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2025 In Memoriam (Racing People)

E

edgt

Senior Jockey
Joined
Mar 25, 2011
Messages
5,872
Location
North Cork. Home of steeple chasing
I see Slim has put up Kevin Prendergast's passing on the equine departures thread.
Kevin has died 46 years to the day his father "Darkie " passed on, as Ardross failed to pass Le Moss in the Ascot Gold Cup.
Kevin was champion Irish Amateur rider a few times in the early 1960s before he started training.
One of his first winners was a gambled on Derby House at Catterick ridden by Jimmy (Corky) Mullane , who had been first jockey to his father in the early 1950s.
Classic winners followed in the 1970s and 80s and of course Madhmoon just found Anthony Van Dyke too good at Epsom, a race that also eluded his father.
I had the pleasure of meeting him once at The Curragh in 2018 .
Though elderly, his mind was as sharp as a tack , the quest for a gamble everpresent.
May he Rest In Peace.
 
edgt said:
I see Slim has put up Kevin Prendergast's passing on the equine departures thread.
Kevin has died 46 years to the day his father "Darkie " passed on, as Ardross failed to pass Le Moss in the Ascot Gold Cup.
Kevin was champion Irish Amateur rider a few times in the early 1960s before he started training.
One of his first winners was a gambled on Derby House at Catterick ridden by Jimmy (Corky) Mullane , who had been first jockey to his father in the early 1950s.
Classic winners followed in the 1970s and 80s and of course Madhmoon just found Anthony Van Dyke too good at Epsom, a race that also eluded his father.
I had the pleasure of meeting him once at The Curragh in 2018 .
Though elderly, his mind was as sharp as a tack , the quest for a gamble everpresent.
May he Rest In Peace.
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I have a lot of Kevin Prendergast gamble stories and I was late to the screne. The first list of his best 2yos was handed to me on a Paddy Power betting slip.

Dunboyne Express (Dan Excel) was the first winner I bet from the yard's card.
 
I could be entirely wrong, but I had the impression that his staff were fond of him.
 
Grey said:
I could be entirely wrong, but I had the impression that his staff were fond of him.
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There was an unfair dismissal case taken against him about forty years ago.
The dismissed staff member claimed a drugs ring within the stable among staff that Kevin had no control over among other factors.
I have no idea how it finished up but remember reading about it.
In later years with fewer horses , loyalty among long term staff would show.
In fairness his horses were always well turned out; his stables were in a sun spot so early season form was always very good.
 
Grey said:
I could be entirely wrong, but I had the impression that his staff were fond of him.
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They were very loyal to him
edgt said:
You had the benefit of Dave Duggan's insights from the Norman Ormanston days ?
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No. Gareth McCann. He was one of Kevin's best friends. He owned Celtic Dane. Him and Kevin were a great team and it was my pleasure to get them on.
 
I remember Sam James being apprenticed to him.
One of his earliest wins was a big Galway handicap.
After that Kevin only used him for high value handicaps to maximise the benefit of his claim; he must have claimed for 5 or 6 years. You rarely see that nowadays.
 
LUKE said:
An absolute legend of the game.Madhmoon winning First time out and Katie T ridden by a friend of the stable to win what was the Sweeps Hurdle are happy memories.
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Madhmoon was the perfect example of how good the yard was at knowing what they had. We all bet it win only in a bad each way race. Fuck the maths.
 
I was at Leopardstown the evening Madhmoon won his maiden.
There was a buzz that evening that Kevin had one to retire on.
Irish Derby Day I was with a gent that Christy Grassick came over to say hello to.
His only Epsom regret was that Kevin was second, reckoning a Prendergast win would give racing a proper media story.
John Magnier felt the same way when Pour Moi beat Carlton House years earlier, or at least said he did.
 
edgt said:
I was at Leopardstown the evening Madhmoon won his maiden.
There was a buzz that evening that Kevin had one to retire on.
Irish Derby Day I was with a gent that Christy Grassick came over to say hello to.
His only Epsom regret was that Kevin was second, reckoning a Prendergast win would give racing a proper media story.
John Magnier felt the same way when Pour Moi beat Carlton House years earlier, or at least said he did.
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He used to play golf with Frank Berry. My phone rang one day. My friend who was playing with them was just off the course. Kevin had pestered Frank into giving him a bet for the following day. I kept it to myself and had a right good day. So much of my love for the game was wrapped up in the yard.
 
