'I was aware he could say anything but I never thought he would say that'

The late Peter Casey had a reputation as being one of the most ebullient and entertaining characters in Irish racing.

Famed for his tendency to sprinkle his post-race analysis with what might be described as colourful language, Casey died at the age of 82 in 2018.

His proclivity for an unpredictable interview made on-course reporters wary, but those concerns had to be put to one side from November 2011 to December 2012.

During those 13 months Casey had a genuine star in his yard, for that was when Flemenstar lit up Irish racing. This was a horse at the very top and a three-time Grade 1 winner over the period, meaning Casey became something of a regular on both At The Races and RTE.

Two interviews – one with RTE's Tracy Piggott after Flemenstar's debut Grade 1 win at Leopardstown in January 2012 and another with Gary O'Brien after the horse's John Durkan victory in December that year – became legendary.

The first was so popular that it racked up over 100,000 views on YouTube within a week and even started trending on Twitter.

Tracy Piggott, RTE on-course reporter

I did 31 years with RTE on the racecourse and Peter was one of the characters who most sticks in the memory. He was small in stature, but my word he was a giant in so many other ways.

He was a delight to interview, but in a precarious way because you never knew what he would come out with. He always had a glint in his eye like a mischievous schoolboy.

There was something that shone out of him. A real genuineness and likeability, so when he started getting big wins with Flemenstar I was so delighted for him.

I got to interview so many stars of Irish racing over the years I was with RTE, but the ones who really stood out were the ones like Peter, who could not contain their emotion and excitement.

I was always aware he could say anything, but I never thought he would say what he said that day at Leopardstown. That took the biscuit big time.

I remember what happened as if it was yesterday. It had been pouring all day and I was wearing this ridiculous hat that I had to keep draining of rainwater.

During the race I saw Peter over at the big screen. He was almost in it he was so close, right at the bottom looking up at the race. So I knew where he would be if Flemenstar won.

As soon as the horse crossed the line I saw Peter jumping up and down and getting redder and redder in the face so I said to the team we were heading over to speak to him.

When he came out with what he said I remember saying "you can't say that", but all I could hear in my ear from the director was this uncontrollable laughter.

I didn't know if we were live or if we'd gone to a commercial break, I had no idea what was going on. Peter was beyond excitement and said to me afterwards that he couldn't even remember saying it.

It was all a blur to him, but the amount of people coming up to me and calling throughout the rest of that afternoon to talk about it was incredible.

When I got in the car I even got a text from my nephew Sam [Haggas] who was in Australia. That was only a couple of hours later and it had gone viral to the other side of the world.

It got so big on social media that most of the people who ended up seeing it had no idea who Peter was or what he'd done. He became a celebrity overnight.

A few years ago I remember speaking to Peter's wife Junie and asking her what she had done when she heard what he had said on the television.

She said: "Oh Jesus, I was out lambing at the time and didn't even see it, but if I had I would have packed my bags and gone to stay with my sister."

Peter deserved all the attention and adoration he got. Sport can get monotonous at times, but sometimes you get characters that just lift everything.

Gary O'Brien, Racing TV (then At The Races) reporter

Peter was a character with a capital 'C', I think you'd have to say. A real plain speaker and not shy of dropping the odd bit of bad language in here and there.

That never bothered me of course, but it just meant live interviews often weren't the best idea. I used to love meeting him at the racecourse, especially when Flemenstar came along.

You'd end up talking about anything apart from racing. He was a big Dublin football fan and in the end it was very rare you'd actually be talking to him about racing.

After Flemenstar won the John Durkan we were aware things might get a little colourful, you'd never have a conversation with him off camera without him effing and blinding, but that's just the way he was.

The live interview wasn't going to be possible in part because I would have never said to him beforehand that he shouldn't curse or anything like that.

That was him, that was his character and to ask him to be anything different I felt was wrong. We had to just bleep all the expletives before we aired the interview.

The rise of Flemenstar introduced him to a new audience and I think he got a great kick out of that. A lot of people loved the story of him being a small trainer so he had the support of the wider public.

This was a guy who spoke on camera just as he did off it and, as far as possible, that's the way it should be in my book.

Read more from our Magic TV moments series:

Oli Bell: 'The Queen said to me – you're the lunatic that ran on the track!'

Jim McGrath: 'It's one of those bizarre occasions I'll never, ever forget'

Luke Harvey: 'The cameraman followed me – and I've never found out why!'

'He was a real showman and there was no-one before or since like him'

Rishi Persad: 'The thought in my head was 'holy s***, this is massive'

Derek Thompson: 'I simply assumed it was a woman and still laugh about it now'

Hayley Moore: 'It was a random thing to do. I didn't expect it to go viral'

Luke Harvey: 'It very soon dawned on me that I was part of television gold'

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