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Milestone winner for Prendergast
Kevin Prendergast's 2000th winner arrived in fitting circumstances at Dundalk as Tell The Wind with stable jockey Declan McDonogh up in the famous Joe McGrath silks, prevailed by a length and three parts from Emerald Ring in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Fillies Maiden.
Tell The Wind led turning in and though Emerald Ring appeared to be going well she could never get on terms with the milestone victor.
Prendergast wasn't on hand afterwards but winning owner Joe McGrath was and he said: "I was just on the phone to Kevin and he never even mentioned that it was his 2000th. He just said that she won well and that he was delighted.
"He's only been training horses in those colours for a while. I took them over from my late father, about five years ago.
"Joanna Morgan trained for him after he retired from the training ranks himself. Of course these colours are in use since the 1940s in my grandfather's time.
"They were carried to victory in the 1951 Epsom Derby, in the 1955 Irish Derby, the 1956 Irish Oaks and by Levmoss in 1969 in the Prix de l'Arc. I think we won the French Oaks the year after that too."
The Master of Friarstown, born in Australia in 1932, started training in 1963.
He has trained seven Irish classic winners and in 1977 Nebbiolo, winner of the previous year's Gimcrack Stakes at York, beat Tachypous and The Minstrel with the late Squibbs Curran aboard in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.