Edward O'Grady
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Edward O'Grady is an Irish National Hunt racehorse trainer. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, O'Grady was the leading Irish trainer at
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
(after Vincent O'Brien) by number of winners. He was played by
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...
in the 1980 film ''Murphy's Stroke''.


Early life

O'Grady attended
Blackrock College Blackrock College () is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 1860 as a school and later became al ...
and left veterinary college in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
to take over at Killeen Stables following his father's death on 23 January 1972. His father, Willie, was a top jump jockey and twice Irish Champion Jockey, in 1934 and 1935. The younger O'Grady trained his first winner when his first cousin Timmy Hyde rode Vibrax in a handicap hurdle at
Gowran Park Gowran Park is a horse race course in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the Annely Estate near the village of Gowran. The first meeting was held in 1914. and the first ever racecourse commentary in Ireland took place here in 1952. Gowra ...
on 27 Jan 1972. Following this success a virus struck all of his 18 horses causing many owners to leave him.


1970s and 1980s

In March 1974 O’Grady had his first
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
Festival winner when
Mouse Morris Michael Francis Leo Morris, informally known as "Mouse" Morris (born 4 April 1951), is an Irish racehorse trainer and former amateur and professional jockey. As a trainer, he has won the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and has won ...
rode Mr. Midland to victory. The following August,
Gay Future Gay Future was the racehorse at the centre of an attempted fraud by an Irish betting syndicate in Great Britain in 1974 involving two chestnut horses.
, a horse trained by O'Grady, was involved in an attempted coup by an Irish betting syndicate. O'Grady was one of four people arrested during the police investigation but the charges against him were dropped. In 2020, the ''Irish Times'' described it as "one of racing’s most daring scams was almost pulled off." It was depicted in the 1980 film ''Murphy's Stroke'', with Pierce Brosnan playing O'Grady. O'Grady soon became established as the leading national hunt trainer in Ireland, and Golden Cygnet became the stable star. O'Grady named Golden Cygnet as the most naturally talented horse he had trained. Golden Cygnet won the Supreme Novice Hurdle in Cheltenham in 1978. The following month he died after a fall in the Scottish Champion Hurdle at
Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...
. Further tragedy struck the stable when the J.P. McManus owned Shining Flame broke a leg at Tramore Racecourse less than two weeks after capturing the
Galway Plate The Galway Plate is a National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Galway over a distance of about 2 miles and furlongs (2 miles 6 furlongs and 111 yard ...
. Nevertheless, O'Grady went on to become leading trainer in 1979. Following Shining Flame's victory in 1978 O'Grady went on to win three Galway Plates in four years, with Hind Hope and Rugged Lucy winning in 1979 and 1981 respectively. Hard Tarquin's victory in the 1979
Galway Hurdle The Galway Hurdle is a National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Galway over a distance of about 2 miles (2 miles and 11 yards, or 3,229 metres), ...
made him only the fifth trainer to win both "big races" in the same year. Drumlargan won the 1983 Whitbread Gold Cup, which O'Grady described as "the most memorable win of my career". In the same year Bit of a Skite proved victorious in the
Irish Grand National The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5, ...
.


1990s and 2000s

Sound Man won two successive Tingle Creek Chases (1995 and 1996), and Blitzkrieg captured the Victor Chandler Chase in 1991. Sacundai, with
Ruby Walsh Rupert "Ruby" Walsh (born 14 May 1979) is an Irish former jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen. Widely regarded as one of the greatest National Hunt racing, National Hunt ...
aboard, captured the Martell Cognac Aintree Hurdle in 2003. In the same year, Back in Front won the
Supreme Novices' Hurdle The Supreme Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance o ...
at Cheltenham and the Evening Herald Novice Hurdle at Punchestown. More recent success came in 2009 when Tranquil Sea ridden by Andrew McNamara became the first Irish-trained horse since Bright Highway in 1980 to win the
Paddy Power Gold Cup The Paddy Power Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt racing, National Hunt Steeplechase (horse racing), chase in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years or old ...
at Cheltenham.


Family

O'Grady had been married only 10 days when his father died in 1972. His second wife Maria Anderton, whom he married in 1999, was killed in a fall while out hunting with the Tipperary Foxhounds in November 2017.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OGrady, Edward Irish racehorse trainers Equestrians from County Tipperary 1949 births Living people People educated at Blackrock College