in County Kildare, Harrington has earned widespread respect not only for her achievements but also for breaking barriers in a traditionally male-dominated sport.
Born into a family with strong equestrian roots, Harrington initially made her name in eventing, representing Ireland at international level before transitioning into racehorse training in the late 1980s. Her natural horsemanship and competitive mindset translated seamlessly into the racing world, where she quickly established a reputation.
Harrington was married to David Lloyd at the young age of 21 and after having two children, their marriage ended in 1976. Harrington later married bloodstock agent Johnny Harrington and they remained together until his death from cancer in 2014.
Her training base at Moone, County Kildare, is a well-run family operation. A defining feature of her success is the involvement of her daughter Kate, who serves as assistant trainer and looks after the day-to-day management of the yard.
Harrington's career is studded with landmark victories across both codes of racing. She first rose to prominence over jumps, saddling the legendary Moscow Flyer, a dual Queen Mother Champion Chase winner and one of the most popular two-mile chasers of his era. She also won the 2014 Champion Hurdle with Jezki and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2017 with Sizing John.
Her transition into top-level Flat racing success has been equally impressive. The standout achievement came in 2018 when Alpha Centauri dominated the European mile division, winning four Group 1 races including the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. She further tasted Classic success when Magical Lagoon won the Irish Oaks in 2022.
A notable aspect of Harrington's career is that she successfully bridged two very different disciplines at the highest level. Few trainers have managed to win the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup before going on to win multiple Group 1 Flat races, making her achievements particularly laudable in the modern era.
Harrington has enjoyed consistent success at many of Ireland's racecourses. She is now predominantly focused on the Flat and it may come as a surprise that Sligo is the track with her best strike-rate with 19 winners from 73 runners, an impressive 26% return. The Curragh by far and away is the course where she has saddled the most winners, where she is currently on 124.
The stable have also had great success in Britain, particularly at Ascot, bagging nine winners from 73 runners, a 12% return which is no mean feat given the competitive nature of racing there. She is a perfect 1-1 at Hamilton and Kempton, and when she ventures across the Irish Sea, it's usually worth paying attention.
