Gerry Dilger, popular Irish-born master of Dromoland Farm in Kentucky, dies

Gerry Dilger, one of the most knowledgeable and likeable horsemen in the Bluegrass, died early on Wednesday in Kentucky aged 61.

Long-time friend and business partner Mike Ryan said Dilger had been hospitalised since suffering cardiac arrest on February 24.

A native of County Clare, Dilger graduated from the Irish National Stud breeding course and was among a group of Irish horsemen who relocated to central Kentucky in the mid 1970s

"I got lucky. Put it down to hard work, whatever, but I got lucky"

Read our interview with Gerry Dilger from 2017

Along with Ryan, Dilger began buying and selling weanlings and yearlings and in 1994 he began Dromoland Farm, which quickly became one of North America's most successful breeding and sales operations.

Among the top horses he either bred, bought, and/or sold were Kentucky Derby winners Nyquist and Always Dreaming.

Not only was he renowned for his horsemanship skills, but Dilger was an affable person who was loyal to his friends and family.

"It's very hard to put into words," Ryan said of Dilger's passing. "He was a lifetime buddy and we were partners for 45 years. We had a lot of success together. He was such an easy guy to work with. He took the good with the bad.

"We never had an argument," Ryan continued. "He loved his family and friends."

Through their Santa Rosa Partners partnership, Dilger and Ryan bred Always Dreaming, a son of Bodemeister purchased by agent Steven W Young for $350,000 as a yearling who went on to win the 2017 Kentucky Derby for MeB Racing, Brooklyn Boyz, Teresa Viola, St Elias, Siena Farm, and West Point.

Nyquist, the 2015 Derby winner for Reddam Racing, was initially acquired in the name of Madison Farm, a partnership of Dilger, Ted Campion and Pat Costello for $180,000 as a weanling and then sold by Dromoland as a yearling to a group that included Ryan for $230,000. Dennis O'Neill bought the son of Uncle Mo for $400,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.

Dilger's passing resonated throughout the industry on Wednesday, with numerous condolences alluding to his stature within horse racing, breeding and sales.

He was also known as a mentor to many young men and women seeking to make it in the horse industry.

"Gerry Dilger was a hero to us all," breeder Tom Ryan said via Twitter. "That big welcoming smile, he never refused a youngster an opportunity, when it came to his family and business, he stood seven foot tall oozing pride and conviction. That little man from Clare will forever be remembered as a Giant, Sláinte Gerry Dilger."

In 2018, Dilger was honoured with the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's annual Wild Geese Award, presented to an individual from Ireland who has excelled outside of their native country.

"I was very honoured to receive this award," Dilger said at the time. "It was greatly satisfying to be honoured and to accept the award."

Dilger is survived by his wife, Erin, and three children.

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