One of the great training dynasties in Irish racing has come to an end with the death of multiple classic and group 1-winning handler Kevin Prendergast just two weeks shy of his 93rd birthday.
Son of the legendary Paddy "Darkie" Prendergast, who was champion flat trainer in Britain on three successive occasions in the 1960s, Kevin Prendergast continued the legacy of his father by saddling his first winner, Zara, at the now defunct Phoenix Park in May 1963. His death on Friday morning, June 20, comes exactly 45 years after that of his father.
In a career spanning more than 60 years, he went on to scale many of racing's most exalted peaks, with the grey filly Pidget becoming his first Classic winner in 1972 by landing the Irish One Thousand Guineas at 20-1, ridden by Wally Swinburn. Bill Williamson was then aboard when she won the Pretty Polly Stakes and she crowned a memorable season by beating the colts in the Irish St Leger, with TP Burns in the saddle.
Prendergast won another Irish St Leger with Conor Pass in 1973 and in 1977 won the Two thousand Guineas at Newmarket with Nebbiolo, beating The Minstrel into third.
At the time, Prendergast was just the third Irish trainer after his father and Vincent O'Brien to win the Newmarket Classic.
In the mid-1990s, he enjoyed a tremendous run of success with Oscar Schindler, who won back-to-back Irish St Legers in 1996 and 1997, before the likes of Rebelline, Miss Beatrix, Kingsfort, La Collina and Termagant flew the Friarstown Stables flag with aplomb in Group 1s. His final Classic winner was Awtaad in the 2016 Irish Two Thousand Guineas at the Curragh.
In all, Prendergast saddled more than 2,000 winners, although in recent years he had scaled right back and sold his Friarstown base on the Curragh. His last winner was Copie Conforme, ridden by his great ally Chris Hayes, at Bellewstown in August last year.
