Irish race horse owners praised for ‘extraordinary generosity’ after touching gesture to hospitals after Cheltenham win

JOE and Marie Donnelly have been praised after making a generous gesture to charitable initiatives in three Irish hospitals.

The duo are the owners of the decorated State Man, which won the Champion Hurdle on the opening day of Cheltenham yesterday.

State Man won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday

It was the 97th career win at the Festival for Willie Mullins

And owners Joe (C) and Marie Donnelly (centre right) continued their association with kidney charities in Irish hospitals

In the wake of that win, it was revealed on Virgin Media that, for every win State Man achieved, the Donnelly’s would be donating towards the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund.

The PKRF was established in 1990 and has been the subject of a charity race in its honour at Punchestown every year.

In 2022, it partnered with the Irish Kidney Association to set up a Pilot Peer Support Program to help Kidney Patients and their Families

The fund has donated €150,000 towards a new renal unit at Temple Street Children’s Hospital, €50,000 towards two kidney-related research projects, and €10,000 towards its own Sports Program for Dialysis & Transplant patients.

Meanwhile, the PKRF has donated €60,000 to continue its Art Therapy programmes for dialysis patients in Tallaght, Wexford, and Waterford.

Last April, Joe and Marie Donnelly announced a sponsorship of the Arts programme, which became known as the State Man Art Therapy Programmes.

In that time, the seven-year-old has won five races back-to-back, including yesterday’s Champion Hurdle, equating to generous donations to the initiative on the part of the Donnelly’s.

It was the second of three wins for Willie Mullins, with the Festival’s most successful trainer now on 97 wins outright.

The Champion Hurdle came sandwiched between wins for Gaelic Warrior and Lossiemouth.

And while reflecting on the third triumph, he acknowledged that he got swept up in the moment as she jumped the last.

He said: “I think I was part of the big roar at the last myself!

“That’s not normal for me but when she went for it I joined in.

“I don’t think we’ll go to France, I’d have thought it will probably be Punchestown for a mares’ race and then after that I’ll have a chat to (owner) Rich Ricci.

“It’s very, very nice to have a treble on the first day.

“Of course we’re in a position where we are bringing a big team across.

“But they have to win and after the Supreme I was worried that it was going to be a day like it was on the first day a few years ago when we had no winners.

“Of course I’m very happy with the day, I can enjoy the rest of the week now.”

Mullins is now just three wins away from a historic century, a feat he could achieve on Wednesday.