Early Life
Born in Limerick, McManus began his business career at his family's construction plant hire firm, and then became an on-course bookmaker at Limerick's greyhound track, the Market's Field, before moving into horse ownership and punting and laying horses on the advice of his associate Jimmy Hayes. He now has a stud farm in County Kildare. He also became an accomplished backgammon player.
In 1982, he and his wife, Noreen, a former nurse, bought Martinstown Stud on over 400 acres (1.6 km2) in County Limerick from the McCalmont family. McManus's first horse was Cill Dara, which had been owned by the late Edenderry solicitor and legendary gambler, Tim O'Toole. McManus is now National Hunt racing's largest owner with over 400 horses in training. In 2006, he built a €120 million residence on his Martinstown Stud farm in Co. Limerick.
Read more about this topic: J. P. Mc Manus
Famous quotes related to early life:
“Many a woman shudders ... at the terrible eclipse of those intellectual powers which in early life seemed prophetic of usefulness and happiness, hence the army of martyrs among our married and unmarried women who, not having cultivated a taste for science, art or literature, form a corps of nervous patients who make fortunes for agreeable physicians ...”
—Sarah M. Grimke (1792–1873)