EDWARD O’Grady must be one of the best-known names in Irish National Hunt racing. Having taken out a licence around 1972 on the sudden and unexpected death of his father, the legendary WT O’Grady, he has won almost everything worth winning in a lifetime in the jumping game.

At that time young Edward was a fourth-year veterinary student, just recently married, and not far away from qualification when, by force majeure, he gave up his studies and returned home to take up the reins.

But let’s start at the beginning, young Edward, an only child, was born into a world of racing, hunting, horses and ponies. His father WT had been champion National Hunt jockey, riding for the then all-conquering Frank Usher’s yard. WT then moved to Limerick from his native Cork, first to set up as a trainer in Kilmallock, before buying their present racing establishment at Killeens, Ballynonty, not far from Killenaule.

In the meantime, his sister had married Tim Hyde who, on winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Prince Regent, also made the move from Cork to Camas Park, Cashel.

The move to Tipperary was fortuitous for both Tim and WT and they never really looked back. The rich lands of the Golden Vale and the great horse tradition that went with it were good to them. WT augmented the move by marrying PP Hogan’s sister, Mary.

Ironically both PP and WT were looked on as the two great men to hounds of their generation. WT and Mary’s marriage cemented a totally blacktype pedigree for young Edward, which as the record book shows, he has more than lived up to.

Ponies and point-to-points

I first got to know Edward when we were in pony club together, back in the day when the Limerick Pony Club had just been set up by the late great Maureen Hogan of Kilfrush, who was married to his uncle PP Hogan. Held in Limerick racecourse, it was one of the first of its kind and was residential which afforded young equestrians educational opportunities far beyond that contained in the pony club manual

Edward was sent to be educated by the Holy Ghost Fathers in Blackrock where he was a useful rugby player, representing his college at the highest level. But his summers were spent in the show ring riding top ponies for neighbouring Reddy Carrol who, at that time, was the Vincent O’Brien of the showing circuit.

Marjorie Manseragh owned these stars of the ring and her daughter Phillipa, who has kept up the showing connection, was featured in last week’s paper in her role as president of the Irish Pony Society. The ponies were always the pick of the bunch and red rosettes came like a tsunami.

Edward’s equestrian activities weren’t confined to the hunting field and show ring as he rode his first point-to-point winner in Templemore at the tender age of 13, riding Royal Moon for owner Barney Naughton of Ballinasloe. By coincidence, one of Edward’s first winners as a trainer was Mr Midland for the same owner who won the four-mile chase at Cheltenham in 1974.

But back in Killeens, WT had turned out plenty of winners and trained the great Kinloch Brae to win the Cathcart Challenge Cup. Among his five-star owners were Anne, Duchess of Westminster, Peg Watt, Vere Hunt and Des Darrer.

Veterinary and hunting

Veterinary was Edward’s target but the summer and autumn before college term were spent hunting with the legend that was Ben Hardaway and the Midland Hunt in Georgia and Alabama. A great time? “Fantastic, Ben was a 100% houndman and a 0% horseman.”

Vet college meant joining the riding club just formed by Dr. Dermot Forde. This involved trips to Mespil Road where Iris Kellett had her yard and training ground. Representing the vet college meant many trips abroad to such places as Fontainebleau, Munich, and a return event at McKee where the visiting students were mounted on army horses.

The star of the show at Iris Kellett’s at the time was a young Eddie Macken whose talent, even then, shone like a beacon as he rode Morning Light schooling over fences the lads could only dream of.

Edward’s weekends were spent with his uncle PP Hogan in Kilfrush, which then would have stabled up to 40 absolutely Rolls Royce hunters with as many more top point-to-point and National Hunt horses. Frequent visitors included Brian Taylor, Lord Oaksey (John Lawrence) and champion flat jockey Greville Starkey who kept two hunters in Kilfrush, aptly named Thunder and Lightning. Kilfrush at that time was run like a five-star hotel would be today but with four or five days hunting with different packs as a non-optional extra.

Edward O'Grady clears a massive bank while hunting with the Tipperary Foxhounds from Dualla

It was around then that PP took on the Avondhu Foxhounds, based near Fermoy. They were a Sunday pack and with no Sunday racing, it was like a mini Cheltenham with so many jockeys and trainers, including the great Barry Hills who was a regular. Extraordinary hunting was enjoyed which required extraordinary horses and jockeys.

Never found wanting and up with the cracks was a young John Magnier, riding the grey Stalbridge Colonist who shared both the name and colour with the Hennessy winner in 1966. John’s pet hate was hacking between coverts and he managed to avoid it if at all possible. Like Edward, John left education early to come home and take over the running of Grange Stud and farm on the sudden death of his father. It just shows that too much formal education is often overrated!

Taking up the reins

In fourth year of vet studies, life was in for a dramatic change as WT passed away after a short illness and Edward left Dublin to take up the reins at Killeens. Just 22 and already married to Judy, he was thrown in at the deep end. However, he had one secret weapon as WT’s head lad, Tim Finn, remained and saw the young trainer through his debutante days.

Was he disappointed to leave college and the profession that beckoned? “Well, to take over from Dad was always going to happen, it was a natural progression just as night follows day. However, I had hoped to see practice in a couple of American racing yards, but it just wasn’t to be.”

Was it a struggle to hold on to the owners whose loyalty would have been to another generation? “Absolutely, but I managed to replace them and build up one of the biggest National Hunt yards in Ireland at the time.”

Replace them he did and went for quality. Among those fortunate to have their horses trained in Killeens were JP McManus, Robert Sangster, the Duke of Bedford and the then President of Ireland who were among more than 300 different registered owners.

