Kevin Prendergast

Promising two-year-old filly Flawless Fusion (lot 20) took top billing at the Tattersalls Online July Sale when selling for 140,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock from Jim Bolger's Glebe House Stables. A daughter of Dawn Approach and the dual Listed-placed mare French Fusion (Harzand), from the family of the G1 Melbourne Cup hero Twilight Payment, Flawless Fusion made an encouraging start to her career when filling the runner-up spot on last month's debut. "She caught the eye at Leopardstown," Blandford Bloodstock's Stuart Boman said of that performance. "Irish maidens are so competitive...

On the day that Kevin Prendergast was remembered at the Curragh in the naming of the International Stakes, and a day after Peter Easterby was laid to rest, another great of the training ranks was lost with the passing of Barry Hills. Then came the news from America that D Wayne Lukas had too departed. To read the tributes paid to these men, who did so much to enrich the colour of this storied sport, is something of a treat in itself - their parting gift, if you like -...

Fourteen wildcards have been added to the Tattersalls Online July Sale, including a complete dispersal of 10 lots from the estate of the late Kevin Prendergast following the passing of the legendary Irish trainer. Bidding will open at 11am on Tuesday, July 1 and close at 11am the following day. Among nine horses in training in the dispersal is the three-year-old filly Glory To Be, who confirmed the promise of her debut effort when filling the runner-up spot in a five-furlong maiden at Cork last time. The daughter of Cotai...

The Curragh Racecourse, with their sponsor Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai, will honour the late Kevin Prendergast by running the International Stakes in memory of the legendary trainer. The Group 3 contest takes place this Saturday, the second day of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival, and will be titled "The Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai International Stakes in honour of Kevin Prendergast". Prendergast, who died last week at the age of 92, trained on the Curragh for over 60 years, with his big-race victories at the track including consecutive editions...

The death of Kevin Prendergast, the doyen of the Irish trainers' ranks, at the age of 92 represents the end of an era. The Prendergast dynasty has been at the forefront of Irish racing for longer than pretty much anyone can remember and Kevin very much continued the family tradition of success. For many, Kevin Prendergast was the archetypal Irish trainer, which was ironic as he was famously and accurately described by Bart Cummings as "an Australian who trains in Ireland". Kevin's father Paddy (often known as 'Darkie') spent some...

Legendary trainer Kevin Prendergast has announced that his famous Friarstown Stables, from which Classic winners Nebbiolo, Pidget and more recently Awtaad have been trained from, will be offered up for sale.  Prendergast, who turned 91 this week and marked the occasion by sending out Profit Refused to win at Roscommon, quashed any talk of retirement and said that he would make provisions to carry on training at another location if and when Friarstown is sold.  However, Prendergast has admitted that coming to the decision to sell the 250-acre facility valued...

The spotlight was cast on the burgeoning breeze-up operation of jockeys Gary Halpin and Sean Davis, best known for riding winners rather than producing them, when their graduate Song For Whoever (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) ran out an impressive winner of the opening six-furlong maiden at Dundalk on Friday evening.  Song For Whoever, who Halpin and Davis bought for €28,000 at the Goffs Sportsman's Sale last year before selling to Howson & Holdsworth Bloodstock for £42,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale, was getting off the mark at the third...

Two legends of Irish racing will join forces for the first time this season after Jim Bolger revealed that he has a 2-year-old filly by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) in training with Kevin Prendergast. Bolger gave €31,000 for the recently named Roman Moon (Ire) after Prendergast recommended the filly at the Goffs Orby Sale last September and she is set to break new ground by becoming his first runner with the Friarstown operator. Roman Moon will carry the white and purple colours of Bolger's wife Jackie, once carried to major...

Less than a fortnight after it was announced that legendary trainer Kevin Prendergast would remain on the Shadwell roster, the 89-year-old operator confirmed that he was not the retiring kind and spoke for the first time since Hamdan Al Maktoum's passing about his long and successful relationship with the hugely influential owner. The Shadwell operation has been winding down gradually since Hamdan Al Maktoum passed away just over a year ago and, while major operators like Dermot Weld and Sir Michael Stoute will no longer train any of the horses...