Colourful character Peter Casey, trainer of Flemenstar, dies at 82

Irish racing has lost one of its most colourful characters after multiple Grade 1-winning trainer Peter Casey passed away at the age of 82 in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Casey was best known for his exploits with Flemenstar, the star chaser who won three Grade 1s during his time in his Stamullen stable.

The first of those Grade 1 victories arrived in the Knight Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown in January 2012, a race he won impressively by 19 lengths. However, it was Casey's performance after the race rather than Flemenstar's performance during it that received most coverage.

Casey shocked RTE's Tracy Piggott in his live post-race interview by declaring: "I can't believe it. I'll have f****** sex tonight and everything." The clip quickly spread far beyond the racing circles and made him a YouTube sensation, with more than half a million hits.

After skipping Cheltenham, Flemenstar went on the land the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse by 11 lengths in April and saw off Sir Des Champs in the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown the following season in December.

After Flemenstar won the John Durkan he emerged as a leading Cheltenham Gold Cup candidate, but he failed to see out the three miles in the Lexus Chase when fading into third behind Tidal Bay in what was one of the greatest races ever witnessed at Leopardstown.

In 1991 Casey also sent out Flinders Passage to win a Listed handicap hurdle at Galway, while Jack The Bus proved a real money-spinner over fences, winning the Troytown at Navan in 2010 and the Foxrock Handicap Chase at the same track in 2012, but it was the fortunes of Flemenstar that propelled him to the big time.

Peter Casey with his popular chaser FlemenstarCredit: Patrick McCann

Andrew Lynch, the jockey who guided Flemenstar to all ten of his wins under rules, paid tribute to Casey for his handling of the prolific chaser.

Lynch said: "He did remarkably well for a small-time trainer against the big boys. He was brilliant for my career as he gave me the ride on Flemenstar, who gave me so many memorable days. He was a brilliant jumper and a brilliant horse.

"Peter was a character and you always knew coming back into the winner's enclosure after a race there was a big reception waiting for you. He was a decent man who was always very decent to me."

Flemenstar's owner Stephen Curran, who decided to take the horse out of Casey's stable before the start of the 2013-14 season to join Tony Martin, said there was never any ill feeling between the pair and they parted on good terms.

"We had some great times together with Flemenstar, each one of them as good as the next. We didn't fall out or anything and there was no ill feeling. We just felt the horse needed a change of scenery, that was all. That is horseracing.

"Peter was a great character. He might have overdone it originally and got too excited at times, but he did a great job with Flemenstar and we made some great memories together."

Irish racecourse commentator Dessie Scahill was a lifelong friend of Casey and he believes that racing has said goodbye to one of the few remaining characters in the game.

"Racing is losing character after character and Peter was certainly one of the great characters of the game. People who saw his interview on RTE might have thought he would have been embarrassed by what he said but it was the complete opposite. He got tremendous mileage out of it.

"I was lucky enough to visit him recently with Pat Healy and Brendan Sheridan and, while his health might not have been great, he was still well able to hold his own in an argument, let me tell you! He truly was a great character and he will be missed by so many."

Peter Casey receives the outstanding achievement award from the HRI in 2012Credit: Patrick McCann

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