IT was a great honour to receive the Administration Award at last month’s Godolphin Stud And Stable Staff Awards.

Having been employed within the thoroughbred industry throughout my working life, it was satisfying to have my contribution recognised.

I was brought up on a farm near Straffan, in Co. Kildare. My family have always had a connection with racing and breeding. My earliest memories learning to ride was with the late Hazel O’Haire (mother of International event rider James O’Haire).

In my younger years, I was a member of the Kildare Hunt Pony Club and hunted with the local packs. I can recall hacking to Kill (crossing the N7, when you could!) on my 12.2hh hogged mane pony to hunt with the Kildares – Ted Walsh who was out qualifying point-to-pointers got the job of keeping an eye on me!

The Taaffes, who lived locally at the time, were family friends and as a teenager I followed my brothers to Pat Taaffe’s to ride out racehorses. That was the start of my love for the racing industry. The buzz riding thoroughbreds was immense and it was a very exciting time having the opportunity of riding Gold Cup winner Captain Christy and great horses like Roman Bar.

I remember my mum having to put her foot down to make me stay at home coming up to my Leaving Certificate to get some study done.

I have made great friendships through the thoroughbred industry but one of my longest is with Julie White of HH Aga Khan’s Studs – we met while attending a secretarial college in Dublin.

First employment

On the week of my 19th birthday, I commenced my first employment, with Goffs Bloodstock sales. After a two-year stint in accounts, I moved to the bloodstock department looking after entries and sales paperwork.

I could not have asked for a better first boss in Jonathan Irwin. He was an innovator who created a very positive working environment/ethic which has stuck with me.

In my early years in Goffs, I studied by night to attain my BHS riding instructor’s qualification and so started my long association with educating the younger generation. I am presently a member of the Irish Pony Club Training Committee. During this time, I taught a Special Olympics riding group and trained the Leinster team.

I also took on my first thoroughbred to retrain – a four-year-old gelding named Blue Grouse. After six great years eventing, hunting and show jumping ‘Grouse’, he continued eventing successfully with a junior rider.

When Tom Taaffe started training very close to home, I started to ride out each morning before heading for Goffs. I set a goal to ride in a charity race and rode in my first of six charity races at Punchestown in 1996.

I worked with Michael Hourigan to organise the Shane Broderick Charity Race at the Curragh on St Leger day which raised £72,000.

Over the line

Lester Piggott was one of the big names in racing who came out of retirement to ride in the race and while not in the first three, I headed Lester over the line at the Curragh on Laura’s Beau. The following year we ran another charity race for Shane Broderick and the Injured Jockey Fund.

I joined the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association as the Association Secretary in the middle of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2000.

This was a seamless adjustment as many of the committee members were also Goffs clients.

It opened my eyes to the work that was done by the committees and the amount of time the committee members gave freely for the betterment of the industry.

Insight

I got a real insight into many areas – the Executive, Council and 11 Sub-Committees as well as six regional committees worked on. From 2006 to 2010, I worked part-time for Bloodhorse Insurances, which was a great insight into another aspect of the thoroughbred industry and it was interesting to deliver the insurance module at the Trainers Course run by then Irish Turf Club at RACE.

Being passionate about education, I jumped at the chance when asked by the Irish School of Farriery to deliver the equine studies and business modules to the apprentices partaking in the four-year FETAC Level 6 Advanced Craft in Farriery Certificate. During my eight years part-time at the school, I was also involved in the curriculum development.

Around this period, I shared my time running the office for John and Clare Tuthill at Owenstown Stud, in Maynooth.

Seven years ago, I joined Michael Halford as the racing secretary. It is a fast-moving role, especially in the mornings for entries and declarations.

Communication with the owners would be important to Michael, so there are often reports to be dictated and emailed to them.

Learning curve

Compliance and record management in relation to the horses, staff and lorries has become a big part of the job and with so many things going electronic, you are constantly on a learning curve or upskilling as it is called!

I keep the horses’ records updated from the yard diary and would be in communication with the vet practices to schedule visits and follow up reports.

From these records, I prepare the monthly training invoices and once sent out, I pass them over to Anne Halford who works two morning a week to look after the accounts.

I have worked with some great staff since I started here and they would probably agree that coffee is important once I arrive in the mornings!! I am the ‘go to’ person – no matter what the subject; like ordering products or scheduling horse movement.

With the younger members of staff, I try to guide them in any way I can and I am always glad when they can feel comfortable coming into me to ‘bounce’ a few thoughts off me.

To get a better insight into staffing, I went to college by night two years ago and graduated with a Diploma in HR Management.

This industry is all about ’dreams to reality’ and I love to see the young jockeys do well. Shane Foley and Conor Hoban were here when I arrived and now, we have Ronan Whelan and a number of young apprentices.

Equally it is lovely to watch the raw yearlings that arrive progress through their training and racing career and turn that ‘dream into reality’ for the owner.

Anne O’Connor was in conversation with John O’Riordan