Hall of fame

Richard 'Boss' Croaker trained the first Irish-trained horse to win the English Derby, ORBY, in 1907. The Irish Times newspaper reported on the day – "… it was a triumph for the island, which in its small compass contains a larger percentage of horse-lovers than any other country on the face of the earth…"

In the 1940's, 50's and 60's Tom Dreaper trained an incredible 26 winners at the Cheltenham festival, including five Cheltenham Gold Cup's and the Queen Mother Champion Chase, six times, a record which remains unbeaten to this day. He trained seven consecutive Irish Grand National winners (1960-1966), to round off his total of a record ten wins in the race. Just of a few of the great horses Tom trained during his career included PRINCE REGENT, FLYING BOLT, BEN STACK and FORTRIA, but it is for training the legendary ARKLE, considered the greatest steeplechaser of all time, that he is best remembered. Tom's son Jim took over the yard in 1972, and is currently one of Ireland's leading jumps trainers, while in turn, his son Thomas is assistant trainer.

Pat Taaffe (1930-1992) is best remembered for partnering ARKLE in all his races, including to win three Cheltenham Gold Cups (1964-1966). He also partnered ROYAL APPROACH, UMM, ZONDA, FORTRIA, FLYING BOLT and ARKLE to win a record six Irish Grand Nationals. After retiring from the saddle, he went on to train CAPTAIN CHRISTY to win the 1974 Gold Cup. Pat's son Tom also became a top-class jumps jockey and is now a successful trainer in Ireland.

At the same time that the great Vincent O'Brien was training, another Irish trainer, Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast, was also making a name for himself in Ireland and abroad, to such an extent that he became the first non-British based trainer to be Champion there in three consecutive seasons, 1963-65. Based on the Curragh, the centre of flat racing in Ireland, he was especially gifted at training two-year-olds. The two best horses he trained during his illustrious career were RAGUSA and MEADOW COURT, both winners of the Irish Derby and the prestigious King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.

May 20th 1943 was the start of a phenomenon, not just in Irish racing, but in the world of racing. Those who attended the racecourse now known as Tipperary, were subject to the opening sequence in what was to become the career of the world's greatest racehorse trainer. That was the day that the most important figure in Irish racing history, the late Dr Vincent O'Brien, trained his first winner, OVERSWAY. Vincent O'Brien went on to consistently raise the bar for Irish racing throughout his career, setting ever higher standards and continually breaking all records, firstly in jumps racing and latterly through his domination of the world of flat racing. Vincent O'Brien died in 2009, at the age of 92. The esteem in which he is rightly held by the racing public was acknowledged when he was voted by the readers of the Racing Post as the greatest, most influential racing figure of all time.

One of the first true stars of racing, ARKLE's fame reached far beyond Ireland's shores. Owned by the Duchess of Westminster and trained by Tom Dreaper, he won a remarkable 27 of his 35 races, under jockey Pat Taaffe, at times carrying over two stone (almost 13 kilos) more than his rivals - the Irish racing authorities devised two weight systems, one for when Arkle was running and another when he wasn't. Those wins included three Cheltenham Gold Cups, the King George Chase, the Irish Grand National and the Punchestown Gold Cup. His clashes with the great MILL HOUSE in the mid 1960's were the most anticipated sporting events of the time. Generally known as 'Himself', he was hugely popular and, famously, fan mail would often be delivered to Tom Dreaper's yard simply addressed to "ARKLE, IRELAND".

Over jumps, Vincent O'Brien sent out an extraordinary three winners in a row of each of the Cheltenham Gold Cup (COTTAGE RAKE 1948-50), Champion Hurdle (HATTON'S GRACE 1949-1951) and Grand National (1953 EARLY MIST, 1954 ROYAL TAN and 1955 QUARE TIMES). His domination of the Cheltenham jump racing festival was a phenomenon and set the scene for the Irish domination that continues there to this day.

On the flat, O’Brien trained legendary racehorses such as BALLYMOSS, GLADNESS, SIR IVOR, ROBERTO, THE MINSTREL, ALLEGED, STORM BIRD, EL GRAN SENOR, ROYAL ACADEMY, SADLER’S WELLS (subsequently the greatest stallion in modern turf history) and NIJINSKY, who remains the last winner of the English Triple Crown, winning the English 2000 Guineas, Derby and St. Leger in 1970.

Vincent’s legacy lies in more than just the memorable racecourse performances of his horses, he was also an innovator and pioneer in the art and science of training and took it to a new level. It should not be underestimated how extraordinary it was at the time for the world of flat racing to be dominated from essentially what was a Tipperary farm, until O’Brien transformed it into the world-class training establishment, Ballydoyle.

