Funeral Mass of legendary Kildare trainer being held this morning
Final farewell for Curragh trainer Kevin Prendergast at St. Conleth's Parish Church, Newbridge
The Funeral is taking place this morning for legendary Kildare trainer Kevin Prendergast.
Mr Prendergast, Erindale, Friarstown, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family at The Blackrock Clinic on June 20.
He was husband of the late Lesley and father of the late Karen. He will be sadly missed by his loving daughters Andrea, Penny, Louise, Anne, Norma, Amanda and Natasha, sons-in-law, grandchildren, brother Paddy (RIP), sisters Eileen and Beryl, extended family and a wide circle of friends.
Mr Prendergast's remains will be removed by Glennons Funeral Directors this Tuesday morning to arrive at St. Conleths Parish Church, Newbridge for requiem mass at 11am.
Cremation will take place afterwards in Mount Jerome Crematorium, Harold’s Cross, Dublin at 1.45pm.
Kevin’s funeral mass and cremation service is being live streamed and can be viewed at: https://newbridgeparish.ie /parish-church.
Donations in lieu of flowers if desired have been kindly requested to be made to the Injured Jockey Fund.
Paying tribute, former horseracing medical officer Dr Adrian McGoldrick said: “Death of a legend and a wonderful person. RIP.”
Horse Racing Ireland described him as “one of the all-time greats of the Irish training ranks who has left an indelible mark on racing”.
He amassed over 2,000 winners during his career with nine classics and four Royal Ascot winners to his name.
Naas Racecourse said: “The team at Naas was saddened to hear of Kevin Prendergast’s passing - a true legend of racing.
“His horses brought us countless memorable moments and successes here at Naas and beyond.
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who knew him.”
The Curragh Racecourse said: “Everyone at the Curragh Racecourse was saddened to hear of the passing of Kevin this morning.
“We remember all his great winners here at the Curragh and having trained on the Curragh for over sixty years, it is hard to imagine the Curragh training grounds without him.”
Honour
Meanwhile the Curragh Racecourse with their sponsor Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai said it will honour the late Mr Prendergast by running the International Stakes next Saturday 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”.
The Curragh based trainer won the race twice with Mustameet in 2006 and Decado in 2007.
Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of the Curragh Racecourse, commented “Kevin was a respected and much-loved figure around the Curragh, and we were all saddened to learn of his passing last Friday.
"Together with our sponsor Malih Al Basti and with the support of the Prendergast family, we are pleased to be able to honour Kevin’s memory at our biggest meeting of the year.”
Malih Al Basti Founder and CEO of Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai said, “Kevin was dear friend for many years and will be much missed by the international racing community.
"His legacy will live on through the many racing professionals who continue to benefit from the expertise and knowledge he shared throughout his distinguished career.”