I was fascinated by the sport from an early age and have been both fortunate and privileged to make a career in an industry that I have a real passion for.

During my teenage years, I remember our family trying to pick the winners of big races such as the Grand National and Irish Derby. My mother often remarked that we “may as well stick a pin in them,” although I believed the key to success lay in studying the form.

After I completed my Leaving Certificate in 1967, I was drawn to a newspaper advertisement for the position of administration assistant with the Irish Turf Club, in Merrion Square. Following a preliminary interview, I was called back a second time and couldn’t believe my luck when I was offered the job. It was a great place to work, and it prided itself with upholding the integrity of racing in this country.

I worked in entries, declarations, the racing calendar, passports, the form book, programmes and naming, before eventually having responsibility for the Racing Department. During my time, I worked under Captain Denis Bagallay and Cahir O’Sullivan, two men from whom I learned a great deal, especially the importance of attention to detail.

In 1985, I was faced with a difficult decision, as it came to my attention that Weatherbys Ireland were looking for a manager. I could see that advancement was possible within the Turf Club but from a personal viewpoint, I felt that while I knew a lot about racing, I knew very little about the breeding. It was an area that had interested me for some time, as I felt that it would be an advantage to have a more rounded knowledge of the overall workings of the industry.

I applied for the Weatherbys post and was successful. Joe Reid was CEO of Weatherbys Ireland at the time and I spent four years working with him in the Naas office. Sadly, in 1989, Joe passed away and Christopher Weatherby, Chairman of Weatherbys Group offered me the role of CEO in Ireland – a post I have held for the past 25 years. Christopher and his successor, Johnny Weatherby have been excellent to work for and I had a great working relationship with both men. They were wonderful employers, allowing me to get on with the job, while providing them with reports when required.  

INTEGRITY

The key areas in working for Weatherbys are integrity and customer service.  Weatherbys Ireland are the approved Stud Book Authority under Irish and EU law, running the General Stud Book, the mother Stud Book for the thoroughbred breed and providing a range of other services for the Irish Bloodstock Industry.  The Stud Book companies in Ireland and Great Britain are run on a not for profit basis. 

As well as its administration offices in Naas, Weatherbys Ireland has its own DNA laboratory based at the Irish Equine Centre, where DNA parentage testing and other services takes place for the thoroughbred, non-thoroughbred, bovine, dog and sheep sectors. 

I have been on the board of the Irish Equine Centre since 1989 and it provides a vital service in ensuring the disease free status of our industry, thus allowing us to sell our horses domestically and globally.  Last year the value of Irish foaled horses sold at public auction, for export to 37 countries, was over €205 million.  The Equine Centre was the vision of the late Sean Collins who established the centre and it is vital that the industry ensures the centre operates against the backdrop of a secure financial base. 

I have also sat on the ITBA Council since 2003, the representative body for thoroughbred breeders in Ireland.  What has struck me most about the ITBA is the council and regional committee members who give so freely of their time and expertise for the benefit of their fellow breeders. I served on council under a number of chairman, all of whom strove to improve the lot of the Irish breeder under many different headings. 

After working for 47 years in the industry, my wish is that a secure and sustainable funding structure, at no cost to the exchequer, will be put in place to allow our world class racing and breeding industry grow and achieve its full potential.

A CEO is only as good as the team that work with him and I have been very fortunate in that respect. I owe my colleagues, both past and present, a debt of gratitude, as without their help and support, I would not have been able to do the job to a satisfactory level. Paul Greeves, Paddy Berry and Dr John Flynn are three that I have to single out, while my family and wife Bernadette have been a rock of support and are always on hand to offer advice and counsel. I retire from my position at Weatherbys Ireland in November this year and hopefully I will get the chance to spend more time with my wife, family and seven grandchildren.

In conversation with John O’Riordan.