Willie Mullins pays tribute to 'tremendous character' and 'giant of the game'
Prendergast – son of the legendary Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast – was a hugely popular and respected figure, with the last of his Classic successes coming with Awtaad in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 2016.
'I was sorry to hear about Kevin. He was a tremendous trainer, who always had a word for you,' said Mullins, the reigning champion National Hunt trainer in Ireland and Britain.
'He had an opinion on everything and that opinion was valued by people because he'd been through it, he knew the good days and he knew the bad days.
'He was a tremendous character who will be sadly missed. A proper giant of the game, he did the hard work and he knew everything about the game.'
Former trainer Mick Halford, who now represents Joseph O'Brien on racecourses, said: 'Kevin was a master on the Curragh when I started. He was somebody I always looked up to, his horses were always a credit to him.
'He was a great man to talk to, a great man for advice, and for a bit of slagging!
'He was a lovely man and I had a lot of time for him, and he will be sadly missed on the Curragh.
'He led a full life, he was a great example to us all.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
10 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Sligo Rovers' Sam Sargeant ‘top-drawer' says boss John Russell for ‘phenomenal' saves against Shamrock Rovers
JOHN Russell has backed Sam Sargeant to keep pulling out the stops for Sligo Rovers. The 2 Sargeant joined Sligo Rovers from Waterford in January of this year 2 The 40-year-old manager has been impressed with his goalkeeper this season The Essex lad, 27, kept a clean sheet in a June 14 win over his former side before following it up with a And he kept it going with another impressive showing Sargeant conceded twice to Dan Cleary and Josh Honohan after Jad Hakiki gave his side a two-goal lead. But he played his part in a well-earned point for Russell's men by pulling off several stunning saves, the best of which was a double stop to deny Hoops livewires Danny Mandroiu and Danny Grant. Read more on Irish football Russell said: 'He was top-class for us again. I've spoken about this a good bit over the last couple of weeks but Sam is top-drawer. 'His distribution is second to none but he's now making the big saves and that double save when it was 2-1 was phenomenal. 'He got down low and got up again to parry the second shot away.' Sargeant has found form for Sligo ahead of a big few weeks. Most read in Football They face Derry City at home on Saturday before they face Dundalk away in the FAI Cup on Friday week. The Bit O'Red also have Waterford in their sights in eighth as they try to avoid a relegation play-off. And Russell is hoping that his keeper can continue his fine form. League of Ireland mascots compete in charity race in Naas The Sligo chief said: 'We needed those moments and we needed Sam in those moments. 'He's in really good form, so we need him to maintain those levels.'
Irish Independent
20 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford swimmer Luca Power plays his part in Ireland's record-breaking performance
An exciting men's 4 x 200m freestyle relay, consisting of John Shortt, Denis O'Brien, Power, and Seán Donnellan, combined for a new Irish Junior record of 7:33.36. The quartet broke the 2018 record of 7:33.73 set at the European Junior Championships and held by Robbie Powell, Cadan McCarthy, Finn McGeever and Jack McMillan. Both McGeever and McMillan went on to represent Ireland at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games in that same event. Luca flew the Wexford flag proudly in Slovakia, with his first race taking place on Tuesday morning, when he touched in 1:54.12 in the 200m freestyle. National Centre Limerick's Denis O'Brien was the fastest of the Irish swimmers in a personal best of 1:51.80, while Power's time was better than the other competitor from Ireland, Dolphin's Tadgh O'Brien (1:57.45). Luca's last race was in the 400m freestyle heats on Sunday, when he clocked 4:09.43. 'That was tough, the first few races were tough, it's my first time racing outdoors and racing at an international level,' he said. 'The relay was great, I made personal best in my split yesterday, I was happy with that.' Meanwhile, excitement is building as the 2025 Irish Summer National Age Group Championships draw near. Set to take place from July 10–13 in Limerick, this prestigious event will bring together the best young swimmers from across the country to compete at the highest level. Among the talented athletes representing the New Ross club are four exceptional junior swimmers: Seán Moran, Emersyn Scully, Katie Ryan and Paula Gallardo. These young swimmers have demonstrated remarkable dedication, skill and determination in their journey to qualify, and now they're set to take on the national stage. Each of them has emerged as a rising star within the club, showing promise and consistency through a season of hard training and competition. They won't be the only names to watch, however. Other strong contenders from the club are hot on their heels, showing that the future is bright for our swim programme with a new generation of talent ready to make their mark. We wish Seán, Emersyn, Katie and Paula the very best of luck as they head to Limerick to represent the club. No matter the outcome, their hard work and achievements already speak volumes – and the experience will surely fuel even greater success ahead.
