Latest news with #KevinPrendergast
The Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘They sewed my ear on and pulled a bone out of my head' – Jockey kicked in face by horse lucky to be alive
A JOCKEY who was kicked in the face by a horse has revealed the horrifying extent of her injuries, saying: "I had my ear sewed back on and a bone pulled out of my head." Irish rider Samantha Wynne, 36, who learned her trade under the late, great Kevin Prendergast, has made a name for herself on the circuit in New Zealand. 1 She combines race-riding with training - and it was while doing some of the latter she came close to death. Wynne was rushed to hospital with severe head injuries after being smacked in the head by a filly when taking horses out for training at Canterbury Park Racecourse. She needed emergency surgery for a fractured skull and severed ear. But as bad as that sounds it could have been much worse - especially when you consider a former jockey died earlier this month after being kicked as well. Wynne was able to share a positive update on her condition on Monday. She had absolutely no recollection of what happened, being instantly knocked out cold from the impact. Wynne said: "I've been in hospital for the last couple of days and I'm feeling a little bit better this morning. "I can't really remember what happened but the girls filled me in. "One of the two-year-old fillies wouldn't walk into the tie-ups and she ran backwards and kicked me in the head. "It pretty much took my ear off and I've got a fractured skull. "I was knocked out for about five or six minutes and apparently when the ambulance came I was fighting them because I didn't want to go to the hospital. Once they got me in, they gave me some good painkillers and I went into surgery that night. "I got my ear sewed back on and they removed fragments out of the fractures and pulled a bone out of my head. "They had to make sure I had no brain injuries, and I'm very lucky that I don't think I have. "There is just a lot of swelling, but hopefully that will go down and the fracture will heal. "My partner has spoken to a lot of people and I've responded to a couple. "I've been able to use my phone a little bit more today after being a bit too dizzy over the last couple of days. "I have to go for a hearing test later on and a couple of other tests as well. "I just feel upset and frustrated because I don't know what happened, but I'm grateful for the support I've had." . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
Irish Times
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Sprint star Satono Reve aiming to become first Japanese-trained winner at Royal Ascot
Irish racing will mourn a dynastic figure in Kevin Prendergast this weekend, one whose global perspective during a more than 60-year training career could get underlined at Royal Ascot. Oscar Schindler was among the best horses through Prendergast's hands, supplying one of four career Royal Ascot successes for the hugely popular figure who died on Friday aged 92 . The horse also twice won the Irish St Leger (1996-97) and contributed handsomely to Prendergast's big-race haul that totalled eight Curragh classics as well as the 1977 Newmarket 2000 Guineas with Nebbiolo. Oscar Schindler finished up his career by going to Tokyo to contest the 1997 Japan Cup. That was on the back of having contested the previous year's Melbourne Cup in Australia. READ MORE There wasn't a perfect outcome on that occasion for the man born in Melbourne on July 5th, 1932, where his legendary father, Paddy, had emigrated to try his luck. On returning to Ireland, Prendergast snr helped transform Irish flat racing's reputation, becoming champion trainer here and in Britain. Tributes have been paid to multiple Classic-winning trainer Kevin Prendergast, who died on Friday at the age of 92. Photograph: Patrick McCann/PA Wire His eldest son subsequently burnished the family name over a long career that continued until his final runner at Cork last week. It contained well over 2000 winners in all. Forty-five years to the day since his father died, the man widely known as 'Spot' lived up to his belief that Prendergast's didn't retire. Having witnessed first-hand how his father and Vincent O'Brien reshaped perceptions of Irish racing around the world, he also perhaps got a glimpse of the future back in 1997. Oscar Schindler finished eighth to the English champion Pilsudski in that Japan Cup, then the only contest a burgeoning local sport allowed open to foreign competition. There were two more European winners shortly afterwards, but none in the last two decades. It reflects the continuing evolution of Japanese racing into a leading global player, one that could be highlighted once again on the final day of Royal Ascot 2025. It is 20 years since the first Japanese trained horse lined up at the world-famous event. From 10 runners in all since then, the best position achieved was Shahryar's fourth in the 2022 Prince Of Wales's Stakes. Japan's admirable embrace of middle-distance racing, and