‘A giant of the game' – Willie Mullins adds his tribute to Kevin Prendergast

Willie Mullins has added his tribute to Kevin Prendergast, following the multiple Classic-winning trainer's death on Friday at the age of 92.
Prendergast – son of the legendary Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast – was a hugely popular and respected figure, landing the last of his Classic successes with Awtaad in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 2016.
'I was sorry to hear about Kevin. He was a tremendous trainer, who always had a word for you,' said Mullins, the reigning champion National Hunt trainer in Ireland and Britain.
'He had an opinion on everything and that opinion was valued by people because he'd been through it, he knew the good days and he knew the bad days.
'He was a tremendous character who will be sadly missed. A proper giant of the game, he did the hard work and he knew everything about the game.'
Former trainer Mick Halford, who now represents Joseph O'Brien on racecourses, said: 'Kevin was a master on the Curragh when I started. He was somebody I always looked up to, his horses were always a credit to him.
'He was a great man to talk to, a great man for advice, and for a bit of slagging!
'He was a lovely man and I had a lot of time for him, and he will be sadly missed on the Curragh.
'He led a full life, he was a great example to us all.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Belfast Telegraph

an hour ago

• Belfast Telegraph

Amy Hunter helps Dragons roar past Typhoons in opening game of Super 20 Trophy defence

The 19-year-old followed up her midweek 155 with an unbeaten 94, as her side recovered from a precarious six for two to post 138 in a game reduced to 15 overs a side. Irish international Hunter hit 14 fours and a six in her 53-ball knock, sharing an unbroken third wicket stand of 132 with Waringstown's Abbi Harrison, who scored 31 not out. Alana Dalzell, playing on her home ground. picked up two wickets at the start of the chase to reduce the Typhoons to 24 for three, but they rallied thanks to an unbeaten 57 (six fours, two sixes) from former Irish captain Laura Delany. The required rate, however, just proved too much despite Delany's 68-run partnership with Leah Paul (31). It didn't get any better for the Typhoons in the afternoon game as they were trounced by the Scorchers. Delany (30) was again their top-scorer, but a total of 118 for seven looked light at the halfway juncture and so it proved. Gaby Lewis clubbed four fours and two maximums in a 14-ball 33, sharing an opening stand of 59 with Louise Little (32) that had them halfway to their modest target inside five overs. Eimear Richardson (28 not out) continued the carnage as the eight-wicket win was achieved with almost eight overs to spare. Just one match survived in the NCU Women's Premiership, as North Down joined CSNI in third place after a narrow 18-run win. Rebecca Nield hit four boundaries in a top score of 42 as North Down made 114 for six — two wickets for Holly Faulkner. Eva Wilson thumped four boundaries in a run-a-ball 30 to take the Stormont side to 61 for one before the wheels came off, losing the last nine wickets for 35 to be 96 all out — two wickets apiece for Gracie and Evey Keenan. Meanwhile, in the North-West, Coleraine moved top of the Premiership with a remarkable chase at Brigade. Scott Macbeth hit seven sixes in a top-score of 88, adding 116 in 13 overs with Iftikhar Hussain (86) to set what seemed a formidable target of 292 in a match reduced to 45 overs. All seemed set for a comfortable Brigade win as Macbeth's three wickets left the Bannsiders on 83 for four, before the game was turned on its head. Former Brigade player David Cooke and Marcus Poskitt both made centuries in a superb fifth wicket stand of 210 to seal the win with 15 balls to spare. Poskitt made 111 from just 97 balls (11 fours, six sixes), while Cooke reached his landmark hundred with his tenth four.

