{{short description|Irish racehorse trainer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox horseracing personality |name = Richard Fahey |image = Richard Fahey.jpg |caption = |occupation = Trainer |birth_place = Nigeria |birth_date = 1966 |death_date = |spouse = |race = Commonwealth Cup,<br>Middle Park Stakes,<br>Prix Morny,<br>Queen Anne Stakes,<br>The Lockinge Stakes,<br>Prix du Moulin,<br>Superlative Stakes,<br>Mill Reef Stakes,<br>July Cup,<br>Lennox Stakes,<br>Ayr Gold Cup,<br>Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère,<br>Heineken Gold Cup,<br>Canadian Stakes,<br>Yorkshire Cup,<br>Prix Maurice de Gheest, Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte,<br>Jersey Stakes,<br>Prix Jacques Le Marois,<br>Lowther Stakes,<br>Prix De L’Abbeye |awards = |honours = |horses = Perfect Power, Ribchester, Queen Kindly, Birchwood, Sands Of Mali, Mr Lupton, Forest Ranger, Don't Touch, Garswood, Sandiva, Supplicant, Glen's Diamond, Ladys First, Mayson, Barefoot Lady, Mickdaam, Wootton Bassett, Knot In Wood, Utmost Respect, Anna Pavlova, Superior Premium, Golden Legacy, Noyan, Fev Rover, The Platinum Queen, The Ridler }}
'''Richard Fahey''' (born 1966) is a racehorse trainer based at Musley Bank yard in Malton in North Yorkshire. As of October 2025, he has saddled thirteen Group 1 winners in Britain and France, and has ten Royal Ascot wins to his name. In 2015 he equalled the record for 235 winners in a year, and reached his 3,000th winner in May 2021.
==Background== Fahey was born in Nigeria, where his father was working as an engineer, and grew up in Ireland, where he started riding. He moved to England aged almost eighteen in 1984 to take up a position of conditional jockey at the yard of Jimmy Fitzgerald at Malton, North Yorkshire in North Yorkshire.<ref name=OB>{{cite web|url=https://theownerbreeder.com/stories/richard-the-kingmaker/|title=Richard the Kingmaker|date=6 April 2011|work=The Owner Breeder}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/country-and-farming/open-days-at-trainers-yards-in-the-heart-of-yorkshire-racing-country-return-and-are-more-popular-than-ever-4285518|title=Open days at trainers' yards in the heart of Yorkshire racing return and are more popular than ever|date=9 September 2023|work=Yorkshire Post}}</ref> He later joined the yard of Peter Easterby and was joint champion conditional jockey in the 1988/89 season.<ref name=OB/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thepja.co.uk/championships/past-championship-winners/|title=Past championship winners|access-date=21 October 2025|work=Professional Jockeys Association}}</ref> Having ridden over 100 winners, he gave up race-riding and set up a livery yard. He also bought and sold racehorses.<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/racing/2017/06/17/richard-fahey-interview-wouldnt-know-do-1-million/|title=Richard Fahey interview: 'I wouldn't know what to do with £1 million'|date=17 June 2017|work=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref name=RTV>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingtv.com/news/richard-fahey-saddles-3-000th-british-winner|title=Fahey says Ribchester the highlight among 3,000 British winners|date=5 December 2023|work=Racing TV}}</ref>
==Career as a trainer== Fahey took out a training licence in 1993 and rented premises in Butterwick from his father-in-law, Peter Easterby, before buying Musley Bank yard in Malton in 2005.<ref name=RTV/><ref name=OB/> He sent out his first winner in September 1993, when Ok Bertie won a race at Haydock Racecourse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingtogether.co.uk/news/top-flat-trainer-richard-fahey-talks-about-the-value-of-teamwork-in-his-yard-and-why-he-is-passionate-about-opening-racings-doors-to-young-people-of-all-backgrounds/|title=Top Flat trainer Richard Fahey talks about the value of teamwork in his yard and why he is passionate about opening racing's doors to young people of all backgrounds|access-date=21 October 2025|work=Racing Together |date=17 January 2018 }}</ref> Although primarily a trainer of horses who run on the flat, his first success at the highest level was in a National Hunt race, when Noyan, ridden by Norman Williamson, won the 1997 Punchestown Gold Cup.<ref name=stats>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/trainer/8010/richard-fahey/stats|title=Richard Fahey|access-date=21 October 2025|work=Racing Post}}</ref> Superior Premium, who had been bought for 2,800 guineas, provided Fahey with his first Group race win and first Royal Ascot win, in the 2000 Cork and Orrery Stakes under Johnny Murtagh.<ref name=stats/><ref name=Telegraph/>
