The racing and breeding industry woke to more sad news on Friday with the news that Wicklow Stud’s Michael Price had passed away at his home in the company of his brother and sisters at the age of 61 after a long, brave fight.
Michael Price
The Price family are a part of the fabric of South African breeding.
Michael’s father Norman passed away in 2015 and he and younger brother Rennie ran Wicklow Stud for many years.
Educated at St Andrews, where he was a top sportsman, tennis being his A game, Michael’s first love and passion was his horses and he also developed his skill as a highly regarded equine and wildlife photographer.
His venture started in 1981 when he was at Coolmore in Ireland and bought a camera to record his travels.
Michael loved horses
The realisation of a long held dream of becoming a proficient photographer came in the 1990’s when his son, James, was selected for the St Andrew’s 1st Cricket 11.
Michael’s uncle and godfather, John Bridgman, passed away and bequeathed him enough money to invest in his first top camera. A fortunate encounter on a Cricket Tour with his son to Johannesburg created an opportunity and an image from that Tournament was used on the front cover of SA School Sports magazine.
Michael’s African Sunrise
“Michael enjoyed nothing more than a glass of wine and an intelligent debate. He was a deep thinker and the nicest guy one could hope to meet. He didn’t care about materialism and family, nature and animals meant the world to him. I looked up to him and I will always remember him as the older brother I could talk to about anything,” Rennie Price told the Sporting Post.
He said Michael’s best horse was Group winner Alpine Silk.
Rennie said that no funeral arrangements had been concluded but felt it would be held in Sunland, situated in the scenic Sundays River Valley, which stretches from Addo in the south to the little citrus village of Kirkwood that lies just a little further north west – an area well documented in many of Michael’s photography.
Michael is survived by his daughter Pippa and son James.
