THE racing and sport horse communities were sad to hear of the passing of life-time vet and breeder Nicky Connors (97) last week.

Connors practiced as a vet for a mammoth 74 years and famously bred the 1993 Gold Cup winner Cool Ground. He was laid to rest in his local area of Dungarvan on Monday.

Reflecting on his life this week, his son Walter, also a vet and a leading National Hunt breeder/consignor, said: “He was a vet for 74 years of his life but in reality it was 75, because he was taking calls in his final year studying, as there was a shortage of vets at the time.

“When he qualified, they didn’t even have antibiotics, let alone scanners or x-rays. His practice was always very local based and he got as much kick out of treating a pony on the side of a road as anything else. He dedicated his life to it.

“He was always interested in pedigrees and breeding. Cool Ground was his main one.

“I’d be open to correction but I think he could have had a runner in eight of 10 Gold Cups during that period, from a smallish pool of mares.”

Connors was also very successful as a sport horse breeder and as cattle dealer. Most notably he bred Spring Elegance who was selected for a Nations Cup fixture and for the Olympics. He had a champion hereford at the spring show at the RDS one year also.

“He had a phenomenal positive outlook always,” Walter continued. “He was still taking calls and driving out to clients only 10 days before he died. We have this mare I nearly bought by default and she has had a great year, she bred Mighty Potter and a few others.

“He said to me only three weeks ago, I hope she has a filly because she’d make a lovely broodmare. At 97, he was thinking about what was going to come in a decade’s time.”