THE legendary former show jumper Captain Con Power has passed away after a long illness. He was 71.

Con was the third generation of the Power family to ride and his original dream of being a race rider were dashed when he shot up to a height of 6ft 2in. He turned his attention to show jumping and his competitive career began with a 13.2hh pony named Granard Boy, bought at Ballsbridge Sales where it was sold by Eddie Macken’s dad Jimmy.

In 1972, Power joined the Irish Army and arrived at the Army Equitation School at McKee Barracks in 1973; from there, his career took a wonderful path.

His first Aga Khan call-up was in 1976 with Mullacrew, and he was a member of the iconic Irish team who won three-in-a-row Aga Khan wins in 1977, 1978 and 1979, in which he was the only rider to partner three different horses (Coolronan, Castle Park and Rockbarton).

In an interview with The Irish Field in 2017, marking 40 years since the initiation of those famous wins, Power said: “It’s absolutely magnificent, the only thing is it’s hard to believe its 40 years. The RDS is magnificent, it’s our Croke Park. If you are a GAA player you want to play in the Croke Park. Likewise, every man who ever sat on a show jumper wants to ride in the RDS and I was lucky enough to be here on a couple of occasions and I have some great memories.

“The beauty of that team is we were all social friends. I remember the first year when Paul (Darragh) jumped a clear round and I gave Coolronan a pat out in the practice arena and I said ‘now we can’t let the team down’ because we were all such good friends, that was the attitude. It was a wonderful, wonderful unique team spirit.”

Prolific

From 1976 to 1979, Con Power had one of the most prolific periods in the history of Irish show jumping. He was leading rider at Dublin in 1976 and 1979. He took the same award at Ostend and at the three North American shows in Washington, New York and Toronto in 1978. He won five classes at Aachen in 1979, and was again leading rider. “Of all the events in my show jumping career, that week in Aachen 1979 was number one,” he said.

After marrying Margaret and setting up a busy yard in Derrypatrick in Co Meath, Power retired from the Army in 1979 and went out alone. The decision paid off with much success, including winning the Irish show jumper of the year from 1983 to 1986 and in 1985, he was The Irish Field Show jumper of the year.

Other awards included the Hall of Fame Award at the Meath Chronicle sports award in 2017, as well as the Aga Khan team being inducted into the Showjumpers Club Hall of Fame in 2017.

Sadly, a freak accident in 1988 ended his riding career. Standing on the ground while teaching a student at a local event, Con was cut down by the flying stirrup of a loose galloping horse and rushed to hospital where he stayed for six weeks.

He then turned his attention to teaching and among his most proud students is Bertram Allen who credits Con and Margaret for giving him the best start to his career.

Their children, Robert and Elizabeth, both went on to make big names for themselves in the sport of racing and eventing. Robert won the 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup aboard Sizing John, while Elizabeth is one of Ireland’s top event riders who also competing in pure show jumping.

Among Con’s biggest highlights was Elizabeth winning a five-star class at the Dublin Horse Show in 2019.

Elizabeth and Con Power with Doonaveeragh O One in 2019 \ Susan Finnerty

Jockeys at the race fixture in Cork today (Sunday) are wearing black armbands out of a mark of respect to the Power family.

Funeral arrangements

Reposing at his home Derrypatrick House (A83 TW66) on Tuesday from 3pm to 7pm.

Funeral Mass at 1pm on Wednesday in the Church of the Nativity Moynalvey, Summerhill (A83 AW62) followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.

See death notice here.

All at The Irish Field extended our deepest sympathies to Margaret, Robbie, Elizabeth and all of Con's extended family and friends.