Noel O'Callaghan remembered as bloodstock pioneer

One of the Irish bloodstock industry's leading lights Noel O'Callaghan died

Sunday night, aged 77, at his home in Shankill, County Dublin. A founding member

of BBA Ireland alongside the late Tom Cooper in the early 1960s, O'Callaghan

served as chairman of that organization, and was instrumental in setting up its

transport and insurance departments.

Following Cooper's death in 1990, O'Callaghan took on a more prominent role

as a bloodstock agent. He made an immediate impact when buying A.P. Indy for

$2.9 million at the 1990 Keeneland July Yearling Sale on behalf of the Japanese

businessman Tomonori Tsurumaki.

Neil Drysdale, the Hall of Fame trainer of A.P. Indy, got to know O'Callaghan

during the horse's career.

"Noel was a pleasure to work with during A.P. Indy's campaign, always being

very supportive and lots of fun," Drysdale commented. "He was a delightful man,

full of life and enthusiasm. Our thoughts are with his family at the moment. He

will be sorely missed."

Bill Harrigan of Miacomet Farm, who broke and pre-trained A.P. Indy as well

as fellow O'Callaghan purchases A.P. Jet and Japanese champion Lindo Shaver for

Tsurumaki, echoed Drysdale's sentiments.

"If you were lucky enough to have Noel as your friend, he was a man of very

strong character, incredible loyalty and integrity, and he loved life and was a

very fun man to be around," Harrigan said.

He also praised O'Callaghan's horsemanship skills.

"Noel was probably one of the best judges of racehorses ever," he said. "He

not only had an incredibly keen eye for conformation, but Noel also had an

instinct for a horse's personality and class."

Drysdale recognized O'Callaghan as a "pioneer" in developing relationships

with the Japanese. Among his other accomplishments, O'Callaghan developed Green

Gates Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, for Japanese businessman Mitsuo Haga, and

purchased Irish One Thousand Guineas and Eclipse winner Kooyonga for Haga.

O'Callaghan put Noel Murphy, now manager of Castle Park Farm, in charge of

Green Gates at the farm's inception.

"Noel O'Callaghan put me into a managerial job at a very young age, and I

respected it very much," Murphy said. "I had a great working relationship with

him, and learned an awful lot from him."

O'Callaghan is survived by his wife Yvonne and daughters Elva, Annabel and

Nicola.

Note: The original version of this article misidentified Noel

O'Callaghan with Mountarmstrong Stud in Ireland. We regret the error.