Colin Keane has accepted the role of retained rider for Juddmonte Farms, according to a report by the Irish Field on Sunday.
Keane, who was crowned Ireland's champion Flat jockey for a sixth time in 2024, has been based with County Meath trainer Ger Lyons for much of his career, an association which has already yielded plenty of big-race success in the familiar Juddmonte silks with horses such as Siskin, winner of the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 2020, and Babouche, who was successful in last year's G1 Phoenix Stakes.
Last month Keane and Juddmonte won the Irish 2,000 Guineas together for the second time when he received the call up to ride the John and Thady Gosden-trained Field Of Gold. That son of Kingman is one of many top-class talents he will now be associated with in his new role, which starts with immediate effect.
An email sent to owners by Ger Lyons over the weekend read, “Colin has been appointed as the new retained rider for Juddmonte Stud Farms – a fantastic opportunity for him and one that we're all incredibly proud of. It's a great recognition of his talent and professionalism, and we wish both Colin and Juddmonte every success in what we hope will be a long and exciting future together.
“From our side, there should be little change to the day-to-day routine. We're hopeful that we'll still have plenty of use of Colin, but naturally, he will be committed to Juddmonte duties on big race weekends around the world.
“That said, we're very lucky to have a great team of riders here, led by Gary Carroll, and supported by a talented group of lads who know the horses and the system inside out.”
Juddmonte confirmed the news in a press releases on Monday.
Speaking on behalf of the family of the late Prince Khalid Abdullah, Juddmonte's chief executive Douglas Erskine Crum said, “In the past we have had retained jockey relationships (including with Pat Eddery, Richard Hughes and James Doyle) but in recent years we have preferred to work with the many talented jockeys retained by our various trainers around the world. We have decided that the time has now come to revert to the security and consistency which comes from having a single jockey retainer relationship.
“We are delighted that Colin Keane has committed himself to Juddmonte. He is one of the most exciting and talented riders of his generation, he shares Juddmonte's values, we know him well and we warmly welcome him to the Juddmonte team.”
Colin Keane will now ride for the full roster of Juddmonte trainers, including Andre Fabre, Francis Graffard and Henri-Francois Devin in France and Andrew Balding, Ralph Beckett, Harry Charlton and John and Thady Gosden in the UK, as well as the Irish-based Lyons and Dermot Weld. He added, “I have grown up watching these famous colours carried to many victories in all the top races around the globe so it's very special for me to be asked to ride as first jockey for Juddmonte. I'm excited to get started and look forward to working with some of the best trainers in Ireland, England, and France. Tony Hind will look after my UK rides as he has worked closely with Juddmonte for many years now through Richard Hughes and Ryan Moore.”
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