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The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Legendary Classic-winning trainer Kevin Prendergast has died aged 92
LEGENDARY flat trainer Kevin Prendergast, who won multiple Classics in Britain and Ireland, has died aged 92. He took out his licence in 1963 and saddled his final runner at Cork last week, when Glory To Be finished second. 1 Tributes have poured in for Prendergast, who spent his career in County Kildare and died two weeks short of his 93rd birthday. Among them was top Irish jockey Chris Hayes, who was stable jockey to Prendergast and rode most of his big winners in recent years including Awtaad, who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 2016. He said: "La Collina was my first Group 1 winner for Kevin, but Awtaad was the first horse that was mine - I inherited La Collina from Declan McDonogh. "Obviously there were also some great days with Madhmoon who came after Awtaad. But Awtaad's Guineas was phenomenal. "It was the old Curragh and the cheer we got on the way in, I haven't heard one like it since. "I've been around a while and I never heard a cheer like that before that either and that cheer was all for Kevin and solely Kevin. People say it was for us, but it wasn't, it was for Kevin. "He's a legend around Kildare and a legend in the racing game and people were 10 deep around the winner's enclosure desperate to congratulate him. "When I got the news this morning I couldn't help but look back through some pictures from that day in the car. We had some phenomenal times together and today is a sad day." Another legendary trainer Dermot Weld, who was great friends with Prendergast, said: "He was a wonderful trainer. His horses were always turned out in supreme condition - you could always identify one of his by the way they were turned out and, even in the early days, they always won the best-turned-out award. "He was an exceptional trainer of a two-year-old and had great longevity - and he trained a much smaller team of horses than is fashionable nowadays. "He was a very, very talented trainer and naturally my sympathy goes out to his family." Born in Australia on July 5, 1932, Prendergast was educated in Ireland but kicked off his racing career back in the southern hemisphere, where he was head lad to top trainer Frank Dalton. He held that position for three years before returning home to establish himself as a leading amateur rider while serving as assistant trainer to his father. After five years, Prendergast decided to strike out on his own in 1963 - and he did not have to wait long for his inaugural success, saddling Zara to win at Phoenix Park in May that year. Pidget was the first to claim Classic gold for him in the 1972 Irish 1,000 Guineas, before going on to add the Irish St Leger to her tally later on that year. After that Prendergast sent out the likes of Conor Pass (1973) and Oscar Schindler (1996 and 1997) to win two more Irish Legers, while Arctique Royal gave him another 1,000 win and Northern Treasure gave him a first Irish 2,000 Guineas in 1976. Add into the mix top-drawer juveniles La Collina, Miss Beatrix, Termagant and Kingsfort and you get a feel for the kind of longevity Prendergast enjoyed. One of the most consistent trainers in the Irish ranks, Prendergast sent out his 2,000th career winner in 2010. As well as Hayes, the likes of Gary Halpin and Declan McDonogh also rode for Prendergast, demonstrating that he was not just an exceptional instructor of horses. The great Kieren Fallon began his riding career with Prendergast, serving as apprentice from 1982 to 1987 before moving on and eventually becoming a six-times champion jockey. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kevin Prendergast dead at 92: Legendary trainer and multi-Classic winner passes away after 60-year racing career
Legendary trainer Kevin Prednergast has passed away at the age of 92 - just two weeks away from his 93rd birthday. Prednergast is regarded as one of the all-time great trainers, first enjoying success at the now-defunct Pheonix Park in May 1963 as he carried on the legacy of his late father. Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast was a champion Flat trainer in Britain three times in three years in the 1960s and passed away exactly 45 years before his son. Kevin, meanwhile, enjoyed a career spanning longer than 60 years, winning his first Classic in 1972 with Pidget in the Irish Guineas, before the filly won the Pretty Polly Stakes and the Irish St Leger. When he won the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in 1977, he became just the third Irish trainer to win the Newmarket Classic after his father and Vincent O'Brien. He has now passed away, with fellow Curragh stalwart Dermot Weld leading the tributes. 'He was a legend of his lifetime,' he said. 'Not only was he a wonderful trainer, but every single one of his horses was always turned out beautifully. 'He was a wonderful horseman and an outstanding trainer and he will be sadly missed on the Curragh. I would like to send out my sympathies to Kevin's family. He was a great man and a great trainer.' Champion trainer Aidan O'Brien added: 'Kevin was a very special man. It's desperately sad news and he will be missed by everyone. 'He was brilliant to me when we were starting out and was always great for advice. If you wanted to sound him out about anything, he was always great to bounce things off. The best way to describe him is special, he was a special man.' Prednergast was perhaps most famed for his success with Oscar Schindler in the 1990s, and his final Classic winner was in the 2016 Irish 2,000 Guineas with Awtaad. Prednergast enjoyed more than 2,000 winners in his career, with the veteran selling his Friarstown base on Curragh in the latter years of his life. His final winner was Copie Conforme, ridden by Chris Hayes, at Bellewstown last year.
