Business Strategies For Survival & Success
Dean Harron – Chairman
Works part-time in the school of pharmacy at Queens University in Belfast. He is a thoroughbred breeder and the best horse he has bred to-date is Steinback, a Group 3 winner here and recently again in Hong Kong.
Joe Connolly
Joe is the Managing Director of Connolly’s Red Mills in Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny. The company was founded in 1908 and now exports feed to 35 countries.
Matt Dempsey
Matt is best known as the Editor of the Farmers Journal but he is also the chief Executive of the Agricultural Trust, owners of both the Irish Farmers Journal and The Irish Field.
Pat Keogh
Pat is Chief Executive of Leopardstown Racecourse and Golf Centre. Formerly Head of Corporate Affairs with the Cosgrove Property Group. He has experience in the racing & bloodstock industry having previously been Finance Director of Coolmore Stud.
Declan McEvoy
Declan McEvoy is the senior taxation consultant with IFAC Accountants the nationwide accounts and consultancy service established by the Irish Farmers Association. Declan also acts as the ITBA’s tax consultant.
What can we do to promote National Hunt Fillies
Leo Powell - Chairman
Leo is the Managing Editor of the Irish Field, the Bible of Irish racing and equestrianism. He comes from a racing family; his brother is the Grand National winning jockey and prominent trainer Brendan. Leo’s nephew Brendan Powell Jnr is making a name for himself as a jump jockey in Britain this season.
Leo began his bloodstock career at the Ballsbridge Sales Company (now Tattersalls Ireland) where he became manager. He moved to Goffs in 1988and held the titles of Bloodstock Sales Director and Marketing Director. During this time he wrote breeding articles for both the Irish Farmers Journal and The Irish Field.
He took up his current career position in September 2003 and he has overseen the sustained development of the paper to the benefit of its large readership and for all equine pursuits in this country.
Leo is a former Chairman of the National Hunt Committee of the ITBA, member of the TOTE committee, a Director of Naas Racecourse PLC and a member of the European Sub-Committee of the International Cataloging Standards Committee. He is also a thoroughbred both flat and National Hunt
Robert Hall
Best known as presenter of RTE’s racing coverage, Robert worked in Goffs as an auctioneer for 40 years before retiring last November. He has a complete grounding in the many facets of racing and breeding. A pedigree compiler in the days before computerisation, he was a member of the third group to undertake the Irish National Stud Management course.
Before joining Goffs, Robert built an association with American bloodstock auction house Fasig-Tipton. He worked as caretaker manager for Laddie Dance at his stud farm in Maryland and studied auctioneering in Indiana.
Robert has also worked for Coolmore, BBA Ireland under Tom Cooper, he has written for numberous publications both here and in America, and he founded and ran the successful Stablemate racing syndicates.
He rode three times on the racecourse, winning a charity race at Fairyhouse and being beaten a short-head in another by Frank Berry.
Noel Meade
Noel is a name that is synonymous with success in Irish racing. He has held a license for 40 years now and has been crowned Champion National Hunt trainer seven times, sending out over 2,000 winners. The list of top horses he has trained is a long one and would include Pandorama, Aran Concerto, Realt Dubh, Harchibald, Harbour Pilot, Cardinal Hill, Cockney Lad, The Bunny Boiler, Steel Duke and Pinch Hitter.
His three Cheltenham Festival winners – Sausalito Bay, Go Native and Nicanor – all cami in novice hurdlers and Noel looks to have another nice crop of novices this season, including the unbeaten Monksland. Noel is having a particular good season and at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting he won the valuable Paddy Power Chase with Cross Appeal.
Noel is chairman of the Irish Racehorse Trainers’ Association and a board member of Horse Racing Ireland
Jim Mernagh
Owner of Coolamurry Stud, located between Clonroche and Enniscorthy in Co. Wexford. Jim is one of the most well known and respected figures in Irish Jump racing. His familiar purple and gold silks have been carried with distinction by the likes of Deep Bramble and, notably, some high class racemares such as Golden Sunbird and Aura About You. It was under his chairmanship of the ITBA’s National Hunt Committee that a review of the mares’ racing programme was carried out. As a result of this study, Horse Racing Ireland upgraded the programme for mares.
Coolamurry Stud is home to the stallion Ashkalani and is also where the great Moscow Flyer was prepared for the 1998 Derby Sale.
Richard Pugh
Richard’s company Irish Point-to-point Services and its website p2p.ie have revolutionised the organisation of point-to-point racing in recent years. Almost all entries are now made online, race cards are in colour, videos of many races are available within hours – the improvements are endless. He also organises the annual awards night which has become one of the highlights of racing’s social calendar.
But beyond the commercial realm. Richard has devoted his working life to promoting Irish point-to-pointers and their subsequent success on the racecourse. He is always looking to improve the race programme and can always be relied upon to bring facts and figures to the table to support his arguments. He has also represented our amateur riders, winning them the right to carry sponsorship and he helped set up the Rockview series of bumpers.
Richard is also an expert race caller, performing commentating duties at Limerick, Down Royal and other tracks, both here and in Britain. He rode 14 winners between the flags himself, including a Ladies Cup at Punchestown.