Col Billy Ringrose has sadly passed away in Dublin at the age of 89.

He is remembered as one of Ireland’s most successful show jumping riders of the 50s and 60s, and was chef d’equipe of the famous Aga Khan team in 1979, the year they completed the three in-a-row.

Within the space of one month in 1961, Army rider Captain Billy Ringrose won the Grand Prix in Nice, presented by Princess Grace, and then the Grand Prix in Rome, presented by Queen Elizabeth II who was at the time on a state visit to Italy.

He was a member of the first mixed Army-civilian Irish team to win the Aga Khan Cup in 1963 along with Diana Conolly-Carew, Seamus Hayes and Tommy Wade.

Later, Ringrose became Commanding Officer of the Army Equitation School at the McKee Barracks in Dublin and chef d’equipe of the Irish team. Following victory for the Irish team of Paul Darragh, James Kernan, Eddie Macken and Captain Con Power in 1977 when managed by Sean Daly, Ringrose took over as chef d’equipe in 1978 and helped complete their famous three in-a-row in 1979.

Along with winning the Aga Khan trophy as a rider and as chef d’equipe, he later presented the trophy to the winning Irish team team in his role as President of the RDS.

He is also the only rider to have won the Grand Prix event at all four shows on the American tour; Washington DC, Harrisburg Pennsylvania, Madison Square Garden in New York and the Toronto Winter Fair.

See Saturday's paper for more.

Source: Horse Sport Ireland