the pedigrees required for it, has resulted in massive success worldwide in recent years. Equinox was an undisputed world champion in 2023. But Ascot history may be made on Saturday in the sprint division. Satono Reve lines up for the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes with a big shot at breaking Japan's Royal Ascot duck. An impressive top-flight winner in his native country in March, the six-year-old ran into the world's top-rated sprinter on either side of that effort. In December, he was third to the outstanding Hong Kong champion Ka Ying Rising on his home ground in Sha Tin. He returned there in April to chase home the same horse. Ka Ying Rising would be a very short price to win any top sprint in Europe and so Satono Reve presents a fascinating intercontinental form line when taking on a notably international field. It includes the French-based Group One winner Lazzat who just failed to secure a massively lucrative prize in Australia last autumn. He scorched home by over five lengths at Chantilly recently to prompt a purchase by new owners, Wathnan. Aidan O'Brien's Australian import Storm Boy has a lot to prove on the back of his underwhelming European debut although the Irishman managed such a feat with Merchant Navy in this race seven years ago. Over four decades ago, Ore supplied Prendergast with two of his Royal Ascot successes, landing the Queen Alexandra Stakes in 1982. The longest race on the British flat racing calendar has turned into an Irish benefit in recent years including twice for Willie Mullins's Stratum. The jump racing titan looks to have the answer again with Sober, twice a Group Two winner for Andre Fabre and third in the 2022 French Leger. Ryan Moore teams up with Donnacha O'Brien for Commanche Brave in the Jersey Stakes and the Irish colt should rattle off the firm surface. Moore landed last year's Chesham in spectacular style with Bedtime Story and will hope another filly, Moments Of Joy, can do the same. Humidity, a brother to the 2022 winner Holloway Boy, could prove tough to beat, though. The most valuable domestic contest on Saturday is Down Royal's €100,000 Boylesports Ulster Derby, a race won by the Prendergast trained Celtic Dane in 2010. Aidan O'Brien has won it twice in the last four years including with the subsequent high-class Tower Of London. Acapulco Bay is topweight but could have the quality to successfully carry it. Limerick's feature is the Listed Martin Molony Stakes where Queenstown has an opportunity to successfully take a break from lead-horse duties in Ballydoyle.
The Sun
20-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Legendary Classic-winning trainer Kevin Prendergast has died aged 92
LEGENDARY flat trainer Kevin Prendergast, who won multiple Classics in Britain and Ireland, has died aged 92. He took out his licence in 1963 and saddled his final runner at Cork last week, when Glory To Be finished second. 1 Tributes have poured in for Prendergast, who spent his career in County Kildare and died two weeks short of his 93rd birthday. Among them was top Irish jockey Chris Hayes, who was stable jockey to Prendergast and rode most of his big winners in recent years including Awtaad, who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 2016. He said: "La Collina was my first Group 1 winner for Kevin, but Awtaad was the first horse that was mine - I inherited La Collina from Declan McDonogh. "Obviously there were also some great days with Madhmoon who came after Awtaad. But Awtaad's Guineas was phenomenal. "It was the old Curragh and the cheer we got on the way in, I haven't heard one like it since. "I've been around a while and I never heard a cheer like that before that either and that cheer was all for Kevin and solely Kevin. People say it was for us, but it wasn't, it was for Kevin. "He's a legend around Kildare and a legend in the racing game and people were 10 deep around the winner's enclosure desperate to congratulate him. "When I got the news this morning I couldn't help but look back through some pictures from that day in the car. We had some phenomenal times together and today is a sad day." Another legendary trainer Dermot Weld, who was great friends with Prendergast, said: "He was a wonderful trainer. His horses were always turned out in supreme condition - you could always identify one of his by the way they were turned out and, even in the early days, they always won the best-turned-out award. "He was an exceptional trainer of a two-year-old and had great longevity - and he trained a much smaller team of horses than is fashionable nowadays. "He was a very, very talented trainer and naturally my sympathy goes out to his family." Born in Australia on July 5, 1932, Prendergast was educated in Ireland but kicked off his racing career back in the southern hemisphere, where he was head lad to top trainer Frank Dalton. He held that position for three years before returning home to establish himself as a leading amateur rider while serving as assistant trainer to his father. After five