Lord John FitzGerald

Lord John FitzGerald (3 March 1952 – 3 August 2015), was an Irish nobleman, British Army Officer, racehorse trainer, and horseracing administrator.

Lord John was the second son of Gerald, 8th Duke of Leinster, and his second wife, Anne, daughter of Lt-Col Philip Smith, MC, TD. He was educated at Millfield School, Street, Somerset.

Career

After Millfield, FitzGerald was accepted to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and served in the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, including periods on the Rhine and in Cyprus, reaching the rank of Captain[1] . Upon leaving the British Army FitzGerald entered the horseracing industry, he had in fact ridden extensively as an amateur jockey during his time in the British Army, and now pursued a career as a racehorse trainer in Newmarket.

During his first season as licensed trainer, FitzGerald won the Norfolk Stakes at the 1986 Royal Ascot meeting with the horse called Sizzling Melody who became a leading sprinter of his generation also winning the Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster, and the Prix Petit Cuvert at Longchamp as well as being placed in the 1987 William Hill Sprint Championship[2]at York.

In 1992, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum recruited FitzGerald to administer horseracing in Dubai, with the aim of establishing the necessary conditions regulatory environment needed to host top class international races. FitzGerald oversaw the creation of the internationally recognised Emirates Racing Authority, the expansion to world-class standards of the country's biggest racetrack, Nad Al Sheba, and the founding in 1996 of the Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race.[1]

FitzGerald concluded his career by returning to Newmarket and working, up until his death, as racing manager for Kirsten Rausing at Lanwades stud.[3]

Personal life

Lord John FitzGerald married Barbara Zindel, daughter of Andreas and Daniela Zindel, of Lausanne and St. Moritz, Switzerland at St. Nicholas Church, Chadlington, Oxford, on 11 December 1982; they divorced in 2013 and FitzGerald died on 3 August 2015.[4] Lord and Lady John FitzGerald had two children:

His daughter Hermione is a professional golfer.

His son Edward is the current heir presumptive to the dukedom and other family titles.

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References
  1. "Obit: Horseracing trainer Captain Lord John FitzGerald". The Independent. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  2. 1987 William Hill Sprint Championship, retrieved 15 August 2019
  3. "Lord John FitzGerald". The Times. 17 August 2015. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  4. "Telegraph announcements – FitzGerald". The Telegraph. 2015.
  5. Lundy, Darryl. "Person Page - 7233". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
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