Open morning in Tipperary with one of Ireland's best-known racehorse trainers
Edward O'Grady has been a trainer for the last 51 years
Tipperary racehorse trainer Edward O'Grady is holding an open morning at his stables at Kileens, Ballynonty, near Killenaule, from 10am-12 noon this Saturday morning, September 16.
Edward O’Grady is one of Ireland best-known racehorse trainers. A multiple champion in Ireland, he has had 18 winners at the Cheltenham Festival. His first was in 1974, Mr Midland in the National Hunt Chase.
That was the first of Edward’s three National Hunt Chases, and he also includes the Arkle, the Stayers’ Hurdle, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Ballymore Hurdle, the Triumph Hurdle and the Champion Bumper among his Cheltenham Festival wins.
Training racehorses is very much in his blood. His father, Willie, was crowned champion jockey in Ireland in 1934 and 1935, those being the days when flat and jumps wins were combined.
Willie then started training in 1940 and in 1947 he bought the yard at Ballynonty in county Tipperary where Edward continues to be based. Edward took over his father's training licence in 1972 and enjoyed his first winner, Vibrax, ridden by his cousin Timmy Hyde, at Gowran Park on January 27.
Away from Cheltenham, Edward has won most of the main races on the Irish National Hunt calendar, including the Irish Grand National, the Irish Champion Hurdle, the Dr PJ Moriarty Chase, the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, the Galway Hurdle and the Galway Plate, as well as the Bet365 Gold Cup, the Tingle Creek Chase, the Aintree Hurdle and the Victor Chandler Chase in Britain.
Some of the best-known Irish racehorses have been under his tuition, and his hunger for continued success remains undiminished.
Down the years his significant horses have included Golden Cygnet, Sound Man, Time For A Run, Bit Of A Skite, Drumlargan, Mister Donovan, Sky's The Limit, Prolan, Mucklemeg, Pizzaro, Flame Gun, Jack Of Trumps, Mr Midland, Loving Around, Staplestown, Back In Front, Ned Kelly, Grey Goddess, Rusty Tears, Mountrivers, Northern Game, Ventana Canyon, Sacundai, Hindhope and Hard Tarquin.
You can register for the open morning at the following link - www.racehorseownership.ie/openmorning