LEOPARDSTOWN will be missing a familiar face this weekend following the passing of Bill Martin from Ballitore, Co Kildare. In his 98th year, Bill was among Ireland’s most senior and regular racegoers. He was also an enthusiastic member of the Michael O’Callaghan and Irish National Stud racing clubs.

Bill fell in love with racing in the late 1920s, well before his 10th birthday. The sport dominated his life and he went racing several times a week if possible, visiting almost every racecourse in the country.

In 2015 he was honoured at Galway Races for attending the meeting for 80 years. He was congratulated on his achievement by President Higgins.

Two years later Bill was back in the Galway parade ring as part-owner of the Michael O’Callaghan-trained Perfect Soldier. He was interviewed on At The Races before and after the horse won, and his love of the sport was the best possible advertisement for racing and racehorse ownership.

He was invited to Ballydoyle, Willie Mullins’ yard and met Sheikh Fahad al-Thani and many other personalities at the races. He visited numerous stud farms on the ITM Irish Stallion Trail last month and was racing as recently as last week at Naas and Gowran Park.

His son Declan reported: “Dad was healthy all his life until last Monday morning. He was admitted to hospital and his condition took a turn for the worse. It was very sudden and we are all very shaken by it, especially our mother, Brigid.

“We would just like to thank everyone in racing who was so kind to him over the years. He lived for horse racing and the people involved in it.

“He went racing every weekend, attended all the festivals and sometimes went midweek too.”