AMBITIOUS AS he was, it’s unlikely that even Denis O’Kelly would have guessed he was on the road to founding a dynasty when he left Tullow, Co Carlow, for London as a teenager in the 1730s.
A dynasty of sorts, that is, because O’Kelly left no direct descendants when he died aged 62 in 1787. By then he had acquired celebrity status as “Count O’Kelly” owner of Eclipse, the greatest racehorse of his day, and the sire of many subsequent champions.
Eclipse’s DNA can be found in 95 per cent of all thoroughbred racehorses. Since his son – with the obvious tag of Son of Eclipse – won the second running of the Epsom Derby in 1781, virtually every winner of the race can trace its ancestry back to him, including this year’s, the Irish-trained and bred Sea the Stars. Similarly, he can be found in the pedigrees of the likes of multiple champion hurdler, Istabraq, steeplechaser Arkle, and leading stallion Sadler’s Wells. He is, …
See the full article from “Irish Times”
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