Aidan O’Brien pays tribute to ‘incredibly special’ Evie Stockwell on her death
Evie Stockwell, one of the most respected thoroughbred breeders in Ireland and mother to Coolmore founder John Magnier, has died at the age of 97.
Stockwell enjoyed considerable success with homebred horses trained by Aidan O’Brien and who raced in her late husband Tom Magnier’s blue and brown silks.
They included Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (Gr 1, 1m) winner Hit It A Bomb (War Front) and the speedy Fairyland (Kodiac), who landed the Cheveley Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at two and the Flying Five (Gr 1, 5f) on Irish Champions Weekend a year later.
Stockwell died less than a month after her twin sister Lady Mimi Manton, with whom she campaigned the mischievously named We Are Ninety (Thewayyouare) with trainer Hugo Palmer.
Stockwell moved to one of Ireland’s most successful National Hunt nurseries when marrying Grange Stud’s Tom Magnier in 1947, and remained a hugely respected figure in the sport after his death in 1962.
Stockwell revived the family colours in 1996, the same year O’Brien took the helm at Ballydoyle.
O’Brien said: “She was an incredibly special lady. We met her first when we came to Ballydoyle and she was a very wise lady.
“All the way along she would have been great to give us advice, and we had many good fillies for her, Fairyland probably one of the best recently.”
O’Brien added: “She had an unbelievable interest in, and understanding of, horses and she was a great judge of a horse. She was so passionate about horses.”
The first stakes-class horse to run in Stockwell’s silks was Kitza (Danehill), who was bought at Goffs for 78,000 Irish punts and whose race career included a neck defeat to Tarascon (Tirol)in the 1998 Irish 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m), then filling the same finishing position behind Winona (Alzao) in that season’s Irish Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f).
The tough and speedy Lahinch produced three high-class performances in the space of 18 days to conclude her juvenile season in 2001, running fourth in the Cheveley Park before landing a Tipperary Listed race, then missing out by a head in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes back at Newmarket.
Stockwell raced three black-type offspring of Lahinch (Danehill Dancer), with Ennistymon (Galileo) runner-up in the Ribblesdale (Gr 2, 1m 4f) and Oaks of 2020, and The Bogberry (Hawk Wing) won the Kilternan Stakes (Gr 3, 1m 2f).
But Lahinch’s major contribution to Stockwell’s fortunes came through her daughter Liscanna (Sadler’s Wells), who won the Ballyogan Stakes (Gr 3, 6f) for David Wachman, then went on to have three sons and daughters to break the 109 mark on Racing Post Ratings in as many years, all carrying the “madonna blue” silks and sired by War Front.
Hit It A Bomb won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland barely a month after making his debut and after a delayed return to action added two further placed efforts at Group level the following year.
By that time his full sister Brave Anna had already won the Albany Stakes (Gr 3, 6f) at Royal Ascot and the Cheveley Park in the autumn.
Threeandfourpence (War Front) also proved more than useful, running fourth in US Navy Flag’s (War Front) Dewhurst Stakes (Gr 1, 7f) and filling the same spot in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) behind Romanised (Holy Roman Emperor).
Evie Stockwell was deep into her tenth decade when arguably the best horse to carry her colours made her breakthrough.
A 925,000 guinea purchase by MV Magnier at Tattersalls, Fairyland blazed a trail through her juvenile year, winning the Marble Hill Stakes (Listed, 6f) and the Lowther (Gr 2, 6f) at York before making it four from five in the Cheveley Park Stakes.
After running fifth in the 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) the highlight of Fairyland’s three-year-old season came with victory in Ireland’s premier sprint, the Flying Five, after which Stockwell described her grandson’s purchase of the yearling Fairyland as “brave”.
Asked if she would race on at four, she dismissed the idea and informed the press that Fairyland would be visiting Galileo (Sadler’s Wells).
In addition to John, Stockwell’s three other children all made a significant mark in the thoroughbred world: son David today manages Castlehyde and Grange Studs, while her daughter Anne married Tony O’Callaghan, owner of Tally-Ho Stud.
Peter was also a successful breeder at his Brittas House Stud and died in January 2019.
The funeral will be held today, at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Fethard, followed by private burial in Kilcrumper Old Cemetery in Fermoy.