Jerry Desmond funeral arrangements The Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase takes centre-stage at Clonmel but tragically one of the race's proudest supporters, former course manager Jerry Desmond will not be present to witness the event. Last Friday, 67 year old Desmond, also a Steward of the Turf Club, tragically died after getting into difficulty while swimming on holidays in Portugal. Originally from Cork, Desmond held the position of chairman of Association of Irish Racecourse for some years and was well known in horse & dog racing circles. Desmond was Keeper of the Irish Stud Book and secretary/CEO of the Irish Coursing Club for 22 years until his retirement in February 2008. Jerry’s remains will be received into Clogheen Church at 6pm this Friday, November 12th with funeral mass at 12pm on Saturday, November 13th. Desmond is survived by his wife Cora, daughters Abbey, Roisin and sons Bill and Ronan. Speaking at Clonmel today, Clerk of the Course Lorcan Weir said "I worked with Jerry for some three years and he was a pleasure to work with. He was firm but fair and was a man of principal. I am shocked and stunned by the sad news." Another to pay tribute to Desmond was Cork Examiner racing reporter Pat Keane who stated "I knew Jerry for many years and he was always a man of honour and was wonderful to deal with." During Desmond's time at the helm at Clonmel racecourse, the Clonmel Oil Chase (formerly the Morris Oil Chase) attracted many chasing stars with Dorans Pride, Beef Or Salmon (who made his chasing debut to win the race), Edredon Bleu and War Of Attrition each winning the race.
