Martin Harley (born 19 July 1989 in County Donegal, Ireland) is a Group 1 winning Irish jockey.
Career Harley had spells as stable jockey for Mick Channon and Marco Botti, before turning freelance. His first Group 1 victory was for Channon on Samitar in the Irish 1,000 Guineas in May 2012. For Botti, he won the Prix Royal Oak the following year on Tac De Boistron, which helped him to a yearly prize money total of over £1 million for the first time.
His breakthrough triumph was the 2015 King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, on the Robert Cowell-trained Goldream. He won by a short head. He won the Prix de l'Abbaye with another narrow victory on the same horse later in the season.
In March 2014, in a minor race at Lingfield, he clipped the heels of a rival on Red Art, and was catapulted into the ground, at almost 40 mph. He suffered a broken neck and several broken ribs in an injury that was considered potentially career-ending.
In 2016, he built a successful partnership with stayer Sheikhzayedroad, winning three group races, including the Doncaster Cup and British Champions Long Distance Cup.
Statistics
Flat wins in Great Britain by year
Year Wins Runs Strike rate Total earnings 2007 0 1 0 — 2008 1 9 11 £4,533 2009 0 1 0 — 2010 1 4 25 £10,101 2011 67 530 13 £277,986 2012 74 656 11 £723,350 2013 103 788 13 £1,109,828 2014 79 579 14 £923,531 2015 83 685 12 £1,221,202 2016 76 602 13 £1,289,534 2017 57 492 12 £835,623
Major wins Great Britain King's Stand Stakes - Goldream (2015) Ireland Irish 1,000 Guineas - Samitar (2012) France Prix de l'Abbaye - Goldream (2015) Prix Royal Oak - Tac De Boistron (2013)
Notes
References