In 2008, Fahey passed a century of winners for the first time.<ref name=stats/> In 2010, two-year-old Wootton Bassett provided Fahey and stable jockey Paul Hanagan with their first Group 1 wins, in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris.<ref name=stats/> The yard then went from strength to strength with Group 1 winners Garswood, Mayson and the Godolphin-owned Ribchester.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/britain/he-was-huge-for-us-richard-fahey-pays-tribute-to-his-first-group-1-winner-wootton-bassett-following-stallions-death-a14fo7j6YMO7/|title='He was huge for us' - Richard Fahey pays tribute to his first Group 1 winner Wootton Bassett following stallion's death|date=24 September 2025|work=Racing Post}}</ref>
In 2015, Fahey equalled the record for annual winners set by Richard Hannon Sr. when saddling 235 winners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.skysports.com/racing/news/12426/10115620/no-record-winner-for-richard-fahey-after-blank-final-day|title=No record winner for Richard Fahey after blank final day|date=31 December 2015|work=Sky Sports}}</ref> The record was broken by Mark Johnston in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/horse-racing/article/mark-johnston-sets-british-record-for-number-of-winners-trained-in-calendar-year-xttbblrjm|title=Mark Johnston sets British record for number of winners trained in calendar year|date=19 October 2019|work=The Times|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In May 2021, Fahey saddled his 3,000th winner in Britain, becoming only the eleventh trainer to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/richard-fahey-saddles-3000th-british-winner-as-hong-kong-harry-scores-at-ayr-aygMf4C9qXQ3/|title=Richard Fahey saddles 3,000th British winner as Hong Kong Harry scores at Ayr|date=11 May 2021|work=Racing Post}}</ref> In 2022 Fahey secured two wins at Royal Ascot, bringing his career total of wins at the meeting to ten.<ref name=Telegraph/><ref name=stats/> He achieved his thirteenth Group 1 win in October 2025 when Powerful Glory, ridden by Jamie Spencer, won the British Champions Sprint Stakes at odds of 200-1, setting a record for the longest-priced winner of a British Group 1 race.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/articles/cdjrgx2w90ko|title=Historic 200-1 win followed by 100-1 shock at Ascot|date=18 October 2025}}</ref>
==Personal life== Fahey was married to Leila Easterby, daughter of trainer Peter Easterby. The couple had a daughter and a son before divorcing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/obituaries/peter-easterby-a-legend-who-built-an-empire-from-next-to-nothing-and-etched-an-indelible-mark-on-british-racing-aWYzd1J3b1ez/|title=Peter Easterby: a legend who built an empire from next to nothing and etched an indelible mark on British racing|date=9 June 2025|work=Racing Post}}</ref> His second marriage, to amateur jockey Vicki, produced another daughter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amateurjockeys.org.uk/2009/07/25/longines-provide-timely-diamonds-for-vicky-fahey-on-25th-july-at-ascot/|title=Longnines provide timely sparkle for Vick Fahey on 25th July at Ascot|date=25 July 2009|work=The Amateur Jockeys Association of Great Britain}}</ref> He had two more daughters in a subsequent relationship with Amie Canham, a founding director of Take the Reins, an organisation that aims to promote racing careers to young people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingtogether.co.uk/news/amie-canham-speaking-at-take-the-reins-programme-showcase/|title=13 September 2019|work=Take the Reins |date=13 September 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livingnorth.com/article/making-magistrate|title=Amie Canham's Plans to Change the Perception of Magistrates|date=February 2022|work=Living North}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/features/northern-powerhouse-ready-gearing-up-for-french-foray-and-fatherhood-a5qTT0V0DdP7/|title=Northern powerhouse gearing up for French foray and fatherhood|date=13 August 2016|work=Racing Post}}</ref>
==Major wins== {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''Great Britain''' * British Champions Sprint Stakes – ''Sands Of Mali (2018), Powerful Glory (2025)'' * Commonwealth Cup – ''Perfect Power (2022)'' * July Cup – ''Mayson (2012)'' * Lockinge Stakes – ''Ribchester (2017)'' * Middle Park Stakes – ''Perfect Power (2021)'' * Queen Anne Stakes – ''Ribchester (2017)'' ---- {{flagicon|France}} '''France''' * Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp – ''The Platinum Queen (2022)'' * Prix Jacques Le Marois – ''Ribchester (2016)'' * Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère – ''Wootton Bassett (2010)'' * Prix Maurice de Gheest – ''Garswood (2014)'' * Prix Morny – ''Perfect Power (2021)'' * Prix du Moulin – ''Ribchester (2017)'' ---- {{flagicon|Ireland}} '''Ireland''' * Punchestown Gold Cup – ''Noyan (1997)'' ==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.richardfahey.com Richard Fahey official website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fahey, Richard}} Category:Living people Category:Irish racehorse trainers Category:Year of birth missing (living people)