John Magnier’s remarkable talent for matching bloodlines was honed at an early age, when running his family’s stud farm near Fermoy. Magnier later moved to Fethard, county Tipperary, where he transformed Coolmore Stud into a multi-million euro international business, with farms in the US and Australia. His association with Coolmore began in partnership with his father-in-law Vincent O’Brien, and the businessman Robert Sangster. Eventually Magnier came to head the operation, and thus began an upward spiral of success. His racing empire, which became arguably the most successful in the world, is nowadays powered by a huge string of top-class thoroughbreds mostly trained at Ballydoyle by Aidan O’Brien (no relation to Vincent).

Coolmore’s former resident SADLER’S WELLS, who died in 2011 at 30 years old, is the greatest stallion of the modern era and was Champion Sire in the UK and Ireland on no fewer than 14 occasions. His illustrious progeny include MONTJEU (IRE), GALILEO (IRE), HIGH CHAPARRAL (IRE), YEATS (IRE), and BARATHEA (IRE).

SADLER’S WELLS’ son, and current Coolmore resident, the outstanding stallion GALILEO (IRE), has taken over the mantle of multiple Champion from his illustrious sire, with his offspring dominating in both the sales ring and on the racetrack. He has proved himself to be one of the best sires in the world today, with his progeny including such superstars as FRANKEL (the highest rated racehorse in history), NEW APPROACH (IRE) (sire of world Champion two-year-old DAWN APPROACH (IRE)), TEOFILO (IRE) (sire of Group 1 winners LOCH GARMAN (IRE) and PARISH HALL (IRE)), NATHANIAL (IRE), CAPE BLANCO (IRE), etc., the list is endless.

Currently, Ireland is in the midst of the career of one of the greatest horsemen the world has ever seen, Aidan O’Brien. Since taking out a license to train in 1993, O’Brien has broken all conventions and (like his namesake, Vincent) he has reached the top echelons in both jumps and flat racing. As his frequent 1-2-3’s in the Irish Derby and numerous other Group 1 races demonstrate, he is simply a genius. Yes, he has the might of Coolmore Stud behind him, but having the ammunition is only half the battle in racing, it’s how you use it that’s important. Aidan’s son Joseph was Irish Champion Jockey in 2012, at only 19 years old, and together they also became the first father-son/trainer-jockey combination to win the English Derby, with CAMELOT. Top-class horses formerly trained by Aidan include, GALILEO (IRE), HIGH CHAPARRAL (IRE), DYLAN THOMAS (IRE), GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, ROCK OF GIBRALTAR (IRE), ST. NICHOLAS ABBEY (IRE), YEATS (IRE), HENRYTHENAVIGATOR , MASTERCRAFTSMAN (IRE), the list is endless.

One of the most loved racehorses of all time, ISTABRAQ (IRE) was a truly remarkable individual. Owned by JP McManus and trained by Aidan O’Brien over hurdles, he won no less than 14 Grade 1 contests, meeting with defeat on only three occasions, when completing the course. A tremendously fluent jumper that travelled strongly through his races and possessed a potent turn of foot, he was incredibly exciting to watch and endeared himself to the racing public from the very beginning of his jumps career. Indeed, after his hurdling debut, he was sent off as favourite for every one of his remaining 28 races over hurdles. His four wins at the Cheltenham Festival are the stuff of legend, as was his partnership with his jockey, the ultra-confident Charlie Swan. Such was his popularity, he inspired a song and was considered a celebrity in his own right in Ireland at the time.

A former bookmaker, multiple Irish Champion owner JP McManus is one of jumps racing’s largest owners and a tremendous supporter of Irish racing. He has owned top-class horses such as three-time Champion Hurdle winner ISTABRAQ (IRE), Cheltenham Gold Cup winner SYNCHRONISED (IRE), Aintree Grand National winner DON’T PUSH IT (IRE) and multiple grade 1 winning mare LIKE-A-BUTTERFLY (IRE).

Paddy Mullins (1919–2010) had a training career which spanned over fifty years. His first winner was FLASH PARADE, which won the 1953 La Touche at Punchestown. Although he was predominantly a jumps trainer, with six Cheltenham Festival successes, four Irish Grand National winners and ten Irish jump trainers’ title under his belt, two of his greatest successes were achieved on the Flat, saddling VINTAGE TIPPLE to win the 2003 Group 1 Irish Oaks and HURRY HARRIET to win the 1973 Champion Stakes at Newmarket. Mullins trained the mare DAWN RUN to win Cheltenham’s Champion Hurdle in 1984 and Gold Cup in 1986, the only horse in history to achieve such a double. Paddy’s sons Tony, Tom and Willie are now top trainers and his grandsons Emmet, Patrick and Danny are all fine jockeys.

