Former Grand National jockey Michael Byrne tragically passes away at 36

Michael Byrne, from Tipperary, has died aged 36, per the Irish Mirror.

Byrne raced in the 2014 Grand National on trainer Tim Vaughan’s horse, Golan Way, per The Sun.

Despite being a 66/1 outside, Byrne and Golan Way were travelling well in the race before falling late.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Renowned horse trainer, Tim Vaughan, told the Racing Post that Byrne, “was a lovely kid from a lovely family and there's no other word to describe it than tragic. Michael worked for me for a good number of years and had nearly 600 rides and 61 winners for me.”

Vaughan continued his tribute to Byrne by saying, “He was someone who had so much natural ability and a flair for life.”

Byrne was a perennial winner during his career, with his top achievements including the 2014 Silver Plate at Kempton and a 2010 win at Aintree, per The Sun.

Byrne retired from racing in 2016 after struggling financially. Per the Irish Mirror, he returned home to Tipperary to work for his father.

Byrne worked with his father, Michael Sr. to prepare horses for races, including point-to-point horses for Pat Doyle, an Irish horse trainer. Doyle said of Byrne, “Michael was very successful as a jockey and was a brilliant horseman.”

Doyle continued, mentioning Byrne’s close ties to his family, “He had three brothers and two sisters and all the family are very close. He was a wonderful young man with a wonderful family around him and he'll be very sadly missed.”

Whilst there is no official reporting on Byrne’s cause of death, the Irish Mirror is reporting his funeral will be held on Thursday 9th May.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!