2000-present Jedd O'Keeffe
John Eamon Declan Dunderdale O'Keeffe, born on 30th December 1968, is better known as Jedd and is the son of the late jockey and trainer Eamon Declan O'Keeffe, more usually known as Eddie, and the grandson of John O'Keeffe, a veterinary surgeon. His father had famously ridden Queen of Sheba in 1950 in her only run as a two-year-old, but in 1951 Queen of Sheba won the Irish 1000 Guineas and Cheshire Oaks, although not partnered by Eddie. In 1965 Eddie married Lillian, better known throughout her life as Ena, and the couple had 3 children, a daughter Josephine, then a son Jedd, and finally another daughter Irene. By then Eddie had begun training at Thorneycroft Stables, Boston Spa, Lincolnshire, saddling his first winner, Chinese Pintail, on 28th February 1966 in the Warwick Selling Hurdle. He later moved to Rigton Carr, Barnsley and from there to Middlethorpe Hall stables near York. Jedd followed in his father's footsteps, with racing in his DNA, and in 2000 he began training at Highbeck Lodge Stables on the Brecongill Estate. His very first winner was Route Sixty-Six on 12th January 2001 in the Loadbrook Maybury Casino Novice Hurdle at Musselburgh. He began with a string of 11 horses in those early days, but by 2002 he was up to 29, a number he held for 3 years. Numbers then fluctuated between a high of 25 in 2006 and a low of 17 in 2011. In 2011 he received devastating news following a recommendation from his optician, former jockey Andy Orkney, to visit a doctor and have a blood test. Jedd had suffered from diabetes, so he thought nothing of the blood test until he was called back and informed that he had a lump in his throat which was cancerous, and would affect his saliva glands. At that stage of his life he, and his supportive wife Andrea, had 3 young children Joseph, Jonny and Nicholas, and Jedd realised that he would have to rely on Andrea to look after the 3 children, and the stable, and transport him to the hospital for treatment. It would have been the most natural thing in the world to have given up the training business and concentrate on overcoming the challenge of cancer.
However, his wife was supportive, his owners backed him and encouraged him to persevere, while Brecongill owner, fellow trainer Sally Hall, offered to reduce the rent until he was back on his feet again. The next year numbers had increased to 20, and by 2015 Jedd was winning high profile races like the Coral Sprint Trophy at York, worth £62,250, with Shared Equity owned by loyal owners Paul & Caron Chapman. By 2016 they had increased yet again to 29 and by 2017 to 38 when Jedd won the Hoppings Listed Fillies Stakes at Newcastle with More Mischief. At that time one of the best money-spinners in his stable was Sam Spinner, once again owned by Paul & Caron Chapman, who landed the Grade 3 Betfair Stayers Handicap Hurdle at Haydock and the highly regarded Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.
At the same time as Sam Spinner was winning high profile hurdle races, Lord Yeats was proving himself on the Flat, winning the Jorvik Handicap at York and the Listed Fred Archer Stakes at Newmarket, ending the season with a creditable fifth place in the Irish St Leger. Jedd broke through the 40 horse barrier in 2018, when Breanski won the historic Beeswing Handicap at Newcastle, while Lord Yeats was runner up to Order of St George in the Group 3 Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan. Horses in Training recorded Jedd's string as 62 in 2020, the year after Air Raid had landed the Scottish Stewards Handicap at Hamilton, while more recently Hilts was victorious in the Edinburgh Cup Handicap at Musselburgh. Jedd and Andrea O'Keefffe have certainly put the challenging year of 2011 well behind them, and there is every chance that they will gain more Grade and Group successes in the future.
2001 Loadbrook Maybury Casino Novice Hurdle at Musselburgh ROUTE SIXTY-SIX 16/1 owned by WRB Racing, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by A S Smith
2015 Coral Sprint Trophy Handicap at York SHARED EQUITY 7/1 owned by Paul & Caron Chapman, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by P J McDonald
2017 Hoppings Listed Fillies Stakes at Newcastle MORE MISCHIEF 10/1 owned by Paul & Caron Chapman, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Graham Lee
2017 Betfair Stayers Grade 3 Handicap Hurdle at Haydock SAM SPINNER 6/1 owned by Paul & Caron Chapman, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Joe Colliver
2017 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot SAM SPINNER 9/2 owned by Paul & Caron Chapman, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Joe Colliver
2017 Jorvik Handicap at York LORD YEATS 12/1 owned by Geoff & Sandra Turnbull, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Paul Mulrennan
2017 Fred Archer Listed Stakes at Newmarket LORD YEATS 12/1 owned by Geoff & Sandra Turnbull, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by P J McDonald
2018 Investec Zebra Handicap at Epsom SHARED EQUITY 9/1 owned by Paul & Caron Chapman, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Jack Garritty
2018 Vintage Crop Group 3 Stakes at Navan LORD YEATS runner-up to Order of St George
2018 Beeswing Handicap at Newcastle BREANSKI 17/2 owned by Quantum, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Graham Lee
2018 188Bet Extra Places Handicap at Newcastle RARE GROOVE 8/1 owned by John & Jess Dance, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by P J McDonald
2018 Sunracing Handicap at Doncaster BREANSKI 7/2 owned by Quantum, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Antonia Fresu
2019 Alan Smith Memorial Handicap at Doncaster BREANSKI 9/1 owned by Quantum, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Antonia Fresu
2019 Hapton buttonhook Handicap at Hamilton RARE GROOVE 5/4 fav owned by John & Jess Dance, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by P J McDonald
2019 Lindum Construction Group Handicap at York STARCASTER 7/2 fav owned by Quantum, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Jamie Spencer
2019 Bet365 December Grade 2 Novices Chase at Doncaster SAM SPINNER owned by Paul & Caron Chapman, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Joe Colliver
2019 George Lindum-Travers Memorial Handicap at Sandown JAZEEL 7/2 owned by Quantum, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Jamie Spencer
2019 Drive the Audi Handicap Hurdle at Hamilton AIR RAID 8/11 fav owned by Paul & Caron Chapman, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Jack Garritty
2019 Scottish Stewards Cup Handicap at Hamilton AIR RAID 6/1 owned by Paul & Caron Chapman, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Jack Garritty
2020 Bet365 Handicap at Doncaster STRAIT OF HORMUZ 6/1 owned by Quantum, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Andrea Atzeni
2021 Quinnbet Live Casino Handicap at Newcastle RARE GROOVE 6/4 fav owned by John & Jess Dance, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by P J McDonald
2022 Edinburgh Cup Handicap at Musselburgh HILTS 3/1 owned by Ellipsis, trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and ridden by Rowan Scott
LORD YEATS (2017 Fred Archer Listed Stakes, 2018 Vintage Crop Stakes runner up)
SAM SPINNER (2017 Long Walk Hurdlem Betfair Stayers Handicap Hurdle)
SHARED EQUITY (2015 Coral Sprint Trophy, 2018 Investec Zebra Handicap)
BREANSKI (2018 Beeswing Handicap)
MORE MISCHIEF (2017 Hoppings Listed Fillies Stakes)