Barry Hills did really well to get to the age he did having fought cancer for years. If memory serves, he gave Steve Cauthen his first winner (Touching Wood 33/1?) in this country?
 
Desert Orchid said:
Barry Hills did really well to get to the age he did having fought cancer for years. If memory serves, he gave Steve Cauthen his first winner (Touching Wood 33/1?) in this country?
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it was Marquee Universal at Salisbury in April 1979 (I had to look it up), but knew it wasn’t Touching Wood, who won 1982 St Leger (having been 2nd to Golden Fleece in the Derby) both under Paul Cook.
 
Total brain fart on my part. If anyone had asked me the name of SC's first winner in this country I'd have blurted out immediately, 'Marquee Universal, Salisbury!' and I think it was 33/1 because that was the very first time I ever bought the Marten Julian 'Dark Horses' booklet and that was one of the horses. (Coincidentally, my first bet from the book, Buss, won at 33/1 as well. I thought I'd stumbled on to a gold mine.)
 
Cauthen rode Tap On Wood to win the 2,000 Guineas that year (he'd won at Thirsk prior to Newmarket) so maybe that is the source of the confusion.

I think Marquee Universal was 5/4 fav at Salisbury.
 
Tap on Wood was their Guineas winner.

That’s very sad about Barry. I had a lot of time for him really because when I became a trainer, he was really welcoming to me and said “welcome to the club”. I was on such a small scale but he always talked to me or said hello every time I saw him. It made such a difference to my confidence at the time. I liked his second wife, Penny too (Maureen his first was bit scary....!) and it was a sad day when eldest son, John died so young.
 
Did really well to get Moonax to win a classic as he was a highly talented beast of horse.
I was at York when it was due to make its debut there was a flood of money for it but the horse went ballistic and was withdrawn.
Terrific trainer.
 
Desert Orchid said:
Touching Wood... Tap On Wood...

Age doesn't come alone...
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43-year aftertiming alert - I was at Doncaster and bet Touching Wood at 10/1 in the Leger, so I was unlikely to forget! 😂

As the spectacularly dour Ron Cox, my former boss at the Racing & Football Outlook and the Racing Specialist, used to rightly rant at away-with-the-fairies 21yo uni graduate me in 1984: "Don't guess - check! Get it right!" 😂
 
Ian_Davies said:
43-year aftertiming alert - I was at Doncaster and bet Touching Wood at 10/1 in the Leger, so I was unlikely to forget! 😂

As the spectacularly dour Ron Cox, my former boss at the Racing & Football Outlook and the Racing Specialist, used to rightly rant at away-with-the-fairies 21yo uni graduate me in 1984: "Don't guess - check! Get it right!" 😂
Click to expand...

The rules of journalism don't apply to me but I usually do check.
 
His autobiography was most amusing.
Before Frankincense he, along with other travelling head lads worked out the winners of the autumn handicaps with big ante post betting markets.
Had he done the treble/yankee to a half decent bet he could have been training years earlier.
Always a punter, when doubly represented in a race he used book Lester to ride his second string when wanting to get a price about his fancied one.
He and Robert Sangster got on like a house on fire, due to his taste for the good life.
Cash Asmussen p**sed him off no end when not trying on horses "that didn't feel right ".
He was an example to all dreamers to follow their destiny.
 
edgt said:
His autobiography was most amusing.
Before Frankincense he, along with other travelling head lads worked out the winners of the autumn handicaps with big ante post betting markets.
Had he done the treble/yankee to a half decent bet he could have been training years earlier.
Always a punter, when doubly represented in a race he used book Lester to ride his second string when wanting to get a price about his fancied one.
He and Robert Sangster got on like a house on fire, due to his taste for the good life.
Cash Asmussen p**sed him off no end when not trying on horses "that didn't feel right ".
He was an example to all dreamers to follow their destiny.
Click to expand...

I've not read the book but I believe he had no interest in each way no matter what the price, is that right? He must be one of the all time best punting trainers.
 
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