Obituary: Lady Chryss O'Reilly, wife of Irish businessman Sir Anthony O'Reilly, left 'an indelible mark' in the horse racing world

She grew up with a love of horses and when her uncle died in 1978 she took over the running of his stud farm in Normandy.

When she met Sir Anthony in New York in 1989 he was head of the Independent News and Media Group, which owned the Belfast Telegraph, and HJ Heinz of baked beans fame. He had also played rugby at the highest level for Ireland and the British Lions.

They married in 1991 in the Bahamas, with Lady O’Reilly being 14 years her husband’s junior.

Their combined wealth put them near the top of the Sunday Times Irish Rich List which in 2005 listed their combined fortune as 1.897 billion euro.

Although the Greek heiress dabbled in the family shipping business for a time, it was horse breeding that she found to be her calling.

She built a world class stud farm at Castlemartin in Co Kildare and forged successful partnerships with leading Irish trainers.

Trainer Eddie Lynam said: “She was a very kind woman. I was fortunate to have trained for her for 15 years, maybe more, and she was a pleasure to train for, as she was very knowledgeable. She will be sadly missed in racing throughout the world.”

Former jockey-turned TV presenter Adele Mulrennan commented: “Lady O’Reilly was such a lovely lady, she loved her horses. It was a huge honour to have ridden for her.”

Lady O’Reilly was appointed to the board of the Irish National Stud in 1993, becoming its chair from 1998 to 2012. In 2011 she lead the late Queen around the Irish National Stud.

Her most notable success was the 1996 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Helissio and she was inducted into the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Hall of Fame in 2013.

She became Lady O’Reilly in 2001 when her husband was knighted "for long and distinguished service to Northern Ireland" including recognition for his work as head of The Ireland Funds charity, where his wife served as a long-time board director.

Caitriona Fottrell, president of the Ireland Funds, said: “Her broad support of culture and the arts in Ireland as well as her generous support of our Pittsburgh Dinner – where the O’Reillys were based during (Sir Anthony’s) time as chief executive and chairman of HJ Heinz – were just some of her many philanthropic contributions to the work of The Ireland Funds. We are forever grateful for her involvement.”

Lady O’Reilly died unexpectedly at her home in Normandy, France last Wednesday evening (August 23). She had shortly been due to return to Kildare.

The Irish National Stud said its former chairwoman had left “an indelible mark on the thoroughbred sector” while French horse-racing newspaper Jour de Galop described her as “one of the great breeders of our time”.