Who Is JP McManus? Ireland's Record-Breaking Racehorse Owner

Who Is JP McManus?

JP McManus is one of the best-known figures in jumps racing, and his green and gold hoops silks have been a fixture at the Cheltenham Festival for more than four decades. The County Limerick native didn't start out in racing at all — he first worked in his father's plant hire business before trying his hand as a bookmaker, an early venture that didn't go to plan and forced him back to the family firm for a spell.

JP McManus at 21.

McManus rebuilt his fortune as a punter, earning the nickname "the Sundance Kid," before branching into property and foreign exchange, often alongside fellow Irish businessmen John Magnier and Dermot Desmond. Racing became the constant through all of it: he saddled his first winner as an owner, Cill Dara, at Naas in July 1977, and has gone on to become Cheltenham's most successful owner of all time.

This profile pulls together his racing record, his best-known horses and his life outside the track. For Festival betting context, see our horse racing betting guide and the September and October Irish racing fixtures lists.

From Bookmaker to Racing's Biggest Owner

What sets McManus apart from most major owners is the sheer spread of his operation. Rather than concentrating his horses with one or two big yards, he has always kept a wide string of horses across trainers of every size, in both Britain and Ireland. That approach is widely credited with helping keep a number of smaller training yards afloat over the years.

JP McManus's Cheltenham Festival Record

His first Cheltenham Festival winner came in the 1982 Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle (now run as the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle), with Mister Donovan, trained by Edward O'Grady and ridden by Tommy Ryan. Bookmakers reportedly took huge sums on the horse once word got round that McManus had bought him, and the win is said to have netted McManus in the region of £250,000 — a substantial sum for the time and, by his own account, a result that shaped the scale of his later involvement in the sport.

Notable Horses in the Green and Gold Hoops

Given how long he has owned horses, McManus has had a remarkable run of top-class performers carry his colours.

Istabraq is probably the most famous of them all. Bred out of a mare by Secretariat, he struggled to make an impact on the Flat and was sold on the recommendation of assistant trainer John Durkan, who believed he'd do better over hurdles. McManus bought him at Tattersalls in 1995. Durkan was diagnosed with cancer soon after and died in January 1998, with Aidan O'Brien taking over training duties during his illness. Istabraq went on to win the Champion Hurdle three times from 1998, becoming one of the most popular jumps horses of his era. He later lived out his retirement at Martinstown Stud.

Istabraq in retirement at Martinstown Stud. Video: The Jockey Club.

Baracouda won the Stayers' Hurdle twice, and Buveur D'Air gave McManus his 50th Cheltenham Festival winner. Synchronised won the 2012 Gold Cup under AP McCoy but was fatally injured in a fall at that year's Grand National. More recently, Inothewayurthinkin, trained by Gavin Cromwell, added a second Gold Cup for the owner in 2025.

Grand National Glory

McManus shares the record for most Grand National wins as an owner, with three:

• Don't Push It (2010) — finally delivered AP McCoy a National win after years of trying
• Minella Times (2021) — ridden by Rachael Blackmore, in a result that made headlines well beyond racing
• I Am Maximus (2024) — trained by Willie Mullins

Business, Family and Adare Manor

Away from racing, McManus built his early fortune through property development and foreign exchange trading, often in partnership with John Magnier and Dermot Desmond. He is married to Noreen, and they have three children, including daughter Sue Ann, who married Cian Foley in 2007 and now runs Islandmore Stud in Croom.

McManus's main home is at Martinstown Stud in Kilmallock, Co. Limerick, though the figures around its value are inconsistent across reports — one source puts the residence at around €20m, while another describes a "€100m home" that may reflect the wider estate rather than the house alone. He also has properties in Dublin, London and Barbados.

He owns Adare Manor, the Limerick venue that hosts the JP McManus Pro-Am — an event with strong backing from his close friend Tiger Woods — and which is confirmed to host the 2027 Ryder Cup. In 2023, McManus was made honorary lifetime president of Limerick GAA.

How We Compiled This Profile

This profile draws on JP McManus's official racing record via irishracing.com, Racing Post's reporting on his first Cheltenham Festival winner, and background on Istabraq's early career from horse-racing history coverage. Where figures conflicted between sources — such as the value of his Martinstown residence — we've noted both rather than picking one. See our trust methodology.

Philanthropy: The McManus Foundation

McManus's charitable giving is on a similar scale to his racing operation. The JP McManus Charitable Foundation, set up in 2000, has raised up to €90m, with Companies Registration Office figures showing over €30m donated to causes in the Limerick area between 2007 and 2011 alone. Since 2008, his All Ireland Scholarships scheme has covered fees and living costs for roughly 125 third-level students a year.