The Cheltenham National Hunt racing festival is a special place to both English and Irish horsemen alike, and there have been two particularly defining moments there for Ireland - The first was ARKLE’s breathtaking victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1964 and the second was DAWN RUN’s brave win in the same race in 1986, amazingly following up on her Champion Hurdle win two years previously. Owned by Mrs Charmaine Hill, the brilliant mare was trained by Paddy Mullins and ridden by Jonjo O’Neill. Her achievements at Cheltenham are commemorated by a statue overlooking the paddock.

A former trainer, Tom Costello (pictured here (right) with Jim Lewis – owner of BEST MATE (IRE)) is best known as the man who sold on six winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, including three-time winner BEST MATE (IRE). One of jumping’s true legends, Costello, whose other recent champions included ONE MAN (IRE), FLORIDA PEARL (IRE) and Aintree Grand National winner COMPLY OR DIE (IRE) truly had a wonderful eye for a horse and was always more interested in the individual than the pedigree.

Tommy Carberry is a retired jump jockey who was Irish champion jumps jockey on five occasions. He rode in his first race in 1958 and was crowned champion apprentice jockey in 1959. He retired in 1982, after which he began his training career. In 1975 he rode L’ESCARGOT to victory in the Aintree Grand National, and to successive Cheltenham Gold Cup’s in 1970 and 1971. His two sons Paul and Philip are both top-class jockeys, as is his daughter Nina. A memorable success for the family came in 1998, when Tommy trained the winner of the Aintree Grand National, BOBBYJO (IRE), with son Paul in the saddle.

The Weld name will always be associated with the Curragh, with Charlie Weld having established himself as a top-class trainer at Rosewell House before his son Dermot took over the reins in 1972. With the famous yard located just metres from the entrance to the Curragh racecourse, Dermot has consistently been one of Ireland’s most successful trainers, with multiple Irish Trainer’s Championships to his name, and is rightfully acclaimed as one of the best trainers in the world having saddled big-race winners on four different continents. Dermot is a qualified vet and was also a very accomplished amateur jockey. He is particularly renowned for sending his charges all over the world to compete in the top races, with tremendous success. He was the first European trainer to saddle the winner of the prestigious Melbourne Cup in Australia, a feat he achieved with the brilliant VINTAGE CROP in 1993 and again with MEDIA PUZZLE in 2002. He is also the only European trainer to win a leg of the American Triple Crown after GO AND GO sprang a surprise victory in the 1990 Belmont Stakes. He has also consistently shown his skill in the National Hunt sphere over the years, with ANSAR (IRE) in particular being a fine servant, winning the Galway Hurdle in 2001 and the Galway Plate in 2004 and 2005. He also has a victory in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival to his name courtesy of RARE HOLIDAY (1990).

Dr Michael Smurfit’s Melbourne Cup and dual Irish St. Leger winner VINTAGE CROP enjoying his retirement at the Irish National Stud.

Within the sport of horseracing, even though he never trained, rode, or owned a notable horse, Michael Osborne (1934 – 2005) was talked of with a mixture of admiration, awe and often disbelief. A qualified vet, his role was ultimately much greater than that and harder to define. In many ways he was the go-to man in racing, if you had a plan or idea, no matter how great it was in ambition, Osborne would offer his advice on it and very often see that it was done. He is best remembered as manager of the Irish National Stud (which is now managed by his son John) and particularly for his role within Sheikh Mohammed’s breeding and racing operation, establishing the Dubai World Cup, World Series and the Sheikh’s Irish breeding base, Kildangan Stud, which his son Joe now manages and where his daughter Meta is chief vet . He was also a director of Horse Racing Ireland, chairman of the Curragh and Punchestown racecourses and chairman of the Goffs sales company.

John Oxx started training in 1979 and has developed into one of Ireland’s most respected and successful trainers, gaining a reputation for his unrivalled patience with his horses and an admirable tendency not to over face his horses. The decision of HH Aga Khan to transfer his horses to Ireland in 1990 benefitted John Oxx immensely, as he became the sole trainer, at that time, for the hugely-successful breeder and together they have enjoyed tremendous success in Ireland and overseas. Notable winners for the partnership included TIMARIDA (IRE), EBADIYLA (IRE), SINNDAR (IRE), ALAMSHAR (IRE) and AZAMOUR (IRE). He was also the trainer of the outstanding globetrotting filly, RIDGEWOOD PEARL (IRE), however, John Oxx will forever be best remembered for his association with the awesome World Champion racehorse SEA THE STARS (IRE).

