TDN Q&A With Michael Hardy

This Q&A is part of an ongoing series where current trainees of the Godolphin Flying Start sit down with graduates of the programme to discuss their career successes. In this installment, first-year trainee Joe Callan catches up with Michael Hardy, the general manager of Margaux Farm in Midway, Kentucky.

It is only when you arrive in Lexington that you realise the vast number of graduates of the Godolphin Flying Start programme that now reside here and have built successful careers with the help of the skills they acquired throughout the two-year course. The alumni here have been welcoming and willing to guide us in the best direction as we embark on our U.S. phase. I have noted the large number of Irish graduates living here, and I reached out to Michael Hardy, General Manager of Margaux Farm in Midway, for a discussion about the U.S. industry and what path he took before ending up here. Michael graduated in 2012 and since completing the course and making the move to the U.S. he has built a hugely successful career which is sure to only continue to grow in the coming years.

JC: What influenced you to get involved in the Thoroughbred industry?

MH: I grew up on a small farm in Co. Down, Ireland. My father was always very interested in the industry as he bred five or six flat mares every year, so I was fortunate enough to be around Thoroughbreds for as long as I can remember. When I was young my father, brother, a few friends and I would take a road trip every year to go look at the stallions in Kildare, Cork and Tipperary. I always had an affinity for and loved the industry. I enjoyed working hands on, on our stud and I was lucky to learn horsemanship from a very young age as we did everything from foaling through to sales consignment of our own foals.

JC: What path did you take before obtaining a role on Godolphin Flying Start?

MH: Before gaining a position on Godolphin Flying Start I studied Equine Science at the University of Limerick. While on work placement as part of my degree I completed the Irish National Stud Thoroughbred Breeding Course where I was awarded the Gold Medal for receiving top grades. Most of my hands-on experience came from time on my family's stud farm as I mentioned before, and I also spent time prepping yearlings with John Kilpatrick of JK Thoroughbreds.

JC: What made you make the switch from a bloodstock sales role in Ireland to a farm manager's position in the U.S.?

MH: While on Godolphin Flying Start I was looking for a job on a stud farm and applied for the farm manager role at Margaux Farm. Nothing had been decided by the time I completed the course and I was very lucky to start a job at Goffs in Kildare in bloodstock sales. I enjoyed my position at Goffs and I find the bloodstock side of the business fascinating, but I had seen myself in a farm manager's role from a very young age. It was a hard position to leave but when the opportunity came to make the move and take up the farm manager role at Margaux Farm I knew I had to go for it. My now-wife Kate also had a good job in Lexington with the Darley nominations team and we had been hoping to obtain roles in the same country.

JC: Describe your typical day at Margaux Farm managing such a large organisation?

MH: There are no two days the same on the farm or even close to similar. My role has evolved and changed with the evolution of the farm. When I first started at Margaux I was fulfilling the farm manager position. It was all-encompassing and could range from foaling mares right through to overseeing the existing training operation. The ownership structure of the farm changed when Jim and Sue Hill became sole owners of the farm, and at that time I was promoted to general manager. Jim and Sue had a great vision for Margaux, and we soon started on several construction projects and expanded the farm from 320 acres to 640 acres. We are still working hard to build their vision, and many of my days now include construction planning, budgeting, scheduling and working closely with our contractors. Luckily, we have a great team at Margaux and my main role is overseeing our key staff. I try to put the right people in the right roles so as a team we can do our absolute best by our clients. Thankfully with the strong team around me my main role comes down to looking after them and communicating with our clients and the owners. Ultimately the buck stops with me for everything that happens at the farm and I appreciate that responsibility. I enjoy the variety of the job and it makes every day an interesting one.

JC: What are some of the positive aspects of the U.S Thoroughbred industry?

MH: The horseracing industry in the U.S. has a brilliant vibrant feel to it, it's a close-knit community full of top-class horse people, stud farms, sales and racing. The American Thoroughbred year after year proves its success on the racetrack here and around the globe, and as a result you have a deep bench of buyers at the sales. The market is getting stronger particularly at the top with buyers investing from the U.S. and abroad, reflecting the demand for quality horses at the sales. While racehorse ownership is not for the faint of heart or wallet, in the U.S. you have better prize money than many regions globally. You have better odds here that a racehorse, with a little luck, can pay their way on the track and race successfully for many years. This model opens the opportunity for many groups and partnerships to form, and gives more people the opportunity to get involved in racehorse ownership.

We are particularly lucky here in Lexington to have some of the best farmland for raising world-class racehorses. The U.S. Thoroughbred industry stems from the years of expert management of this land allowing generations of farm managers to build on the legacy of the past and produce quality stock year after year.

JC: If you could choose anything to improve in the industry within the next ten years what would it be?

MH: No matter how much you improve there is always more room for improvement. The biggest problem I feel that we face as an industry is our perception with drug use. As an industry when we discuss these issues we often get distracted by the smaller details rather that the bigger picture. Industry outsiders, casual fans and bettors perceive the industry to be riddled with drug abuse, and we need to work harder to prove that their perception isn't our reality. The BHA (British Horseracing Authority) has taken some hardline stances on medications and other rules in the racing industry in the UK; I feel like we need to be looking at their work and taking more proactive steps here to clean up the perception of our sport. Coming from a European background, I see the positives of having a centralized governing body over the sport as a whole, and hope the U.S. industry starts moving a bit more quickly in that direction. When we look at the sports we compete against for advertising, television revenue and, increasingly, betting dollars, they all have centralized governing bodies overseeing the administration of the sport. I think the RCI has done a great job offering recommendations to the state racing commissions, but until each state is required to play by the same rules instead of recommended to, we are going to have problems with perception and fairness.

JC: Can you share with us the best advice you have received throughout your career?

MH: I have been lucky enough to have received excellent advice throughout my career from family and mentors in the industry. I remember my father telling me that “you learn more by listening than talking” and “that the smartest man in the room is most often the quietest.” I don't know that he always followed that advice himself, but he wasn't wrong. Throughout my education and career, I have found that people in this industry are always more than willing to share good advice, it's just up to you to keep an open mind and listen.