JP McManus: JT McNamara was absolute horseman

The world is a better place because of the legacy left by jockey JT McNamara, described as “an absolute horseman”, by racehorse owner JP McManus.

His was just one of the many tributes that poured in for the 41-year-old whose death brought the Galway racecourse at Ballybrit to a silent standstill at the beginning of day two of its festival.

Former champion jockey AP McCoy described Mr McNamara as a remarkable man and a brilliant rider.

His passing three years after a fall at Cheltenham was felt particularly hard by Mr Mr McManus, whose distinctive green and gold silks Mr McNamara often wore to victory.

He paid tribute at his home in Limerick to the “wonderful kindness and loyalty” of the jockey who “was loyal to a fault either to man or horse”. Mr McNamara enjoyed many of his 600 race wins wearing Mr McManus’s green and gold silks.

“When JT had his accident in Cheltenham he could have died that day, but the will of the man to live at the time, and the good that came out of that afterwards from the hundreds of people who rallied to support him and his family; that is his legacy,” said Mr McManus.

“He was a very caring person and very direct. He never used two words when one would do instead. He was loyal to a fault either to man or horse, he stuck with horses at times when he had the option of riding a better one but he felt he owed it to the horse, when often it might have been the horse that owed him. “He had a great love for the animal he was riding.”

The Turf Club, Irish Injured Jockeys, the Injured Jockeys Fund, and Mr McManus were all instrumental in assisting Mr McNamara and his family adapt to his new life when he returned home to Co Limerick in June 2013.

“There were hundreds of people who showed support. He had a fan base he didn’t know he had who all wanted to help in their own way, I was just one of hundreds,” Mr McManus said.

Sport and Tourism Minister Patrick O’Donovan described Mr McNamara as a proud Limerick man who was an inspiration in the very dignified and courageous way he adapted to his vastly changed circumstances.

“My thoughts are particularly with his wife Caroline and his three children, Dylan, Harry, and Olivia at this very difficult time,” he said.

Mayor of Limerick Kieran O’Hanlon said that Mr McNamara had a stellar career and he plans to speak to his family and the local horse racing community in the coming months to see how the jockey can be honoured.

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