Principal Jockeys: Niall McCullagh, Michael Hussey
Notable Wins: Isabel Morris Marble Hill Stakes (Waterways 2005), Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap (Miss Caruso 2005
Grandson of the legendary trainer, P.J. ‘Darkie’ Prendergast, and son of Paddy Prendergast Junior, young Patrick Prendergast certainly has the pedigree to be a top class trainer.
Patrick only began in 2002 and he saddled his first winner with the aptly named Be Patient in a seven furlong conditions race atGalway in September of that year with Johnny Murtagh on-board. He then had to wait a further eight months before All’s Forgotten landed a fillies maiden at Killarney in May 2003. Other victories with Nathan Jones and National Honour soon followed but by concentrating mainly on the Flat, he initially found it difficult to compete with the more powerful trainers such as Aidan O’Brien, Dermot Weld and John Oxx. 2004 saw Patrick enjoy a similar level of success with Erra Go On, Insan Mala and Senseansensibility taking pride of place among his winners.
However, 2005 saw a sharp upturn in Patrick Prendergast’s fortunes, thanks in no small part to a very fast juvenile filly called Waterways. A daughter of Alhaarth from the family of the Oaks winner, Oh So Sharp, Waterways cost just 10,000gns as a yearling. She made her debut atCork in late March 2005 and finished a promising third to Ball Burst before making all the running to win at the Curragh just seven days later. She then contested a competitive winner’s race at the Curragh in early May and was just touched off by the Mick Channon-trained Ba Foxtrot in a thrilling finish. However, two weeks later, she reversed form with that rival and showed a clean pair of heels to her other rivals by making all to win the Listed Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh in great style, posting a very fast time in the process and giving Patrick by far his biggest success as a trainer. From there, Waterways went on to finish in the frame in the Listed Swordlestown Stud Sprint Stakes, the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes and the Listed Danehill Dancer Stakes before wrapping up her profitable season by finishing a creditable fourth in the Listed Flame Of Tara Stakes.
One of the main features of Prendergast’s performance in 2005 was the amount of success he enjoyed with his two-year-olds. As well as the aforementioned Waterways, Prendergast sent out Mistress Bailey, Patronise, Bye Bye Ben and Crosshaven to win juvenile maidens, a notable achievement for such a small yard in what are traditionally among the most fiercely contested races during the Flat season. Miss Caruso was another Prendergast inmate to more than pay her way, winning a decent 8f handicap atCork in October before giving her trainer his first win under National Hunt rules when prevailing in a maiden hurdle atLimerick the following month.
Understandably, Waterways did not enjoy nearly as much success as a three-year-old in 2006 as she had to mostly race against older horses that were physically more mature than her, but she did manage to win a decent conditions race atCork in June 2006 before being retired to the paddocks at the end of the season.
Prendergast’s competency in handling two-year-olds continued unabated into 2006 with him saddling Millennium Sun to win a maiden atCork on his second start in April while in October he sent out Aye Aye Definitely to win a 6f maiden at Navan. He also won a pair of decent handicaps at Leopardstown in April with Home You Stroll and Raise Again. Prendergast gained his first win in England in November 2006 when saddling the well bred Danapali to win a 6f maiden at Wolverhampton, while he continued to show his versatility with Miss Caruso adding another race to her tally when winning a handicap hurdle at Wexford in June and a couple of days later, Prendergast saddled Sioux Falls to win a maiden hurdle at Roscommon.
While he has yet to have a winner in 2007, Prendergast has not been far from hitting the mark having had five thirds from his 37 runners. However, with a number of promising young horses in his care such as Home You Stroll and Tis Mighty, it is unlikely to be too long before he breaks his duck for 2007.