The Irish Sun
39 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘No guarantees' – Stephen Kenny warns St Pat's fans ahead of Europa Conference League qualifiers
STEPHEN Kenny has warned his St Pat's players they will have to fight for their lives in Europe. Kenny had his side's Advertisement 2 Kenny's side currently sit sixth in the table with two more games played than teams around them 2 St Pat's narrowly missed out on Conference League qualification last season, losing to İstanbul Başakşehir in the play-off round The Lithuanian outfit will be in Richmond Park on Thursday facing a Saints team that has not won for six matches, Last year, European football sparked an upturn in their form but boss Kenny is not assuming the same thing will happen again. The Inchicore supremo, 53, said: 'There's no guarantees just because you did it before. We've got to fight for our lives. 'We definitely have to do that. And we've got to give everything of ourselves to get the victory that we need in Europe. And that's what we must strive to do. Advertisement Read more on Irish football 'And we have to come back in the league, our last two games are against Waterford and Sligo in the third phase. "We must compete in those games as well. They're very important games for us as well. We've got to get up levels.' The ex-Ireland boss did highlight how he has had to make do without key players for long periods of time this season to explain in part why Pat's lie sixth, 17 points behind Shamrock Rovers, when they were many people's title favourites. He said: 'Listen, there are no excuses, everyone has their issues but the rhythm of the forwards . . . Aidan Keena started off like a house on fire. He got player of the month in the league, but he did a T-junction (hamstring) and was out for seven weeks with that. Advertisement Most read in Football 'And we fired him in early enough then. But Mason Melia had 'And then had some osteopubis, which he missed three-and-a-half weeks with, and then we put him back in. So we haven't been just getting that rhythm for the two main forwards, although they both scored six each and that's up there. League of Ireland mascots compete in charity race in Naas 'Then the creative players behind, Romal Palmer has been out for the whole season, more or less. And Chris Forrester was out for eight weeks. 'He came back, put himself in for a game against Waterford, but he wasn't quite right and got re-injured. So overall, he was sort of eight weeks with that little cameo in between. Advertisement 'Some people are incredible, like Zach Elbouzedi, or somebody like that. But different players find it harder to get to the level then when they come back. 'Players like Aidan and Chris, they can't just come back after those periods, two months out and just turn it on again. It can be a challenge. 'But excuses are excuses. Putting the ball in the back of the net, you've got to do that regardless. 'And we've enough good players and we just hit a barren period. Sometimes that's difficult to actually explain. Advertisement 'But we just have to fight hard, dig in and give ourselves every chance on Thursday.' DUBLIN HISTORY Hegelmann manager Andrius Skerla was part of the Zalgiris side which won in Inchicore and knocked St Pat's out of the Europa League in 2013. He had previously played for Dunfermline in Scotland but that was before Kenny's stint in charge there. Kenny said: 'He was very fondly remembered, he was a good player, yeah. But our paths never crossed.' Advertisement Hegelmann lie second in Lithuania's A Lyga, six points behind leaders Kauno Zalgiris, with eight matches left to play. And wary Kenny is expecting a tough test in three days' time. He said: 'They're mid-season, they've players of different nationalities and they've done well. They play on an Astro Turf pitch, it's a small ground and we have to adapt to that. 'But first of all is a home game here and we have to make sure that we're ready. Lithuanian teams will always be very competitive, I feel. So we have to put in a strong performance on Thursday night.'
