Michael J. Kinane, Irish former flat racing jockey, is born on June 22, 1959, in Killenaule, County Tipperary. He has a 34-year career, retiring on December 8, 2009.

A prolific winner of the Irish, English and French Classic races over two decades, Kinane has ridden winners in the 2000 Guineas Stakes four times (1990, 1997, 1998, 2009), the Epsom Derby three times (1993, 2001, 2009), the Melbourne Cup (1993) in Australia and, in the United States, the Belmont Stakes (1990) once. He also has four wins in Breeders’ Cup races. He has been Irish flat racing Champion Jockey on thirteen occasions.

Kinane first comes to prominence as the stable jockey to Liam Browne, winning the 1982 Irish 2000 Guineas and St. James’s Palace Stakes at Ascot Racecourse, both on Dara Monarch, and finishing second in the 1983 Epsom Derby on Carlingford Castle, before moving to Dermot Weld. He is later retained by John Magnier and Aidan O’Brien as stable jockey at Ballydoyle for many years prior to joining leading Irish flat trainer John Oxx. He becomes one of the world’s elite jockeys and excels on the big occasions at Longchamp Racecourse and Epsom Downs Racecourse and is regarded as one of the leading professionals of his sport.

Kinane retires at the end of 2009, a season which is highlighted by his association with Sea the Stars, regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He breeds the 2007 Epsom Derby winner Authorized.

Kinane is current working for Hong Kong Jockey Club in Europe to select horses suitable for running in Hong Kong. Those horses are resold by Hong Kong Jockey Club in an auction.

His father, Tommy Kinane, was a leading National Hunt racing jockey who won the Champion Hurdle on Monksfield.