As the world of horse racing celebrates some enormous feats made by elite horses such as Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty and Preakness champion Journalism, as well as Bob Baffert’s up-and-coming champions in Del Mar, Nysos and Brant, it has now been hit by a resounding silence with the passing of a mighty legend who impacted very many champions up until this past month. It has just been announced that Irish jump racing trainer Edward O’Grady passed away peacefully on Sunday evening at St. James Hospital, surrounded by his family.

O’Grady was a legend in the jump, or as some call it, hunt racing circuit, where horses race over jumps and ditches. It is a form practiced largely in Europe and is further categorized into Hurdles and Steeplechases, with the latter involving jumping over some water bodies as well. The Cheltenham festival is perhaps one of the biggest showcases of this type of racing in the UK, and O’Grady had an astounding 18 winners here! Further, O’Grady was awarded four domestic training titles between 1977 and 1980.

Edward O’Grady  is often remembered for Golden Cygnet, who had a remarkably easy victory in the 1978 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and whom everyone was looking towards as a gelding with a bright future before he suffered fatal injuries in the Scottish Champion Hurdle the following month. But of course, a career that spans over five decades is bound to see its fair share of ups and downs.

A statement released by Edward O’Grady’s family following his death reads, “Edward was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also one of the most respected and successful racehorse trainers of his generation. Over the course of an extraordinary career that spanned more than five decades, Edward trained just shy of 1,700 winners under rules. His name became synonymous with Irish National Hunt racing, and he was a formidable force at Cheltenham and across the racing world.” Of course, fans have responded emotionally to this news.

Reactions to legendary horse trainer Edward O’Grady’s passing

Fan reactions to this news have so far been simple yet personal; the many accolades of his career do not need to be brought up at this point, as the immediate emotion is one of profound loss for his family and all those who knew him.

“Very sad news, a true gentleman,” one fan wrote, alluding to Edward O’Grady’s character, which has been spoken of often, including by former jockey Norman Williamson, who often spoke of O’Grady’s character, once famously saying, “He was a remarkable trainer and a remarkable man and I think way ahead of his time, to be honest.” Williamson led the tributes to O’Grady after the news of his passing was made public.

“Hiya. Rest In Peace. ” Another fan wrote, poignantly bringing in the famous Irish greeting in this difficult time, a reminder of O’Grady’s heritage and native home of Tipperary.

While yet another fan seemingly responded directly to the statement released by Edward O’Grady’s family, “My sincere condolences to his family and friends,” this fan wrote, seemingly paying heed to the fact that before he was a horse trainer he was a cherished husband, father and grandfather.