On Thursday night the YITBA held an educational evening at the headquarters of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association. The overwhelming response to the event was amazing and prompted me to think about what we can do to encourage the next generation to become active and more involved in the sport of racing and in the breeding industry.

Many have the seeds sown by coming from a background with horses, even if this is in the sport horse sector. Their love for the business is therefore instilled at an early age. Some others will come across the business through racing and need to find a way to break into the sphere. In all of these cases there should be as much encouragement and mentoring given as possible.