Belfast Telegraph

2 hours ago

• Belfast Telegraph

Lower-League pair's Challenge Cup Semi-Final dreams are dashed as top-tier foes reign supreme

Judd Markham hit seven fours and two sixes in a 51-ball 58 but received little support from the rest of the Donacloney Mill batters as they were bowled out for 126. The Lisburn bowling quintet of Neil Whitworth, Adam Kennedy, Ryan Macbeth, Josh Manley and Matthew Humphreys all took two wickets apiece. Ross Adair (12) went cheaply, but that was to be the sole success for the visitors as, conscious of the showery weather, Humphreys was promoted up the order. The move paid off as the Irish international added 88 in eight overs with overseas professional Faiz Fazal. Fazal top-scored with an unbeaten 53, while Player of the Match Humphreys made 44 not out, both hitting six fours and three maximums as the nine-wicket win was sealed in just the 11th over. It was a similar story at Middle Road where, batting first, Carrick would have been pleased to have reached 101 for one against Waringstown, with Atish Varape (54) and Iain Parkhill (34) sharing a century stand. The wheels came off in spectacular fashion, though, as they lost nine wickets for just 44 runs to be all out for 145. Waringstown captain Greg Thompson (four for 24) was the destroyer-in-chief, while there were two wickets apiece for Adam Dennison and James Mitchell. The game was all but over in the powerplay of the chase as Sam Topping and Dennison took the home side attack apart in an opening stand of 128. Topping bludgeoned eight fours and five sixes in a whirlwind 72 from only 29 deliveries, while Dennison's undefeated 61 saw him hit eight fours and two sixes as the nine-wicket win was sealed in the 15th over. Cade Carmichael made it back-to-back hundreds as he and Nikolai Smith made sure Instonians made short work of what looked like a challenging target of 212 in 38 against North Down. Carmichael has enjoyed a prolific 2025 campaign with his form bringing him Irish international recognition, and he was soon into his stride at Shaw's Bridge, hitting 15 fours and three sixes in a rapid 87-ball unbeaten 124. His stand with Smith was 215 in just 29 overs, with the skipper no slouch himself in an even-time 85 not out (nine fours). Mickey Copeland (88) and Tyron Koen (66) both made half-centuries for the Comber side, but their bowling unit had no answer to the blitzkrieg of boundaries that the Inst openers unleashed. If the first three ties were one-sided affairs, then the fourth certainly made amends as Woodvale beat Cliftonville Academy in a last-ball thriller. Varun Chopra's unbeaten 104 and 56 from Hayden Melly took CA to 253 for eight, with three wickets for Ludwig Kaestner. A shower meant an adjusted target of 242 in 43 overs, and the chase always seemed to be lagging a little behind as the required rate climbed. Harry Warke (45) and Stephen Bunting (28) got starts, but when the visitors lost Ruhan Pretorius for just five, the odds were heavily stacked against the Ballygomartin Road side. However, Kaestner proved the man for the big occasion as he and Finn Restieaux (37 not out) set about chasing down the score. With eight needed from the last three balls, Restieaux slashed a boundary, followed by a single to leave Kaestner needing three from the final ball. His powerful cut raced to the boundary amidst great scenes. He finished unbeaten on 112 (nine fours, six sixes), making the Man of the Match award a formality. The Semi-Final draw will be made on Tuesday during the T20 inter-pro series at Stormont.

Rhyl Journal

4 hours ago

• Rhyl Journal

‘A giant of the game' – Willie Mullins adds his tribute to Kevin Prendergast

Prendergast – son of the legendary Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast – was a hugely popular and respected figure, landing the last of his Classic successes with Awtaad in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 2016. 'I was sorry to hear about Kevin. He was a tremendous trainer, who always had a word for you,' said Mullins, the reigning champion National Hunt trainer in Ireland and Britain. 'He had an opinion on everything and that opinion was valued by people because he'd been through it, he knew the good days and he knew the bad days. 'He was a tremendous character who will be sadly missed. A proper giant of the game, he did the hard work and he knew everything about the game.' Former trainer Mick Halford, who now represents Joseph O'Brien on racecourses, said: 'Kevin was a master on the Curragh when I started. He was somebody I always looked up to, his horses were always a credit to him. 'He was a great man to talk to, a great man for advice, and for a bit of slagging! 'He was a lovely man and I had a lot of time for him, and he will be sadly missed on the Curragh. 'He led a full life, he was a great example to us all.'