Eddie Ahern was born in County Tipperary on December 6, 1977, and served his apprenticeship with Michael Grassick at the Curragh, riding his first winner, Ardlea House, at Dundalk on November 7, 1994.
He was crowned Irish Champion Apprentice and Derrinstown Stud Champion Apprentice in 1997. Eddie rode his first major winner in Britain the following year when the Michael Grassick-trained San Sebastian won the Ascot Stakes at Royal Ascot. He achieved his first Group One success on Grassick's Preseli in the 1999 Moyglare Stud Stakes.
Until 2001, he rode mainly in Ireland, his best season there being in 2000 when he picked up 46 wins. The following year he moved to Britain and was based at Newmarket, enjoying his best season in 2006 with 140 winners, which included a 293-1 treble at Glorious Goodwood.
He struck up a successful association with Sir Henry Cecil, for whom he won the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2009 on the Khalid Abdullah-owned Father Time. He also won the Musidora Stakes at York in 2010 on Aviate for Cecil and Abdullah.
He gained his second Group One victory in 2011 when dead-heating on John Gosden’s Duncan in the Irish St Leger. He also struck up a fruitful partnership with Donald McCain’s popular dual-purpose star Overturn, winning the Northumberland Plate in 2010 and the Chester Cup in 2011. He finished second on Overturn in the 2012 Chester Cup.
In May 2013, he received a ten-year ban from the British Horseracing Authority for his actions in five races which took place between September 2010 and February 2011. He was found guilty of conspiring to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice, intentionally failing to ensure a horse was ridden on its merits and of passing information for reward.
At the time of his ban he had ridden 1,252 winners.
Biggest wins include:
1998: Ascot Stakes – San Sebastian
1999: Moyglare Stud Stakes – Preseli
2004: Norfolk Stakes – Blue Dakota
2004: Wokingham Stakes – Lafi
2009: King Edward VI Stakes – Father Time
2009: Queen Alexandra Stakes – Caracciola
2010: Musidora Stakes – Aviate
2010: Norfolk Stakes – Approve
2010: Northumberland Plate – Overturn
2011: Chester Cup – Overturn
2011: Ascot Stakes – Veiled
2011: Royal Hunt Cup – Julienas
2011: Irish St Leger – Duncan (dead-heat)
