Stephen J. Craine

Stephen J. Craine

Born on September 1, 1957, in Navan, Ireland, Stephen Craine is best known in Britain for winning the 1992 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on St Jovite.

He served his time with Liam Browne at Maddenstown Lodge, the Curragh, riding his first winner on 33-1 outsider Carlow Rose in the seven-furlong Carrickmacross Handicap at Dundalk on May 31, 1976. He progressed swiftly and was crowned Ireland’s champion apprentice in 1977.

Stephen spent the winters of 1979 and 1980 riding in India. He registered his first Pattern race victory when winning the Group 3 Curragh Stakes on the two-year-old filly Crimson Heather, trained by Liam Browne, on July 9, 1980. He ended that season with what would be a career-best tally of 52 winners. 

He was among Ireland’s most successful jockeys during the 1980s and early ’90s, recording Group race victories for several trainers including Liam Browne, Eddie O’Grady, Tommy Stack, Paddy Prendergast, and English trainers Jack Berry and Richard Hannon. For Berry he won the 1983 Ballyogan Stakes on Bri Eden, while for Hannon he landed the Leopardstown Stakes in 1991 on Swing Low. 

In 1988 he won the Anglesey Stakes on the Tommy Stack-trained juvenile Corwyn Bay, on whom he then won the Cartier Million at Phoenix Park, a two-year-old contest which at the time boasted the title of the world’s richest race, with a winner’s prize of IR£499,450. 

In 1992 he famously won the 42nd running of Ascot’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Virginia Kraft Payson’s three-year-old colt St Jovite, trained by Jim Bolger. St Jovite had finished second to Dr Devious in that year’s Epsom Derby before winning the Irish Derby by twelve lengths in record time, ridden that day by Christy Roche. 

The race attracted a field of eight runners, St Jovite being the only one not trained in Britain. His main rivals looked to be the Michael Stoute-trained trio of Coronation Cup winner Saddler’s Hall, Brigadier Gerard Stakes winner Opera House, and the dual Hardwicke Stakes winner Rock Hopper. The other contenders were Derby third Silver Wisp, Predominate Stakes winner Jeune (later to win the Melbourne Cup), Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Sapience, and 1991 International Stakes winner Terimon. 

Stephen sent St Jovite into the lead from the start and set the pace from Sapience, Opera House and Saddler’s Hall. St Jovite maintained his advantage and led the field into the straight and was never in danger of defeat, accelerating clear of his opponents in the last quarter mile to win by six lengths. Saddler's Hall took second place, just ahead of Opera House, Sapience and Rock Hopper. It was the first ‘King George’ win for a horse trained in Ireland since The Minstrel in 1977. 

Although he had been riding for twenty years, Stephen had so far failed to win an Irish Classic. That changed in 1996 when riding the Kevin Prendergast-trained Oscar Schindler to win the Irish St Leger, a victory he repeated twelve months later. He also won the 1997 Irish One Thousand Guineas on Classic Park for the then-fledgling trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Stephen’s son, also named Stephen, followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a jockey but rode over jumps, initially in Ireland and then in Britain.

Stephen J. Craine’s Group race winners were:

1980: Curragh Stakes – Crimson Heather 

1983: Tattersalls Gold Cup – Evening M’Lord 

1983: Ballyogan Stakes – Bri Eden 

1984: Curragh Stakes – Zaius

1985: Leopardstown Stakes – Toca Madera

1986: Ballyogan Stakes – Wolverstar 

1986: Vauxhall Stakes – Toca Madera 

1986: Matron Stakes – Grey Goddess 

1987: Gladness Stakes – Grey Goddess

1988: Curragh Stakes- Heather Seeker 

1988: Anglesey Stakes – Corwyn Bay

1989: Anglesey Stakes – Single Combat 

1990: Desmond Stakes – Kostrome 

1991: Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial – Runyon 

1991: Leopardstown Stakes – Swing Low

1992: King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes – St Jovite 

1996: Irish St Leger – Oscar Schindler 

1997: Irish One Thousand Guineas – Classic Park 

1997: Irish St Leger – Oscar Schindler