Speaking of JP, Edward gave him his first Festival winner with Mister Donovan in 1982. Having been beaten in his previous four starts, deservedly, he was a long price leading up to the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. Well backed from 6/1 down to 9/2, he duly landed a gamble, though JP later remarked that he’d been hoping to get 12/1 or 14/1 before ‘word got out.’

This was JP’s first really big win and many have speculated that it was this that gave him enthusiasm for the winter game that has carried him through to be the biggest and most successful owner the jumping game has ever known, dwarfing even the great Dorothy Paget.

JP was unstinting in his commendation. “Edward trained my very first Cheltenham Festival winner, Mister Donovan, who won the two-mile, five-furlong novice hurdle (now the Neptune Hurdle). It’s fair to say if you want to get into the winner’s enclosure at Cheltenham, Edward is one of the best trainers around to take you there.”

Great record

In the intervening years, and there have been plenty of them, Edward has had over 1,500 winners, on the track and at point-to-points; there are very few blue riband races that have evaded him. He has won the Irish Grand National, the Tingle Creek, the Whitbread Gold Cup, the Irish Champion Hurdle, the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, the Galway Plate and Hurdle and more, including 18 Festival winners. It didn’t take him too long to become champion trainer, a position he held for four seasons from 1977 to 1980.

His colleague Enda Bolger takes up the story. “Edward is an outstanding horseman with a wealth of knowledge of racing. His Cheltenham record speaks for itself. He has won all the major Irish handicaps. He is a man that enjoys life with a great passion for his job but above all, he is a good and true friend.”

Edward O'Grady with jockey Paul Townend after Bootlegger won the Holy Cross Maiden Hurdle at Thurles in 2019 \ Healy Racing

I asked Edward for his favourite horse. “It has to be Golden Cygnet. He would probably have been the top hurdler of all time but for his fall in Ayr at the last hurdle in the Scottish Champion Hurdle when he had both the race and Night Nurse at his mercy.” No less than Vincent O’Brien described him as “the best hurdler I’ve ever seen,” and he won the Supreme Novices’ under Boots Madden in a canter and looked as if the sky was the limit.

Boots, who was tremendously strong on a horse, started with Edward as an amateur. Over the years the best jockeys came his way. “Tommy Ryan who never got beaten on a horse that could have won. Mouse Morris hated schooling but could do the business, Charlie Swan always knew where to be, Norman Williamson, the complete package, Barry Geraghty who rode over a 100 winners for me. He was the ‘Assessor’ of the opposition, the going and especially the horse. Then came John Francome and Richard Dunwoody, both extraordinarily gifted jockeys who just made it look so easy.”

Thrill of the chase

It wasn’t all racing; Judy and he fell in for PP’s hunters when he hung up his boots due to failing eyesight. When you are leading the field, it’s very important to be able to see wire and after a few nasty near misses, PP decided to pack it in and passed on his horses to his favourite nephew. What a present!

Hunting one day in Judy’s home country of Meath, hounds got a cracking run near Tara. Meath is full of big ditches which presented no problem to the Kilfrush graduates, but as hounds pressed on with no time for detours, they met four stands of new barbed wire with no obvious escape route. Edward was on The Governor – something of a legend back in Limerick – and Judy was equally competently mounted. No more than if it was the practice jump in a novice hunter trial, the intrepid pair cantered on and left the field open-mouthed as they disappeared towards Skryne.

Eddie Macken was unstinting in his admiration and with serious owners behind him, went all out to buy one or both of the wire jumpers. However, they were back in their boxes in Killeen the following morning.

Tipperary master and huntsman, Michael Higgins appointed Edward field-master and this was a means of keeping some level of control on him in the field. How would he compare huntsmen? “Well, Michael Higgins was superb, hunted hounds without a break four days a week and always ensured that everyone always had a great day. However, for real dash and hound control, it would have to be William Brier of the Co Limerick.”

And crossing the country, Edward saw all the greats, so who stood out? “Of course, it has to be PP, there was just no one to touch him, but after that it would be Tim (Hyde) senior with junior not too far behind. Also, up with the best would have to be Norman Williamson and Michael Condon of the Wexford.”

Family life

Judy and Edward had three children: Jonathan, Amber and Lucy. Jonathan runs a business consultancy in Dublin. He has an MBA from Harvard and is a former Irish Backgammon champion. Sadly, he is wheelchair bound due to a lifelong condition, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) – he is a tireless advocate for the small number of fellow Irish sufferers.

Amber, who works in Horse Racing Ireland, is married to John Byrne of Platinum Bloodstock and Lucy is married to Jed Kelly of KPMG.

As life moved on, Edward, out hunting, met and went on to marry Maria Anderton, one of the great cross-country riders of this or any other generation. They have two daughters: Rosie Mae, still in school at the Ursuline in Thurles, and Mimi now in first-year Economics and Politics at UCD. Like their mother, they are both outstanding riders, dashing and daring but with style to burn. Sadly, Maria lost her life in a hunting accident with the Tipps a couple of seasons ago.

Edward O’Grady with his late wife Maria hunting at Emly \ Catherine Power

And what was his outstanding day? “Well it had to be a day from Kilmallock with the Limerick and Will Brier. Maria and I were out with Mimi. Hounds just flew out of Riversfield over the biggest and best Limerick could offer.”

Edward took a really heavy fall this season with the Tipps at Knockcopall, rather unadvisedly jumping wire into the setting sun. He was stretchered off but is confident of returning to the hunting field for the opening meet.

Finally did he ever consider the un-thinkable – retiring from training? His answer came in verse: “It’s normal in other professions to prosper, retire, and die.

“But trainers go on training horses... I’m buggered if I know why!”