John Magnier
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John Magnier (born 1948 in Fermoy, County Cork) is Ireland's leading thoroughbred stud owner and has extensive business interests outside of the horsebreeding industry. He has been a senator in the Irish Parliament, Seanad Éireann. He is based at Coolmore Stud at Fethard in County Tipperary which is now regarded as the World's pre-eminent stallion station and nursery of thoroughbreds.
John Magnier received his formal education at Glenstal Abbey in County Limerick but had to leave school at 15 on the death of his father to take charge of the family farm near Fermoy in County Cork. From an early age he showed a remarkable talent for matching bloodlines and soon gained a reputation as an up and coming stallion master. He later moved to Fethard, County Tipperary, where he transformed Coolmore Stud into a multi-million Euro international business. The business is headquartered in County Tipperary where a number of other stud farms are part of an extensive network which includes Longfield and Castlehyde studs. The operation also has branches in Versailles, Kentucky and at Jerry's Plains in New South Wales, Australia.
John Magnier began his association with Coolmore in partnership with his father-in-law and champion racehorse trainer, Vincent O'Brien, and Vernons Pools magnate Robert Sangster. They developed the best racing horses and breeding stock, mainly by purchasing the progeny of the great Canadian stallion Northern Dancer. Their forays to the bloodstock sales at Keeneland furthered their rising stock at home. Eventually, John Magnier came to head the operation and thus began an upward spiral of success. His racing empire, which is now arguably the most successful on the planet, is nowadays powered by a huge string of blue-blooded thoroughbreds trained at Ballydoyle by Aidan O'Brien, plus dozens of others in the care of a number of other trainers.
Champion sires currently standing at Coolmore include the incomparable Sadler's Wells who has been champion sire of Europe on 14 occasions, though his success in the past few seasons has been somewhat eclipsed by the astonishing exploits of his recently deceased stud-mate Danehill. Other notable Group 1 winners who have turned successfully to stud duties are Danehill Dancer, Giants Causeway, Galileo and Montjeu, who is now emerging as the successor to Sadler's Wells. New recruits for 2006 included Footstepsinthesand who won the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in 2005 and triple Group-1 winner Oratorio. Almost all the premier European Group 1 contests were accounted for by Coolmore Sires in 2005. The strength of thoroughbred talent residing at Coolmore is indicated by the fact that seven of the last eight winners of the blue riband of the turf, the Epsom Derby, were sired by Coolmore stallions.
Outside the equine business, John Magnier has proven to be an astute investor and together with associates J. P. McManus and Dermot Desmond has enjoyed phenomenal success. A high profile venture was his stake of 28.89 per cent shareholding in the famous football club, Manchester United F.C., which was sold in May 2005 to Malcolm Glazer, an American businessman. A personal friendship with manager Alex Ferguson was tested in a dispute over bloodstock rights to prolific Group 1 winner (7 wins) Rock of Gibraltar which currently stands at Coolmore.
John Magnier is said to be the most influential man in horseracing and breeding worldwide, even over Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. While his fortune is in the realms of speculation, the Sunday Times Rich List 2005 placed him among the richest in both Britain and Ireland, estimating his financial worth at £520 million (€742 million). On a personal level, he is of a retiring and gentlemanly disposition, immaculately attired, courteous to a fault and not easily given to self promotion or publicity.
He is married to Susan, the daughter of Vincent O'Brien, Ireland's greatest trainer of racehorses. The couple have five children: Tom, John Paul (JP), Michael Vincent (MV), Sam and Katie. While the sons have already made their mark in the business, Katie was married in August 2002 to trainer David Wachman, in a high profile ceremony in the Augustinian Abbey of Fethard.
