Stan Cosgrove – ‘a fabulous man who lived a fabulous life’

Stan Cosgrove, pioneering vet and former manager of Moyglare Stud, has died at the age of 91.

Cosgrove led the way in veterinary surgery and was internationally renowned for his work with racehorses as well as his lasting connection with Moyglare.

He joined Moyglare Stud as its vet when Walter Haefner bought the County Kildare property, then an old dairy farm, in 1962.

He became manager nine years later, having established his reputation for ground-breaking equine surgery, and the relationship with his boss lasted right up to Haefner’s death in 2012. Together, they developed Moyglare Stud into first a commercial farm and then, from the 1980s, one of the finest private studs in the world.

Cosgrove was also on the board at Goffs for 40 years, representing the interests of the Haefner family – and stood down only two years ago.

He was vet to the brilliant but ill-fated dual Derby winner Shergar, and played a role in the ultimately fruitless negotiations with the kidnappers who stole the horse from the Aga Khan’s Ballymany Stud in 1983.

Fiona Craig, Moyglare Stud’s bloodstock and breeding adviser, said: “He was a fabulous man who lived a fabulous life.

“He was just short of his 92nd birthday. Even in the last week, the mind was as sharp as it ever was.

“Stan was still in contact with Walter Haefner’s daughter, Eva Maria, when he retired.

“He’ll be sadly missed by everyone in racing, and not just in Ireland. Everyone in racing knew him.

“He was probably one of Ireland’s most gifted vets. Wherever you went in the United States, Australia or anywhere, everybody knew him.

“He was a pioneering vet in orthopaedic surgery and colic surgery on racehorses. He was doing things before they wrote the text book.

“He was a supreme vet back in the days when they learnt it the hard way.”

Big-race winners bred by the stud include the Refuse To Bend, the winner of the 2000 Guineas in 2003, 1982 French Derby winner Assert and 1983 Japan Cup heroine Stanerra.

The black and white colours with a red cap were synonymous with success in a host of big races – with stars of the turf such as 1990 Belmont Stakes victor Go And Go, 2002 Melbourne Cup hero Media Puzzle, 1996 Irish Oaks scorer Dance Design, 2008 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Casual Conquest and Free Eagle, who landed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2015.

Pat Smullen rode Free Eagle and many more winners for Moyglare through his association with Dermot Weld.

The retired jockey tweeted: “A great man has left us, I’ll never forget what he did for my career. Sincere sympathy to all the Cosgrove family from the Smullen family.”

Cosgrove and his late wife, Maureen, had 10 children, 22 grand-children and one great grand-child.

His funeral will be held at St Peter and Paul’s Church at Monasterevin in Kildare on Monday.