RACEHORSE trainer Paddy Griffin was laid to rest on Thursday. From Oldtown in north Co Dublin, he passed away peacefully on Sunday, aged 84.

Specialising in National Hunt racing, he trained Feltrim Hill Lad to win the 1988 Thyestes Chase and, more recently, won three listed cross-country chases in France with Roi Mage. The 14-year-old gelding is due to return next month to Craon for a race he has won for the past two years.

Roi Mage was good enough to run in an Aintree Grand National, as was Maggio, who was 50/1 when he won a listed chase at the 2016 Grand National meeting. Maggio won half a dozen races in Britain, including a listed chase at Kelso.

Paddy was introduced to racing by his father who owned the 1955 Irish Grand National and Galway Plate winner, Umm. After graduating from agricultural college, he managed a couple of local stud farms before taking out a trainer’s licence in 1979.

Among the best horses he trained in the 1980s were Wingate, Conn Hull, Cathom and Southern Quay. He took a break from training from 1994 to 2005, and for the past 20 years has been assisted by his son James, who is also a racing commentator. Another son, Ronan, worked for Goffs for 20 years and is now a bloodstock consultant.

Paddy was also an honorary life member of the Ward Union Hunt. In a tribute posted online, the Hunt said: “Paddy gave an extraordinary lifetime of service to our club. He was honorary secretary from 1977 to 1988 and ran the treasurership in that time. While on the committee he also helped as field master on the Friday side.

“He ran the hunter trials at both Abbeville and Milverton from 1975 to 2001. He will be remembered in particular for his role as clerk of the course at our point-to-point from 1982 to 2026. His dedication helped shape the club over many decades, and he will be greatly missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him.”

Among the many from the racing community to post their condolences on RIP.ie was Denise O’Neill of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board who said: “I have had many dealings with Paddy throughout the years with the Ward Union Hunt on fixture dates and programmes and he was always a pleasure to deal with - an absolute gentleman.”

Paddy is survived by children Elizabeth, Jonathan, Ronan and James. His wife Frankie now takes over the training licence, assisted by James.