Francis Martin Berry (born 2 January 1981) in County Kildare is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

jockey who competed principally in

Flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. Berry's father, Frank Berry, was Irish jump racing champion jockey ten times, and saddled Fran's first winner on Mayasta at

Sligo Racecourse Sligo Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Sligo, Ireland which stages both National Hunt and flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven w ...

in April 1997. Berry began his career as a

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

jockey, winning the

Coral Cup The Coral Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 5 f ...

at Cheltenham in 1999 but went on to concentrate on Flat racing. He was employed as second jockey at

John Oxx John M. Oxx (born 14 July 1950) is a retired Irish trainer of thoroughbred racehorses. By the end of the 2009 season Oxx had trained 35 Group One winners over his career, including the winners of 11 Classic races. He is best known as the traine ...

's stable from 2002 to 2009 and took over as leading jockey for Oxx in 2010. From 2011 onwards he rode for

Jessica Harrington Jessica Jane Harrington (née Fowler, born 12 February 1947) is an Irish professional horse trainer. Harrington specialises in National Hunt racing but has also had success in Flat racing. Personal life Harrington was born in London. Her father ...

and John Kiely. In 2016, he moved to Britain to become stable jockey for

Ralph Beckett Ralph Michael Beckett (born June 1971) is a British racehorse trainer who specialises in training horses for Flat racing. He is based at Kimpton, Hampshire. Beckett comes from an aristocratic racing background. He is the grandson of Ralph Beck ...

, an association which lasted until Berry left ‘by mutual consent’ when he was relieved of the role in June 2017. He remained in Britain to ride as a freelance jockey. Berry sustained spinal injuries in a fall at

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

in January 2019 and retired on medical advice in April of that year. He rode 1,020 winners in Flat racing in Ireland and another 200 winners in Britain, as well as 37 jumps winners in Ireland and 4 in Britain.

Major wins

Ireland *

Vincent O'Brien National Stakes The Vincent O'Brien National Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metre ...

- (1) - '' Pathfork (2010)''

References

1981 births Living people Irish jockeys Sportspeople from County Kildare {{Ireland-horseracing-bio-stub