HAVING spent the entirety of my working life employed within the breeding/stud industry, it has given me great satisfaction to see my own broodmare, American Princess, produce two winners of her own.

It had long been an ambition of mine to breed a winner and that mare has realised those dreams courtesy of her offspring Peculiar Genius and Jessie Evans. However, keeping a couple of broodmares is merely a hobby as my day job is as assistant manager at Meadow Court Stud.

When I was in primary school, a bunch of us used to help out at the local Drumconrath Stud in return for riding lessons. The owner, Robin Cutler, was a great man to give lads a chance and later, when we were older, he would pay us a pound a week to do odd jobs like painting and maintenance. I stayed working for Robin right up until aged 17, when I completed my Leaving Certificate.

It had been my intention to enrol on the Irish National Stud course but I was too young at the time. So, I spent 19 months working for Pat O’Kelly at Kilcarn Stud in preparation for further studies.

The O’Kelly family were renowned breeders who bred million pound yearlings that went on to great success. Names like Marju, Salsabil and Flame Of Tara will be familiar to many Irish racing enthusiasts. I finally signed up for the Irish National Stud course in 1999 and stayed on to help with the yearling prep after graduating.

I couldn’t recommend the course highly enough as you get incredible experience, make lifelong friends and build contacts all over the world.

Foaling

After that first yearling season, I stayed on to run a small mares and foals yard at the Irish National Stud. Then in 2003, I moved to the foaling unit, where I worked under a stud groom.

In 2011, I took over the running of the unit when I was appointed foaling unit manager. I remained there until October 2018, when I took up my current role as assistant manager at Meadow Court Stud.

Although the stud had been in existence for many years, it had been taken over by new owners who knocked it to the ground and rebuilt from scratch.

It was an exciting time to be involved so I was delighted when my application for the position was successful. On a personal level, it was also an upscale in terms of my role but downscaling numbers wise.

That suited me as I have a young family so getting to spend more time with my wife and kids was very attractive. Coming from a situation where we looked after upwards of 290 mares a season at the Irish National Stud, it made a change to oversee a broodmare band of 20-30 at Meadow Court Stud.

In terms of my actual role, as assistant manager, I am the link between the stud manager, Kieran Lalor and the staff. I am very fortunate in that we are a close-knit team who work and gel quite well so it makes my life easier. Kieran is a very hands on manager, a real team player, so the two of us foal all the mares here ourselves.

Having foaled and looked after yearlings for over 20 years, I always had a desire to try breed my own horse. Around 2006, I bought a cheap filly from the Irish National Stud and put her in training with my good friend Michael Grassick.

The filly, who was later named American Princess, won two races for us on the track. Although that was a tremendous buzz at the time, it is her subsequent success in the breeding shed that has given me most satisfaction.

Along with my wife Aoife, we bred from American Princess, with both her produce who have ran going on to win races. Peculiar Genius won twice for Paul Nolan, while the mare’s latest offspring Jessie Evans, won his bumper and maiden hurdle.

We are dreaming that he could potentially be a blacktype horse; something that every breeder aspires to. It’s hard to beat the thrill of watching a horse you own or bred winning a race - I always say that those three or four minutes make all the years that have gone before worthwhile.

Highlights

Aoife would be well known in racing circles as her company PA Solutions work with a number of stud farms and trainers. I suppose I had always seen success around me in my various roles working in stud farms so I wanted to prove I could succeed as a breeder myself.

Aoife gives me plenty of stick for it but I am delighted that we have been able to breed winners in our own right.

During my time in racing, one of the biggest highlights has been Urban Sea as a resident broodmare at the Irish National Stud. Both her sons, Sea The Stars and Born To Sea were foaled at the stud, while we also prepped the former and Champion Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly for the yearling sales. I am a keen racing fan so always follow the progress of the horses we bred or prepped at the studs I have worked at.

Cable Bay, who is now a successful stallion, was a horse I looked after as a yearling before he was sold. He went on to do very well on the racecourse and is continuing to do well in his new career.

On a more personal level, it meant a lot to be involved with Banimpire, who was bred by my former boss Pat O’Kelly before going on to win at Royal Ascot for Jim Bolger.

Gerry Hanratty was in conversation

with John O’Riordan