GERARD O’Sullivan, owner of 2020 Cheltenham Festival winner It Came To Pass, died recently and will be buried in Manchester on Monday. He was 83.

Originally from Newmarket, Co Cork, O’Sullivan owned a demolition company in England. He met trainer Eugene O’Sullivan - no relation - by chance at Goffs over 25 years ago and they had horses together ever since.

Eugene O’Sullivan said: “Gerard was a gentleman who never interfered with training plans. He loved his racing. We used to take a few runners to Cartmel for him and he loved that. He also supported Aidan Fitzgerald, Eric McNamara, Eric Larkin and Dermot Day, and he loved coming back to Ireland and driving to all those yards.

“He bred a few horses himself with Richard Kent at Mickley Stud in Shropshire. I have a very nice young horse of his by Proconsul.”

Earth Furies won three races for him and Eugene O’Sullivan in 2021/’22, and in the same period Meetingofthewaters won a point-to-point, bumper and handicap hurdle in his colours before being sold.

But the owner’s best day at the races was undoubtedly on March 13th, 2020, when It Came To Pass won the St James’s Place Foxhunter Challenge Cup Hunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. The 66/1 chance was ridden by Maxine O’Sullivan and won by 10 lengths.

“That was a special day,” recalled Eugene O’Sullivan.

“I bought It Came To Pass for him. Gerard was a great supporter of both Maxine and her cousin Michael, both of whom rode for him at Cheltenham.”

Health issues curtailed the owner’s racecourse outings over the past two years.

He is survived by his wife, Alurie, in whose name his horses race, and children Daniel, Francesca and Gavin.