By Daithi Harvey
There is no shortage of unsung heroes in the racing industry, those who work mostly behind the scenes and whose passion for the industry generally goes unnoticed by the vast majority. Irish racing will lose the services of one of those heroes soon when the Irish National Stud's Sally Carroll retires from her role this month. Carroll has been instrumental in the success and smooth running of the Irish National Stud Breeding Course for the last 20 years. She is in fact an early graduate herself of the course which began in 1971 and since then has played a key role in the education of scores of influential figures in the global bloodstock industry.
This week sees the graduation of the latest bunch of international students and the occasion will also mark the end of Carroll's involvement with the State-owned stud as retirement beckons, something that isn't sitting all that comfortably with the energetic student liaison.
“To be honest I haven't even had time to think about it, it's been extremely busy this year,” Carroll said on Monday as she prepared to bring this year's 27 soon to be graduates on their last industry visit to RACE in Kildare town.
The late Michael Osborne, who ran the Irish National Stud at the time, was the main instigator of the breeding course and it is testament to his vision that the five-month stint has stood the test of time.
“I was actually among the first graduates of the course,” Carroll said. “I was in the same year as Peter Kavanagh [of Kildaragh Stud] who got a gold medal that year and since then it seems to have played a part in the early education of so many significant members in the global industry. There is even a photo of John Magnier here, he attended lectures at the stud at one stage so we certainly brag about that.”
Carroll's own career path is reminiscent of so many others in the industry in that graduation from the course lead to a stint in Kentucky where she worked at Spendthrift Farm. It was while in Kentucky at the Keeneland Sales that she met Stan Cosgrove who told her of a position that was coming available at Gilltown Stud as a veterinary nurse which she ended up doing for a few years. Marriage and rearing a family took precedence for a while before she re-entered the workplace part time at RACE before settling into her current role back where it all started at the Irish National Stud.
“The job just seemed to evolve after that,” she explained. “The course was introduced originally by Michael Osborne as a way to recruit seasonal staff at one of the busiest times on a stud. Then because he was so interested in educating young people it soon began to evolve into what it is today.”
That evolution saw the course become a sort of rite of passage for those seeking an early grounding in the business and it has served as the launch pad for some of the most recognizable names in the industry today. “We never really have to advertise the course, it's generally over-subscribed every year but we try to strike a balance of male and female and national and international,” she said. “It's hugely popular abroad especially with Americans, we could fill the course with international students alone.”
Another endorsement of the course from those who have gone before is the trend of generations of the same family signing up for the five month apprenticeship which embraces both the practical and theoretical side of the industry.
“The Devin family are a prime example,” Carroll said. “Antonia did the course and through that she met her husband Henri, of Haras du Mesnil. Antonia's brother also did the course and now in recent years we have also had the pleasure of seeing Antonia and Henri's own children, Henri-Francois and Sophie graduate.”
Henri-Francois Devin has of course since embarked on a career as a trainer and has quickly developed into one of the most successful young trainers in France. He has also come to prominence in Britain this year through the exploits of the Trevor Stewart colourbearer Hunaina (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), who won the Listed Snowdrop Fillies' S. at Kempton in April and followed up back on home soil in the G3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil at Chantilly last month.
In a similar vein both Padraig and Aveen Campion of Blandford Stud in Kentucky are graduates of the course and their daughter Sarah followed suit and completed the course, likewise Edmond Hogan of Gaulstown Stud in Kentucky who was succeeded at the INS by his son Matt, now of Blackwood Stables.
Of course Sally Carroll isn't the only member of the stud's team to have come home to roost, as CEO Cathal Beale is an even more recent graduate. “Cathal was here in 2007 before doing the Godolphin Flying Start. He didn't come from a racing background and he admits that when he came into the course he learned so much. There is a huge amount crammed into those five months, both from practical and theory point of view. The students work very hard, they arrive in January just when the breeding season is cranking up and it's full on from then.”
Carroll continued, “One thing the course does foster is a strong work ethic as in addition to the strenuous physical tasks of working in a busy stud, students also have to complete assignments and attend lectures in the evenings. Some students may have slightly unrealistic expectations when they arrive that they are going to be bloodstock agents or selling nominations for a big farm as soon as they graduate so it is important that we instill into them that such roles are hard to come by and are only attained through hard graft, experience and working your way up from the bottom. However once they graduate from here they have proven that the hard graft that is part and parcel of a busy stud holds no fears for them.”
There is no denying the international reach of the INS breeding course and one cannot underestimate the esteem in which it is held in every continent. Among the more far flung regions the stud has forged international links with are Japan and Australia.
“Paul Messara is another who did the course and we have developed a great relationship with Arrowfield Stud over the years,” Carroll explained. “Last year five of our students went to Arrowfield to work and it provides a global pathway for young people to broaden their experience abroad. We also work with the JRA in providing experience for Japanese students. In America, it feels like every second person you meet in Kentucky has been through our system and only recently I was at Royal Ascot and I went to the Keeneland party and one of the first people I bumped into was Bret Jones of Airdrie Stud, who is a former student. I didn't recognize him in his top hat until he greeted me and I was chuffed to meet him again and it really goes to show that no matter where you go in the racing world you are likely to come across a former student.”
One of the hazards of educating so many is keeping tabs on their progress, especially the earlier graduates and the INS team are currently working on building up a more comprehensive database of their alumni. In the meantime though as Carroll's time in her role reaches its fruition, she is living proof of the saying that if you are fortunate enough to work in an industry you are passionate about, you never have to work a day in your life.
“It was never really like a job to me, it was time consuming but to me it has been a labour of love,” she said. “I think dealing with the students helps to keep you young as I've been coy about my age, as us ladies tend to be, but now all of a sudden it's out there and retirement is a reality. It took me a while to accept that this was going to happen. In my head I'm the same age as some of the students and I'd love to carry on a bit longer but you can't go on forever and you have to move on and let the younger people take over at some stage.”
Carroll will now have more time to follow her son Gary's career in the saddle and one can be sure she won't be missing too many of her local meetings. “I love going racing, it's a great way of meeting people. I have no great plans for when I finish up though I would like to keep active and maybe get involved with some of the racing charities.”
Having followed the careers of so many successful INS graduates Sally Carroll is in a great position to offer advice to those with ambitions of carving out their own careers in this great game.
“For many who work in this industry, they don't it for the money, it all comes back to the love of the horse,” she said. “I think a good attitude is vital. Not everybody is a gifted horseman but attention to detail, a good attitude and a willingness to work hard will get you a long way. A lot of jobs come about through word of mouth and through recommendations so it is important to make a good impression with as many people as possible.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
