Tributes pour in following tragic death of Irish jockey, 36, who rode in Grand National and won races at Aintree and Cheltenham
"He was a great guy who was involved in horses and into his football. He had three brothers and two sisters and all the family are very close."
The racing community in Ireland and Britain has been left shocked and devastated following the tragic death of a former Aintree Festival winning jockey.
Tipperary native Michael Byrne, who rode in the Grand National and recorded 96 career wins, died on Saturday at the age of 36.
Dozens of tributes have been paid to the former rider, 36, who competed in the 2014 Grand National and rode winners at Cheltenham and several other big tracks.
Byrne rode a handful of winners in Ireland before moving to Britain where he enjoyed a successful career before retiring in 2016 and returning home to these shores, where he prepared horses for the sales.
He is a nephew of renowned point-to-point trainer Pat Doyle, who handled many champion jump horses in their early days, and had been working with his uncle at his Suirview Stables.
Doyle told the Racing Post: "Michael was very successful as a jockey and was a brilliant horseman and it's very, very sad.
"He was a great guy who was involved in horses and into his football. He had three brothers and two sisters and all the family are very close. He was a wonderful young man with a wonderful family around him and he'll be very sadly missed."
The Cahir native had his best spell in the UK for Welsh-based trainer Tim Vaughan, riding 61 winners in total for the Cowbridge handler.
"It is just so sad and I am devastated for Michael's family and friends," said Vaughan, who provided Byrne's 2014 Aintree ride Golan Way in the edition won by Pineau De Re.
"He was a lovely person - reliable, honest and loyal. He started his career in Peter Bowen's stable and worked for us for about five years. Dicky (Richard) Johnson was our main jockey at the time and Michael was conditional, he rode out his claim here. We enjoyed lots of success together and got on famously well.
"He was a lovely kid from a lovely family and there's no other word to describe it than tragic," said Vaughan.
In 2010, Byrne was in Aintree's winners' enclosure after the Listed mares' bumper, when Bowen-trained Big Time Billy won at big odds of 28-1.
The following month, Byrne was victorious again at Aintree on 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup second Take The Stand, just nine days after the pair's triumph on hunter chase night at Prestbury Park.
Buck Magic provided another career milestone there, securing a conditional jockeys' handicap hurdle at the 2021 November Meeting.
The thoroughbred's trainer Neil Mulholland said: "Michael will be sadly missed, he was a lovely fella and used to ride out here. A lot of my staff worked with him and they have been affected by the news. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends."
Funeral arrangements have been announced with a funeral mass taking place on Thursday in Holycross Abbey, Thurles.
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