In Memoriam (Racing People)

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moehat said:
Am in tears reading this; years ago he was interviewed about Dato Star; can't remember the question but the answer was 'because I love him'. Have adored the man ever since.
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Such a beautiful post, moehat. Thank you.

In all the years I’ve followed racing, if there was one trainer I wanted success to rain down on, it was Malcolm Jefferson. So cruel that he has been taken, just as Waiting Patiently has emerged as a top-class animal.
 
He imported a host of horses from New Zealand in the mid to late 1980s including Playschool, Seagram etc and had a lot of success, winning consecutive Henesseys in 1986 and 87.
Paul Nicholls learned a lot from him .
I remember thinking at the time that NZ bred horses would be the end of the Irish NH horse with only Galmoy flying the Irish flag, and he was GB bred !
Thankfully times changed.
 
Two local deaths this week.
Denis Vaughan of Clongeel Stud (91)
He stood sires Golden Love and Carnival Night in the 1970s, Black Minstrel, Mister Lord and Royal Fountain in the 1980s and Germany in late 1990s.
One of the most upstanding men you could ever wish to meet, he was well versed on all topics of conversation but his knowledge of horses' pedigrees was phenomenal; it was said he knew the stud book as well as his catechism at the time of his confirmation as a boy.
A lifelong friend of my father's whatever catching up they are now doing will take more than one night, the Gold Cup today topping the list.
Ed Vaughan , trainer is his nephew.
Rest In Peace.

Timmy O'Callaghan , champion p2p rider in 1978, native of Knockscovane near me and later of Lisgoold.
As a kid going to local p2ps he was the man, and held no scruples about putting anyone through a wing of a fence either.
He trained Raymylette , Mick Fitzgerald's first Festival winner 1995 before selling onto Nicky Henderson, and also other good horses.
His brother John bred Joe Lively among others.
Rest In Peace
 
Tommy Wade also trained p2p horses for a spell and was a fearless punter when the p2p scene here had a strong market.
he was never adverse to pulling a stroke either in show ring or p2p field.

T P Burns also died last week.
A famous flat and hurdles jockey he was with Vincent o'Brien through the 1950s as main flat and hurdles rider , having many successes at Cheltenham as well as Irish Derby and Doncaster St Leger on Ballymoss 1957. Alas a broken leg saw him miss the complete 1958 season when Ballymoss won all before him, Coronation Cup, Eclipse, King George and Arc.
Later assisted Vincent and D K Weld , Guy Williams wrote an excellent biography of the Burns family in 2006; well worth a read.
 
From Brian O'Connor's blog on irish-racing.com:

And finally, a lot of people were sad to hear of the passing last week of Dr Walter Halley, the former Turf Club medical officer, who held the position from 1989 to 2007. He was succeeded by Dr Adrian McGoldrick who has continued Walter's pioneering work here in terms of jockey safety and was one of many to pay fulsome tribute.


Walter could cut a rather patrician figure sometimes although it never took long to detect the hugely professional, decent and caring man underneath. He was one of the most distinctive presences on Ireland's racecourses for a long time. That presence will be sadly missed.
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RIP
 
Death of John Dunlop announced, aged 78. Champion trainer in 1995 and had more than 3,000 winners, ten of them British Classics, during a career than spanned almost 50 years.
 
Michael Anthony O'Toole (86) aka "Micko " butcher turned greyhound trainer turned horse trainer.
A Legend in horse racing in 1970s and 1980s, fearless punter, bon viveur, raconteur and golfer.
From Davy Lad to Hartstown NH and Balios through Faliraki and Dickens Hill to Smoggy Spray on the flat he won most races worth winning.
Carrig Willy's Sweeps Hurdle win led to his famous "Breakfast does not come cheap on The Curragh " after a few £500 ew bets at 40/1 and 66/1 with Mike Dilllon and also led to a court case with horse's previous owners suing Micko (if memory serves me) after the win.
Remember the mid 1980s when Regal Dawn started second favourite for Supreme Novice Hurdle at Festival after winning a Point to Point ? Only Micko would try something as audacious.
At The Curragh today the tales were tall in his memory; on the funeral day of a "friend " Micko was golfing. His playing partner asked him why he wasn't at the funeral. "Because he won't be at mine " came the reply.
Another day at same golf club the discussion centered around the first lotto jackpot worth north of £2,000,000 and what those present would do with it.
"Have it on a 10/1 shot to see if would get me out of trouble " was Micko's reply.
Larger than life are the three best words to describe this man .
Rest In Peace Micko
 
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There's another story about Mick O'Toole that I liked. He was with a group of friends when somebody mentioned that a common acquaintance of theirs had died.
"Will anyone be going to the funeral?", one of them asked.
"Not me", said Mick.
"Any why not?"
"He won't be coming to mine."
 
Read it online last Saturday morning while I was having breakfast -a tremendously enjoyable read.
 
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