Tributes Flow for Kevin Prendergast: A Legacy in Irish Racing The recent death of legendary Irish racing icon Kevin Prendergast has touched many in the equine fraternity. Prendergast, who died aged 92, was a true doyen of the Irish training ranks — liked, admired and respected in equal measure by so many that crossed his path since he started training on the Curragh in 1963. Prendergast, son of the legendary Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast, was a leading amateur jockey before taking out a trainer's licence of his own. Starting with Pidget's victory in the 1972 Irish 1000 Guineas, he would go on to win eight Classics on home soil, the last of which was Awtaad's victory in the 2000 Guineas in 2016 at the Curragh. His sole English Classic success came when Nebbiolo triumphed in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in 1977. He came closest to winning the Epsom Derby in 2019 when Madhmoon was beaten half a length by Anthony Van Dyck. Hayes leads the tributes Chris Hayes was the rider on board Madhmoon at Epsom that afternoon and he also steered home Copie Conforme at Bellewstown last August, the final winner of Prendergast's career. Hayes had a long and fruitful association with the trainer and paid tribute upon his passing. "I started out calling him 'sir' and that moved on to boss and we had a very close relationship, especially in the latter years. He was like a father or grandfather figure and we spoke closely and candidly," he said. "I had the utmost respect for him. You could always ring Kevin at the drop of a hat and vice versa - he would have no problem ringing me even up to last week telling me if I had given one a good ride or a bad ride. I'd always enjoy ringing him up for a chat." Weld hails 'legend of his lifetime' Prendergast was amongst the old guard in the Irish training ranks, surviving generational changes in a career that spanned six decades and more. Amongst his peers for much of that journey were greats like Dermot Weld and Jim Bolger, icons of Irish racing. Weld led the tributes to his great friend and colleague, saying: "He was a legend of his lifetime. Not only was he an outstanding trainer, but every single one of his horses always turned out beautifully. "He was a wonderful horseman and will be sadly missed on the Curragh. I would like to send my sympathies to Kevin's family. He was a great man." O'Brien recalls 'special man' Aidan O'Brien has achieved everything there is to dream of in racing, at home and abroad, but the Ballydoyle supremo says that Prendergast was often a sounding board for him early in his career. "It's desperately sad news and he'll be missed by everyone. He was brilliant to me when we were starting out and was always great for advice," said O'Brien. "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." Shadwell pays tribute Prendergast had a long association with the colours of the late Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell operation, with Awtaad and the 2019 Derby runner-up Madhmoon amongst those that thrived under his care in the famous blue and white colours. Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold said: "Before I started with Sheikh Hamdan, Kevin was already training for him. Sheikh Hamdan loved him, and they had a great relationship. "He was a wonderful horseman and his horses always looked immaculate. He was a huge character, full of stories for every occasion — some printable, but most not! "I went to see him about six weeks ago and he was still asking questions, full of the whole thing and as enthusiastic as ever. We'll miss him enormously."