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Epsom tilt ‘unlikely' for Purview with Dermot Weld targeting Irish Derby instead
Dermot Weld is set to target next month's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby with Purview and described as 'unlikely' any tilt at Epsom next week with his promising colt. Winner of a Dundalk maiden on his debut in November, Purview reappeared in Leopardstown's Derby Trial over a fortnight ago and ran a very promising second to Delacroix. The colt now heads betting for Saturday week's Derby but Weld is lukewarm on the idea of taking Delacroix on again at Epsom. 'He's still a very big and immature horse and still wants more time, so I would say he is unlikely to go to Epsom. We still have races like the Irish Derby in mind,' Weld said on Tuesday. READ MORE The renowned Curragh trainer also reported that his good filly Swelter will get a break after finishing lame in Sunday's Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas behind Lake Victoria. Swelter lost her unbeaten record when ninth in the weekend classic. 'Unfortunately she was lame post-race. It's nothing serious. She just needs a bit of time off and she'll be back in the autumn,' said Weld. Derby prospects were to the fore on Tuesday morning when the John & Thady Gosden team worked their 'Blue Riband' hopefuls Damysus and Nightwalker at the unique Epsom course. The pair were last seen finishing runner-up and fifth in the Dante at York and Thady Gosden was pleased to give both a 'sighter' of their upcoming challenge. 'It's a very unique track which is impossible to emulate anywhere and just for them to get a feel for it and perhaps get them a few strides quicker in the race can only be a positive thing. 'They both handled it very well. They're very intelligent horses, the pair of them, really taking it in. You could see Damysus pricking his ears coming to the line,' he said. 'They're both talented colts, both have a good turn of foot and both travel well in their races. Also, we know it's a big occasion and it's very easy for it to get to them a little bit but just on the evidence here this morning they seem to handle everything very well,' Gosden added. Wednesday's domestic action is over jumps at Wexford but the smart flat horse Sunchart features in a conditions hurdle. Although not as effective over flights, Andy Slattery's stalwart did record his only win over hurdles at Wexford and any rain will help his chances.
RTÉ News
22-05-2025
- Climate
- RTÉ News
Dermot Weld hoping for Curragh rain ahead of 1,000 Guineas
Dermot Weld would prefer to see some rain at the Curragh ahead of Swelter's bid for glory in Sunday's Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas. The Juddmonte-owned filly is unbeaten in two starts, on both good and good to yielding ground, but Weld thinks she would be even better on soft going and would prefer to have her favoured conditions for the mile Classic. Speaking after the victory of the promising Pierre Royal at Gowran on Wednesday evening, Weld said: "She's in good order. She's very effective on soft ground and everything back from that she'll be less effective on. "That's the concern but there is a chance of some rain and we'll be hopeful. "I walked the track at the Curragh (on Wednesday) and it's fast. It's not their fault as we only got two millimetres of rain. "They'll be watering it and will get it right. There is a good team there." The latest ground update issued by Curragh officials on Thursday morning on X read: "Following a dry, warm day and watering, the Curragh remains good, good to firm in places (selective watering). Temperatures in early 20s today, cooler tomorrow with possibility of 2-3mm (approx) of rain in the afternoon and 10-12mm (approx) in total through the weekend."
