Having begun his racing career somewhat steadily, Adam Kirby’s name became well-known in not just the flat racing industry but to the wider world when he won the Epsom Derby in 2021. He had already enjoyed success in much-loved races, such as the July Cup, the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, and the King’s Stand Stakes, but picking up a Classic win will always get you more attention.
A talented jockey who has worked will horses such as Harry Angel, Lethal Force and Supremacy, Kirby is known not only for his ability but also because he is one of the tallest jockeys in the weighing room as he stands at five foot one inch in height.
About
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Adam Kirby was born in the village of Adlington in Lancashire in the August of 1988. He was brought up closer to horse riding action, living in Kirtling, which is close to Newmarket, on the border of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. He began his racing career when he was just 12-years-old, working for James Fanshawe. He knew that he wanted to be a jockey, serving an apprenticeship with Michael Wigham in Newmarket, taking on his first professional ride on the first of October 2004 when he rode Broughton Knows in a race at Lingfield Park Racecourse, which was enough for him to earn the first jockey position with Walter Swinburn.
He remained Swinburn’s first jockey until Swinburn himself decided to quit training. Whilst riding for him, though, he won the John Smith’s Cup, a prestigious handicap, at York in 2006. That came a year after the sprint handicapper Out After Dark had allowed him to enjoy a big win at Doncaster Racecourse in the Portland Handicap in 2005. The years that followed saw him pick up wins at a steady rate, seeing more than 100 wins in both 2011 and 2012. He was particularly good on all-weather tracks, becoming the all-weather champion at the end of the 2012-2013 season thanks to his 91 wins, having come third for the two seasons prior.
Adam Kirby’s Major Achievements
Whilst winning the all-weather championship is nothing to be sniffed at, the reality is that many do not view all-weather riding in the same way as they view riding on the turf.
Lethal Force & Field of Dreams
That is why the moment that he teamed up with Lethal Force in 2013 is seen as the point at which his career went up a level. The Clive Cox-trained grey gave him a win in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot before breaking the course record in an all-the-way win in the July Cup at Newmarket Racecourse. That was Kirby’s biggest win to date, with the success taken even further thanks to victory in the Bunbury Cup on Field of Dreams on the same day.
Ocean Tempest & Caspian Prince
Although his success was well-earned, it took him another few years before he would win another Group 1 event. In the intervening years he won some valuable handicaps, such as the Lincoln on the back of Ocean Tempest and the Epsom Dash with Caspian Prince. George also won another race with Field of Dream, this time the Royal Hunt Cup. When the 2014 Jockey’s Championship came to a close, Kirby finished a very respectable fifth. When the next Group 1 win came about it was in 2016, with Kirby looking to try to establish himself as one of the top jockeys around. He won the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Profitable & My Dream Boat
That was on the back of Profitable, who was another Clive Cox-trained horse. Whilst he was obviously delighted to get the win, it’s likely that he caused some home strife in doing so: his girlfriend, Megan, gave birth to his child 45 minutes before the start of the race, which he obviously missed. The following day the new father won the Prince of Wales’ Stakes whilst riding My Dream Boat. A year later and Cox’s training again came good for Kirby, who won the July Cup once more as well as the Haydock Sprint Cup, both thanks to the riding of Harry Angel. For Kirby, though, the best was very much still to come.
Adayar
It was in 2021 that Kirby’s name was cemented in to the history of flat horse racing, thanks to the fact that he won his first British Classic. It came in the Epsom Derby, with the Charlie Appleby-trained, Adayar, seeing him win it. He was supposed to be riding the more-fancied John Leeper, but when Aidan O’Brien chose to withdraw a number of his horses, that left Frankie Dettori needing a ride. John Leeper’s owner and trainer decided to give the ride to Dettori instead, leaving Kirby without a ride until he was offered Adayar. He promptly showed John Leeper’s connections what a mistake they’d made by winning the Classic race.