'It is vital to encourage and support the future leaders of our industry'

Last summer Cathy Grassick succeeded John McEnery as chair of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA), the industry's representative body. She told Racing Post Bloodstock about her first few months in the position.

What made you interested in the role?

My late father, Brian, was a strong supporter of the ITBA and was very involved with the organisation as a member of the council. He felt it was very important to look after and support the interests of the thoroughbred industry in Ireland, so he encouraged me to get involved in the regional structure when I first started working full-time in the industry.

I have remained involved ever since, working my way up to becoming a council member and then vice-chairman and now chairman.

What does it entail and has the industry been supportive?

The role is very varied and, as you can imagine, there are a number of different skills required - whether you are supporting breeders through advice or education, representing them at national, European or international levels, or dealing with regulatory bodies and government policy.

I wouldn’t be able to do this role without the support and hard work of a number of people. The team in the office do tremendous work, led by Una Tormey and supported by Danielle Deveney and Hannah Marks - the breeders of Ireland are lucky to have them as a resource.

The wonderful commitment and dedication of the ITBA council members, including vice-chairman Cathal Beale and our veterinary officer Des Leadon, is also a huge asset to the ITBA. I am very lucky to have so many previous chairmen who have been quick to lend their support and advice, such as Eimear Mulhern, John McEnery, Christy Grassick, Derek Iceton, Joe Hernon, Joe Foley, John O’Connor and Stephen Collins.

Una Tormey has also recently been promoted to chief executive. What did the ITBA feel she can bring to the role?

Una is such an exciting appointment and is no stranger to breeders and the members of the ITBA. She joined two years ago as membership coordinator and was soon promoted to operations manager.

She has a wealth of experience representing Irish breeders during her time working closely with previous chief executive Shane O’Dwyer. She is a dynamic team leader and is passionate about the industry, so I am sure she will do an excellent job.

You must also presumably be pleased that this sees two women in prominent positions in an important Irish industry body?

There are a huge number of women at the very top of the Irish industry, one has only to think of Suzanne Eade, chief executive of HRI, Eimear Mulhern, chairman of Goffs, Jane Hedley as operations manager at Leopardstown and the previous chief executive of the Irish Equine Centre, Sarah McNicholas, as well as the new appointee to that role, Deborah Grey.

There are so many top-class women breeders and professionals in the bloodstock industry, who have all earned their positions on merit and hard work, and I think this is a very positive thing for the industry as a whole.

The sales are still vibrant and plenty of good horses and horse people still come from Ireland. How do you judge the health of the country's industry at the moment and are there any particular concerns you have?

There are so many excellent breeders in Ireland and our reputation internationally for producing top-class horses and horse people is very exciting as it means there is a strong demand for both in the marketplace.

The excellent work of ITM in promoting the Irish thoroughbred goes a long way to improving the demand for Irish horses, but we cannot afford to be complacent in such a competitive market. The IRE initiative of a voucher of €10,000 to spend on Irish-bred horses at Irish sales was developed by HRI in collaboration with the ITBA and is an excellent tool to promote Irish-bred horses, and to encourage successful owners to reinvest and support Irish-bred horses.

We still need to be careful that we continue to protect the high quality of our stallions and broodmare bands, and continue to educate and encourage new people into the industry to maintain this position.

Staffing levels and work visas are definitely something which is high priority for breeders, and therefore the ITBA will work hard in this area.

Ensuring new breeders come into the industry, including through the Next Generation initiative, is another priority for the ITBA. Do you feel there are still people out there that racing and breeding can attract, and how do you think the industry can do it?

The Next Generation committee is so very important, not just to me but to the future of the industry and breeding in Ireland. It is vital to encourage and support the young breeders and future leaders of our industry if we want to keep moving forward and strengthening our success.

The new committee is doing great things already, being led by Orla Donworth as chairman and Conor Wixted as vice-chairman, both of whom work at Goffs. The other committee members come from a wide cross section of the industry, such as David Skelly of Rathmore Stud, Clare Manning of Boherguy Stud, Robert O’Callaghan of Yeomanstown Stud, Taragh Brady of Tattersalls Ireland and Luke Bleahen, who comes from a famous National Hunt dynasty but is still studying at university.

The committee is young, vibrant and enthusiastic, and is endeavouring to work hand-in-hand with the senior council on relevant issues and supporting young breeders and new entrants to the industry. Their first event this year will be a trip to visit Coolmore and Castlehyde Studs on Friday, and you can expect many more exciting developments to come.

Breeders are set to be eligible for grant funds from the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (Tams) in 2023. Is this something you found yourself involved with? What sort of a difference could it make?

The ITBA council members and office team worked very hard in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, and most importantly with great dialogue and the support of minister Charlie McConalogue, as well as minister Martin Heydon and minister Pippa Hackett, in order to allow equine breeders in Ireland to have access to Tams in 2023.

This scheme should make a big difference to equine breeders in Ireland when it comes to developing their facilities, but we are awaiting confirmation of final details of the scheme before we know the full benefits.

The TBA has in recent times taken an interest in industry practice regarding the environment, such as improving biodiversity and playing a part in combatting a changing climate. Is this an issue that is or will be on the ITBA agenda?

This is definitely an issue which is on the ITBA agenda. We are working hard to encourage good practices among our members and getting them the right advice and education when it comes to sustainable farming and improving biodiversity.

The thoroughbred industry is already environmentally friendly but there are certainly ways in which we can improve to make it even better for the environment. Along with HRI, we are continually looking for ways to support our members in this effort.

Plenty of people will have enjoyed the online and in-person offerings from the ITBA Educational Programme. Any secrets up your sleeve for this year?

There will be another extensive programme in place for our breeders, especially now with Hannah Marks in a dedicated role as education executive at the ITBA. Already we are looking forward to our first seminar of 2023, which is a breeding season preparation workshop next Tuesday at the ITBA headquarters, or also available online. This will cover topics such as foaling and postnatal care, assisting during foaling, nutrition and mating plans. Registration can be made by emailing hmarks@itba.ie

Finally, you’re also involved in just about every aspect of the industry, including breeding, buying and selling. What were your personal highlights in 2022?

There were so many exciting moments last year on the track and at the sales, but one of the big highlights of the past year was when my mother Sheila Grassick and client Tim Pabst won an ITBA Breeders Award for breeding two-year-old filly of 2021 Flotus (by Starspangledbanner) out of Newtown Stud resident mare Floriade.

Smart filly Flotus has provided plenty of highs for the Grassick familyCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

It was such a wonderful evening, full of the success of so many great Irish breeders. I am really looking forward to the 2023 event, which takes place in the Heritage Hotel in County Laois on Saturday, January 28.

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