I followed the local hunt with my mum from an early age. At that time though, I didn’t really know what it was all about. It wasn’t until towards the end of primary school, when I got riding lessons, that I got into it a bit more.

When my mum started taking in a few mares and foals, I developed an interest in thoroughbreds. I started looking at pedigrees and stuff around that time. Then, through nothing more than changing circumstances, or good fortune, we found ourselves inheriting a very smart blacktype filly.

It was around the time the Celtic Tiger crashed. Mum was told she could keep a filly that she had foaled down. A rather oddly-bred filly, her pedigree was unlikely to make her very popular at the sales. For that reason, once she reached two-years-old, Mum decided to put her in training. Mark Fagan, our vet and family friend, held a licence at the time.

Subsequently named Duchess of Foxland, the filly ran four times as a juvenile, winning her final start at Naas that October. She came back at three, won the Madrid Handicap at the Curragh on her first start, then finished second in the (Group 3) 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown a week later. She then returned to the Curragh, where she was third in the Group 3 Athasi Stakes, before later winning the Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes at Gowran. It was a bit of a fairytale story really; the foal that nobody wanted, with the odd pedigree.

Broad experience

During secondary school at Wilsons Hospital, I did a bit of inter-schools show jumping. I never reached any great heights but I always enjoyed it. I hunted away on my mum’s horse as well. From 16, I did three summers at Tally-Ho Stud doing the yearling preps. In my final year, I did the sales for them. Tally-Ho was where I really learned all about racehorses; how to prep them, what to look out for and such. After school, I did a four-year degree in General Science at Maynooth University. One of those summers, I went over to France where I spent a few months prepping yearlings for La Motteraye Consignment. Again, it was another invaluable experience which has stood to me in later years.

When I graduated, I ended up taking an entirely different route; securing a job with the Racing Post in London. I spent 18 months working as an account manager in the bloodstock department. It was essentially a sales role sort of thing. After coming home, I spent a breeding season shadowing Mark Fagan in his daily routine. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him go about his work as he visited different yards; again, another invaluable experience. Six years ago, the job as Racing Secretary with Gordon Elliott came up. I had never worked in a racing administration role before, so a lot of it was very new to me. The Racing Post had given me a good grounding in terms of knowing people within the industry and their specific roles. However, I had to learn how to use the HRI RÁS site and get to know the different contacts within other sectors.

Daily routine

I deal mainly with transport and human resources [HR] in my day-to-day duties. I organise the booking of horses to the UK, France or further afield, as well as the necessary paperwork involved. With Gordon’s yard getting bigger all the time, a new HR role evolved for the last year-and-a-half. With the industry getting better in terms of employees having the correct paperwork and documentation, it made sense to set up the new role.

We are fortunate to have some great staff here; some really nice people. I think, they, in turn, appreciate the efforts that have been made over the last 18 months to ensure that everything is as it should be when it comes to their entitlements and pensions. I have found that since the HR department was introduced, we have had less problems retaining staff then we had previously.

Away from the job in Gordon’s, I also buy and sell yearlings with two good friends, Amy Parsons and Anto Fox. For the past three years, we have found yearlings and subsequently breezed them under the banner of Foxley Stables. Earlier this month, we had our first ever runner at Royal Ascot. Muddy Mooy certainly exceeded all our expectations when finishing an excellent fourth in the Kensington Palace Stakes.

Outside interest

I am very lucky in that I can go look at yearlings after work or when it is quiet in the yard. Gordon has no problem with his staff having outside interests such as mine; if anything he encourages it. He feels it is good for the staff to be involved and interested in other sectors of the industry. I also have my own mares and foals at home, so that is another passionate interest.

We trade under the banner Foxland Stud and have had luck with cheaply bought mares such as one named Kharana. She later became the dam of Group 1 winner Shantisara. Hopefully we can find a few more like that.

I was recently nominated for an Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Award. It was both a great surprise and honour to be named one of the overall winners. It is a fantastic initiative that is well received within the industry and Godolphin, the Irish Stable Staff Association and all relevant stakeholders should be thanked for their continued support.

Philippa was in conversation with John O’Riordan