Joseph Kevin Fanning (born 24 September 1970) is a Group 1 winning Irish jockey.
In 1988, he moved to England to work for trainer Tommy 'Squeak' Fairhurst in Middleham, Yorkshire, for whom he rode his first winner, over jumps, in a four-runner hurdle at Sedgefield.
[1] Without an apprentice claim, it was more difficult for him to win races, although he won the 1993 Northumberland Plate for trainer George Moore on Highflying.
The horse would later provide other big race victories in the 2003 Prix Gladiateur, the 2004 Betty Barclay Rennen in Germany, and the 2004 Goodwood Cup.
His biggest single prize pot to date came in the Goffs Million Mile at The Curragh in September 2009 on Shakespearean, again for Johnston.
[1] In 2023, he won the Ayr Gold Cup for the first time on Significantly[2] and rode The Gatekeeper, the 25/1 winner of the closing Balmoral Handicap on British Champions Day at Ascot.
He reached a mark of 2,500 winners in Great Britain on 24 August 2019 with a win at Redcar on Universal Gleam for Keith Dalgleish.
[8] As of the end of the 2023 flat season, he needed fewer than 200 to reach the 3,000 winner milestone, which he said was a little bit of a target for him.
[2] Besides the above injuries, he has also broken collarbones in falls at Ayr and Hamilton and his heel at Wolverhampton in June 2017.
[1] In June 2022, in a fall from Braes Of Doune at Musselburgh, he fractured his humerus and was sidelined for a large chunk of the busiest time of year, which contributed to his lowest seasonal total since the 1990s.
[1] After Fanning won his first Group 1, his trainer Johnston remarked upon his loyalty, saying, "It's fantastic for Joe.