While the majority of John Oxx’s big race wins have been with Aga Khan-owned horses, in 1995 he was the man behind the magnificent RIDGEWOOD PEARL, who was owned by Sean Coughlan, winner of the Irish 1000 Guineas, Coronation Stakes, Prix Du Moulin and to round it all off, she became a national heroine with a stunning victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. This memorable success meant that RIDGEWOOD PEARL had won four Group 1 races in four different countries, a truly magnificent feat. She is immortalised in this stunning sculpture which greets racegoers at Ireland’s premier flat racecourse, the Curragh.

The exceptionally well-bred SEA THE STARS (IRE) (he is a half-brother to the multiple Champion sire GALILEO (IRE)) gave John Oxx his first win in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, before going on to carve his name into the annals of Turf history, with six consecutive Group 1 triumphs, in the process becoming the only horse to complete the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and Prix de l’Arc treble, brilliantly ridden by Michael Kinane on all of his racecourse appearances. The son of CAPE CROSS (IRE) truly dominated the 2009 Flat season, becoming World Champion, and sealed his legacy amongst the all-time greats.

The son of trainer Ruby Walsh, Ted Walsh enjoyed plenty of success in the saddle as an amateur jockey, with notable wins on HILLY WAY in the 1979 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, while he also won the Irish Champion Hurdle on DARING RUN in 1981 and 1982. Following the death of his father in 1990, Ted took over the license to train and has enjoyed tremendous success. Notable successes include training PAPILLON (IRE) to win the 2000 Aintree Grand National and COMMANCHE COURT (IRE) to win the Irish Grand National, both ridden by his son, Ruby Walsh. COMMANCHE COURT (IRE) had also won the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle for him at the Cheltenham Festival three years earlier. Walsh also trained RINCE RI (IRE) to win two Grade 1 Ericsson Chases at Leopardstown as well as the Grade 1 Pillar Chase and Power Gold Cup. His son, multiple Champion jockey Ruby, is arguably the greatest jumps jockey in history. He is stable jockey to both Willie Mullins, in Ireland and Paul Nicholls, in the UK, two of the most powerful and successful yards in the sport. He has ridden the winner of almost every major race and his record at the Cheltenham Festival, the pinnacle of each jumps season, is truly remarkable. To-date, he has ridden 32 winners there and has been the festivals leading jockey on seven occasions, making him the most successful jockey in its history. Since beginning her own riding career in 2003, Ted’s daughter Katie has also established herself as one of the best amateur jockeys in Ireland. Indeed, she showed that she can compete with the very best when completing a notable double at the Cheltenham Festival in 2010 and riding SEABASS (IRE) to finish third in the 2012 Aintree Grand National, the best finish by a female rider in the race’s history.

Jim Bolger has enjoyed tremendous success as a trainer since taking out his license in the late 1970’s and is adept at getting the very best out of racehorses. He has built a first-class training establishment from his base in Coolcullen, Co. Carlow and has captured many top races around the world in the last three decades. In the early days, Jim appeared to have a particular knack of getting the best out of his fillies and GIVE THANKS’ success in the 1983 Irish Oaks was his first Classic success. Other brilliant fillies trained by Bolger include PARK APPEAL, PARK EXPRESS, POLONIA, 1991 Epsom Oaks winner, JET SKI LADY, 2002 Irish Oaks winner MARGARULA (IRE), multiple Group 1 winner LUSH LASHES, and the outstanding filly ALEXANDER GOLDRUN (IRE), that truly put Jim Bolger on the world stage, when winning five Group 1’s, in four different countries, a remarkable achievement by horse and trainer. Bolger also trained ST JOVITE to win the 1992 Irish Derby, by 12 lengths. However, it is in the last few seasons that he has reached a career peak, with Champion two-year-olds TEOFILO (IRE), NEW APPROACH (IRE) and DAWN APPROACH (IRE) . Incredibly, Bolger has trained five winners of the last seven runnings of the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. TEOFILO’s career was cut short by injury, and he did not race at three, retiring as an unbeaten two-year-old. NEW APPROACH (IRE) went on to win the Epsom Derby and both the Irish and English Champion Stakes, to finish his three-year-old career as joint World Champion racehorse, and DAWN APPROACH (IRE) made the perfect start to his classic year with a resounding win in the 2013 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Bred by Dermot Cantillon, owned by Mrs Noel O’Callaghan and trained by Jim Bolger, ALEXANDER GOLDRUN (IRE) completed the remarkable feat of winning five Group 1’s in four different countries, from 2004-2006, namely the Prix de l’Opera in France, the Hong Kong Cup, the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh (twice) and the Nassau Stakes in the UK.

2012 World Champion two-year-old and Classic winning three-year-old DAWN APPROACH (IRE), bred and trained by Jim Bolger.