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J P Dempsey

Four years into his training career and J P Dempsey is already starting to look like someone who knows exactly what he is doing. Since taking out his licence in 2021, the Irish trainer has sent out 47 winners in total, and over the last twelve months alone he has hit 16 from 117 runners — that's roughly 1 in every 7 races, a solid return for a yard still finding its feet at the top level.Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
Quick Facts
Role
Trainer
Based
Carbury, Co Kildare
Record
16 wins from 117 races
Win rate
13.7%
Top jockey
Best course
Leopardstown (20% from 10 races)
Best going
Soft to heavy

📊 Key Numbers

A snapshot of this trainer's performance over the last 12 months
117
Races
16
Wins
13.7%
Win rate
avg ~10%
29.9%
Place rate (top 3)
avg ~30%

🔍 Full Analysis

TrackLab's AI-generated assessment based on career data and recent form
TrackLab's Trainer Breakdown
Auto-Generated

The most telling number in Dempsey's record is what happens when Keith Donoghue climbs aboard one of his horses. That combination has clicked in 7 of their 28 races together — a win rate of 25%, or one in every four rides. For context, most trainer-jockey partnerships would be delighted with half that. Something clearly clicks when these two work together, whether that's shared instinct, good communication at home, or simply the right horses being put in front of the right rider.

Dempsey also has a sharp eye for conditions. On genuinely wet, muddy ground — the kind of racing that sorts out the horses who truly love it from those who are just tolerating it — his runners have won 5 from 20, again hitting that 25% mark. That's not luck; that's a trainer who understands his horses well enough to know when the conditions suit them and when to wait for another day.

Then there is Naas. Four winners from just 9 runners at that track is a remarkable ratio — nearly 1 in every 2 runners making it to the winner's enclosure. Racecourses have their own rhythms and quirks, and trainers who figure out which tracks suit their horses tend to come back there often. Dempsey has clearly cracked the code at Naas, and it would be no surprise to see him keep targeting it.

Still only four seasons in, the overall numbers are modest in size but strong in quality. Forty-seven winners is a decent foundation, and the win rate of 14% across the last year suggests a trainer who picks his spots carefully rather than running horses for the sake of it. The ingredients — a reliable jockey partnership, a feel for heavy ground, and a happy hunting ground at Naas — point to someone building something deliberately and patiently. Worth watching closely.

📈 Form Trend

How this trainer's win rate has changed month by month
Monthly win rate
2025–2026
7.1%
May
0%
Jun
0%
Jul
0%
Aug
0%
Sep
31.2%
Oct
0%
Nov
0%
Dec
15.4%
Jan
16.7%
Feb
41.7%
Mar
33.3%
Apr

🎯 Where This Trainer Thrives

Performance broken down by ground, class, and track type
🌧 Ground Conditions
Soft to heavy
Loves
Yielding
Soft (muddy)
Good to yielding
Heavy (very wet)
Ok
Yielding to soft
Ok
Good (firm-ish)
Avoids
🏟 Track Shape
Left-handed, wide and galloping
Loves
Right-handed, wide and galloping
Ok
Right-handed, tight turning
Ok
Right-handed, undulating
Ok
Right-handed, tight
Ok
Left-handed, tight turning
Avoids

🏇 Jockey Partnerships

The riders they work with most, sorted by rides together
Keith Donoghue First Choice
25%
Win rate
7/28
Won / Rode
22.2%
Win rate
4/18
Won / Rode
27.3%
Win rate
3/11
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/11
Won / Rode
Charlie O'Dwyer
0%
Win rate
0/8
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/7
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/5
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/4
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/4
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/3
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/2
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/2
Won / Rode
Aidan Kelly
0%
Win rate
0/2
Won / Rode
100%
Win rate
1/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
Mr D McGill
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode

Top Horses

The strongest horses currently associated with this trainer
Form: -23135
Form: -40071
Form: 22-981
Form: 1332
Form: 8-4007
Form: U80P61
Form: -60U06
Form: 378
Form: 80P61P
Form: 9-9411

🏟 Course Record

Win rate at each course, sorted by number of races
CourseRacesWinsWin rate
Fairyhouse 19 3 15.8%
Punchestown 14 0 0%
Leopardstown 10 2 20%
Naas 9 4 44.4%
Tramore 9 2 22.2%
Navan 9 0 0%
Galway 8 1 12.5%
Gowran Park 6 0 0%
Downpatrick 5 1 20%
Thurles 4 1 25%
Down Royal 4 1 25%
Bellewstown 4 0 0%
Cork 4 0 0%
Wexford 3 0 0%
Sligo 3 0 0%
Roscommon 2 0 0%
Ballinrobe 2 0 0%
Limerick 1 1 100%
Kilbeggan 1 0 0%

📅 Recent Results

The last 20 results, most recent first
4 Apr
Fairyhouse · Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding_To_Soft
7th
4 Apr
Fairyhouse · Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding_To_Soft
4 Apr
Fairyhouse · Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding_To_Soft
Won
29 Mar
Downpatrick · Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding_To_Soft
2nd
21 Mar
Navan · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft
21 Mar
Navan · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft
20th
19 Mar
Cork · Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding
7th
8 Mar
Naas · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy
Won
8 Mar
Naas · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy
Won
5 Mar
Thurles · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft
4 Mar
Naas · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy
Won
3 Mar
Leopardstown · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft
Won
3 Mar
Leopardstown · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft
2nd
2 Mar
Leopardstown · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy
2nd
2 Mar
Dees Lady
Leopardstown · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy
Won
22 Feb
Naas · 1m6f – 2m · Heavy
7 Feb
Naas · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy
3rd
5 Feb
Thurles · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft
Won
4 Feb
Punchestown · Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy
4th
3 Feb
Fairyhouse · Long Distance (2m+) · Heavy
14th