Popular racehorse trainer Hugh Mulryan, 25, died in accidental car fire after ‘drinking four or five pints of Guinness’

A POPULAR racehorse trainer, 25, died in an accidental car fire after drinking “four or five pints of Guinness”, an inquest has heard. Hugh Mulryan, well-known in the racing and bloodstock world, was found dead at the driver’s seat in Malton, North Yorkshire, at about 4.30am on June 16 last year. The 25-year-old was found dead at the wheel of the burnt-out car in Malton, North Yorkshire Credit: Google Popular horse-racing figure Hugh Mulryan was killed in an accidental car fire Credit: Baroda Stud Fire crews discovered him in the burnt-out vehicle just as the blaze was burning itself out, following a suspected collision hours before on a roundabout. The assistant coroner Jonathan Leach concluded that his death had been accidental, with smoke inhalation given as the cause. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Originally from Galway, Ireland, the 25-year-old had come to England just days beforehand and was due to start work as an assistant trainer the morning of his tragic death. Hugh had met with his new employer Adrian Keatley at the Spotted Cow pub in Malton the night before, where he’d drunk “four or five pints of Guinness“. Leaving the pub at roughly 10pm, he “did not appear to be drunk at all and was still quite with it”, the inquest heard. Hugh was due to return to the house of a mutual friend, who received a text from him at 9.40pm confirming he’d lock the gate on the way in. At around 11pm, a man described as a “white male in his 20s or 30s” was involved in a collision near the junction connecting the A169 and A64. The dark-coloured VW Passat, spotted by two Liverpool tourists, was seen “going against the flow of the traffic” on a roundabout when it crashed. Most read in Sport The driver was reportedly “very calm overall, very chilled, maybe too chilled”, according to one of the tourists. He then turned back and headed northbound on the A169. Several eyewitnesses claimed Hugh was driving a vehicle resembling this description. Hugh “appeared to have parked up” a short distance from where the collision took place, the inquest heard. An investigation lead by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service said the fire started accidentally, likely due to flammable material in the car coming into contact with the smoke from the collision. It is believed the fire started in the footwell, although it is unclear whether it began in the passenger or driver’s side. Station manager Anna Atkinson-Spragg said the location of the blaze was “extremely rural” and that it would have been difficult to see it from the road. A toxicology report revealed the level of alcohol in Hugh’s system at the time of the crash was “just above the legal limit” for driving in England and Wales. In honour of the young trainer, a race at Killarney Racecourse in county Kerry was named The Hugh Mulryan Memorial Flat Race. Dozens of friends and relatives attended the gathering, with his brother Michael sharing a touching tribute. “Horses and horse racing were Hugh’s life,” he said. Despite also having a law degree under his belt, working with horses was “where his heart kept him”. He added: “He could let his hair down and enjoy himself as good as anyone, but for the most part he was a serious man — serious about life, about horses, about looking after his body, and about keeping his mind open to learning something new every day.” Racehorse trainer Denis Hogan told the Racing Post: “Hugh just fitted in everywhere and made friends anywhere he went. “He could fall into any company anywhere in the world. “He’ll be sorely missed and is a big loss.” Comment now