Irish breeding

KILLENARD, Ireland - By daybreak on Monday the last few revellers were leaving the bar at The Heritage while those - admittedly few - of a more disciplined nature started to consider breakfast.  Heads were hurting but hearts were still soaring after an evening celebrating all that is great about the Irish bloodstock industry. And it was a truly great night, but one which naturally started on a sombre note as the gathered guests bowed their heads in a few moments of silence to reflect on the passing of the...

Horse Racing Ireland boss Suzanne Eade has put attendance figures towards the top of her priority list for the remainder of 2023 and hailed the resilience of owners against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis as the six-month statistics were revealed on Thursday.  Attendances have climbed 7.6% to 544,147 for the first six months of the year while sponsorship rose 4.8% to €4.4m with horses winning overall prize money of €30.6m. That is up 1% on last year's corresponding figures, despite a reduction in the number of race...

KILLENARD, Ireland--The trick to living a mostly happy life is to spend as much time as possible doing what you love. Simple, right? That's not to say that people in the bloodstock industry don't work incredibly hard. There is no real let-up in the work either, with almost wall-to-wall sales these days, foals on the way, mares to be covered, mud to be scraped off almost everything and, some mornings, ice to be broken on water troughs and buckets.  But it's a wonderful life nonetheless, and every now and then...

Irish racing and breeding has lost a much-loved member of its community with the death on Saturday of Pat Hyland of Oghill House Stud. He was 78. With his brother Hugh and nephew John, Hyland ran the successful Kildare farm which incorporates the family's own broodmare band along with a thriving boarding operation. His brothers David and Paul are also involved in the business and are the breeders, respectively, of G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Marcel (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) and Washington DC (Ire), one of the stand-out performers from the...