years, Prendergast decided to strike out on his own in 1963 - and he did not have to wait long for his inaugural success, saddling Zara to win at Phoenix Park in May that year. Pidget was the first to claim Classic gold for him in the 1972 Irish 1,000 Guineas, before going on to add the Irish St Leger to her tally later on that year. After that Prendergast sent out the likes of Conor Pass (1973) and Oscar Schindler (1996 and 1997) to win two more Irish Legers, while Arctique Royal gave him another 1,000 win and Northern Treasure gave him a first Irish 2,000 Guineas in 1976. Add into the mix top-drawer juveniles La Collina, Miss Beatrix, Termagant and Kingsfort and you get a feel for the kind of longevity Prendergast enjoyed. One of the most consistent trainers in the Irish ranks, Prendergast sent out his 2,000th career winner in 2010. As well as Hayes, the likes of Gary Halpin and Declan McDonogh also rode for Prendergast, demonstrating that he was not just an exceptional instructor of horses. The great Kieren Fallon began his riding career with Prendergast, serving as apprentice from 1982 to 1987 before moving on and eventually becoming a six-times champion jockey. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
Wales Online
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
ITV halt live Royal Ascot coverage to announce tragic news
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info ITV's live coverage of Royal Ascot was paused this afternoon as the death of "a legend of the sport" was announced. Just minutes into the broadcast from the fourth day of the meet, presenter Ed Chamberlin informed viewers that legendary racehorse trainer Kevin Prendergast had died at the age of 92. The Irishman trained over 2,000 winners over the course of his glittering career - which spanned six decades - but he sadly passed away just a few weeks short of his 93rd birthday. He was the son of the legendary Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast and started out as an amateur jockey before taking out a trainer's licence in 1963. Prendergast would go on to win nine Classics in his career, with eight of those victories coming in Ireland. His sole English Classic win came when Nebbiolo triumphed at the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas in 1977. Meanwhile, his last winner in any race came last August, when Copie Conforme, ridden by Chris Hayes, won at Bellewstown. Announcing the news moments into Friday afternoon's coverage, Chamberlin told viewers: "There was some sad news earlier today, the news that the Irish trainer Kevin Prendergast has died at the age of 92. "A trainer that had over 2,000 winners, he won four races here at Royal Ascot and nine Classics in total, including Nebbiolo in the 1977 2000 Guineas. "He really was a great trainer and an even better man." Chamberlin then handed over to former jockey Ruby Walsh to give his thoughts on the tragic news, asking him: "Ruby, would it be fair to describe him as a trailblazer in the training ranks?" "Oh, he most certainly was, Ed," replied Walsh. "He followed in the footsteps of his father Darkie and he trained for long enough to compete against the great Vincent O'Brien and Aidan O'Brien. "So he was a trailblazer, his horses always looked impeccable, he was a brilliant racehorse trainer, he was a legend of the sport, but he was a massive character and he will be sadly missed." A statement from ITV Racing read: "Everyone at ITV Racing is sad to hear the passing of legendary trainer Kevin Prendergast aged 92. "Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this time."
Irish Daily Mirror
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Legendary Irish trainer Kevin Prendergast dies aged 92
The horse racing world is in mourning following the death of legendary trainer Kevin Prendergast at the age of 92. The Classic and Group 1-winning trainer has passed away just two weeks short of his 93rd birthday. He trained over 2,000 winners, winning nine Classics and celebrating four Royal Ascot victories. His last winner came at Bellewstown last August when Chris Hayes steered Copie Conforme to victory. Pidget was his first Classic winner, landing the 1972 Irish 1,000 Guineas at odds of 20-1 when partnered by Wally Swinburn. The filly went on to win the Irish St Leger later that year when TP Burns took the ride. Prendergast also won the Irish St Leger with Conor Pass in 1973, while he landed the English 2,000 Guineas with Nebbiolo in 1977. Oscar Schindler then won back-to-back Irish St Legers in 1996 and 1997, while Awtaad was the trainer's last Classic winner in the 2016 when landing the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh. Prendergast followed the legacy of his father Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast, who was crowned champion Flat trainer in the UK in three successive years in the 1960s. His first winner came at the Phoenix Park in 1963, with his training career spanning more than six decades. His death on Friday came exactly 45 years after the passing of his father.
