IT isn’t the first time Dermot Cantillon has been moved to action but pursuing a Seanad seat is completely out of his comfort zone.

Backed by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, of which he is a former chairman, Cantillon has felt compelled to leap into the unknown by his concern about the increasingly perilous plight of rural Ireland as a whole, and the threat to the future of the competition and breeding aspects of the racing and equine sport industries.