Dennis O'Kelly (1725–1787), born in

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, was a prominent 18th-century

owner Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

and

breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist, ...

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorses. He owned Eclipse, the pre-eminent sire of the breed and ancestor of 95% of modern thoroughbreds, and from him bred horses including the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

winners,

Young Eclipse Young Eclipse (1778 – c. 1803) was a Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1781 Epsom Derby. He raced until he was six years old, winning seven races and retiring to stud in 1785. He was not a successful sire. Background Young Eclipse was ...

and Serjeant.

Early years

Born to an impoverished Irish

smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

in 1725, O'Kelly moved to London as a young man, where he worked as a sedan chair carrier. There he is reputed to have duped a wealthy heiress into marrying him, and absconded with her inheritance of £1,000; elsewhere this tale is dismissed as

hearsay Hearsay evidence, in a legal forum, is testimony from an under-oath witness who is reciting an out-of-court statement, the content of which is being offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. In most courts, hearsay evidence is inadmiss ...

and the source of his initial wealth attributed to gambling. Either way, his money was soon frittered away on drink and gambling. This led in 1756 to a stay in the

Fleet Fleet may refer to: Vehicles *Fishing fleet *Naval fleet *Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles *Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company Places Canada * Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet England * The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beach ...

debtors' prison, where he met prostitute

Charlotte Hayes Charlotte Hayes (c. 1725–1813) was a highly successful brothel keeper in early Georgian London, and the owner of some of the city's most luxurious brothels in and around King's Place, in St James's. Biography Although the precise detail ...

. O'Kelly and Hayes formed a business, if not romantic, partnership which persisted for the rest of their lives. Both were freed in 1760 as part of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

's amnesty for those in debtor's jails. O'Kelly plied his trade as a conman in London's coffee-houses and, through his gambling contacts, introduced clients to Hayes. It is reported that O'Kelly himself took in female clients. Within eight years, they had amassed a total of £40,000, enough to branch out into racehorse ownership. They also came to own a significant property portfolio, including Clay Hill estate outside of

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

, Cannons Park, a substantial villa built by William Hallett Esq, and former estate of the

Duke of Chandos The Dukedom of Chandos is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. First created as a barony by Edward III in 1337, its second creation in 1554 was due to the Brydges family's service to Mary I during Wyatt's rebellion, wh ...

in Stanmore,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

also property in

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and Half Moon Street in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

O'Kelly began to learn about horse racing and breeding from some of the visitors to Hayes' establishment. It was here, from one of Hayes' clients, that he heard about a stallion bred by the late

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedo ...

, named Eclipse, of whom he purchased a 1/8th share.

Eclipse

In 1769, his first season as a racehorse, the five-year-old Eclipse had remained unbeaten in the nine races he contested. This inspired O'Kelly to buy the horse outright from his owner William Wildman for the sum of 1,100

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...

. In 1770, under O'Kelly's ownership, Eclipse remained unbeaten for another nine races and retired having won career prize money of £3,000. Eclipse then went to stud for a fee of 50 guineas, the highest stud fee in the country, where he sired 930 colts and fillies over 17 years. Amongst the best of them were Young Eclipse and Serjeant, who enhanced Eclipse's stud reputation by winning early renewals of the

under O'Kelly's ownership. O'Kelly had narrowly missed out on winning the very first Derby with another son of Eclipse, Boudrow. Success with horses brought O'Kelly wealth, but not social standing. The

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...

refused his membership, even after O'Kelly became a Captain and then Lieutenant-Colonel in the

Militia. Despite his social ascent, and obvious charisma, the evidence of his humble upbringing remained:

Death

O'Kelly died of

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

in 1787. He died "at about his sixty-seventh year of age", which would cast doubt on the accuracy of his birth date. His

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

stated that all his racehorses should be sold off and that his brother Philip and nephew Andrew should forfeit £500 of their inheritance if they retained any involvement in racehorses. It is said he was:

References

Bibliography

*Linnane, Fergus (2003). ''London, the Wicked City''. Robson Books. *Rubenhold, Hallie (2005) ''The Covent Garden Ladies''. Stroud: Tempus * {{DEFAULTSORT:OKelly, Dennis 1725 births 1787 deaths Owners of Epsom Derby winners