Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to Mr. Pat Eddery, a natural genius in the saddle, who has sadly passed away after a long illness. We sometime talk about horse racing in the House and, as it is the time of the year, we will be talking about it again in the next few weeks. If horse racing was an Olympic sport, then Mr. Eddery would have won multiple gold medals. Horses loved to win for him and he rode 4,600 winners. Sir Gordon Richards was the only other jockey with a bigger record.

I was lucky enough to know Pat personally. He was a man who was devoid of ego, very self effacing and humble. He was always beautifully dressed when off the saddle but he was happiest when in the saddle. We have 25,000 people who are employed in the racing industry and Pat helped the State to become the greatest in the world at producing thoroughbreds. He won numerous derbies, 14 British classics, the Japan Cup, the first Breeder's Cup in the US and the Arlington Million in Chicago. He won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris with a draw that was impossible, yet he managed to win it. I hope the House will join me in paying tribute to Pat and in extending our sympathies to his family.