THE last couple of weeks have seen a series of graduations, from RACE through to Enniskillen, the Godolphin Flying Start and this week’s Irish National Stud course. Apart from making me feel like a dinosaur in terms of age and experience, the three I attended all filled me with great hope for the future of our industry.

The range of knowledge and experience that the students who have completed these courses have gained is invaluable, and hopefully they will go on to enjoy successful careers. The skills they have acquired are broad and they will bring them to bear in a wide range of areas.

One message has been constant when speakers have addressed all the student groups, and it is one that I impart when I speak to groups of students. It is also something that every one of us can and should adopt as an ambition. Building networks.

For students who spend anything from six months to a couple of years together, the bonding that takes place will stand them in good stead in the future. They will have friends and colleagues to call upon in times of trouble or when they need a second opinion.

Building these networks can never start early enough, and I wholeheartedly encourage all young people planning a career in bloodstock or racing to gain as much experience and knowledge as they can at every turn.

Just as I am enthused and invigorated by the energy of the students I encountered in the past year and recent weeks, I get the same feeling when I see gatherings of such as the ITBA Next Generation.

While it can seem at times to be something of a cliché, and possibly not be appreciated by young people as they set out on their career, they will find that connections are important. John Osborne, in a passionate address to the INS graduates, stressed that the bonds they built this year at Tully would be the most important thing they would take from the course. Wise words.

AUCTION RACES

Many changes and innovations have been recently brought to the table in National Hunt racing, some of them mirroring successful initiatives from flat racing. A leading breeder and consignor this week asked me about the possibility of having more auction races over jumps for horses that cost less than a certain figure. Have you an opinion? If so, please let me know.