Cathy Grassick

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...

The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association promised "lively debate" ahead of its eagerly-anticipated National Hunt seminar and it didn't disappoint with the introduction of three-year-old bumpers, altering the sales programme, the importance of a strong broodmare band and polarisation of the market some of the major topics discussed on the night.  The event took place on Wednesday at The Lord Bagenal Inn, County Carlow, just a stone's throw away from where Willie Mullins, one of the greatest National Hunt trainer of all time, is based.  The panel featured Anthony Bromley, Walter...

The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA) will stage a seminar to discuss the issues surrounding jump breeding in the country on Wednesday, January 17 at The Lord Bagenal in Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow. Entitled 'Jumping into the Future: The Challenges Facing Irish National Hunt Breeding', the debate will be led by trainer and breeder Lorna Fowler of Rahinston Farm and Stud. The panel consists of bloodstock agents Anthony Bromley and Bertrand Le Metayer, breeder and stud owner Peter Molony, vet and consignor Walter Connors, and Tattersalls Ireland director Richard Pugh. Doors...

The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA)'s Flat Seminar, The Distance Debate, was held in conjunction with the Derby Festival at the Curragh on June 30. The seminar featured a panel of top experts--Kevin Blake, Stuart Boman, Ado McGuinness, Jason Morris and John Oxx, with ITBA Chairman Cathy Grassick taking on hosting duties. The discussion--Sprinters, Stayers and Everything in Between--analyzed breeding for different distances to suit market demands, as well as changes in trends over the past number of years and what the future might look like. The panel's lively discussion...

What was you first job in the Thoroughbred industry? I trailed around sales after my father from a young age learning the ropes, but you couldn't really call that a job. My first job on a farm was in Mount Armstrong Stud in Co Kildare when it was owned by Noel O'Callaghan. I used to cycle there every day and learned to prep yearlings with Eddie O'Learys sister, Ashley. The biggest influence on your career? My father Brian and my grandfather Christy who taught me everything I could hope to...

When you have a limited number of bullets to fire, you can't expect to hit the target too often, let alone on Irish Oaks day at the Curragh, but Ronan Fitzpatrick, racing manager to Mark Dobbin, sensed something special was in the offing on Saturday. So much so, Fitzpatrick, full sure that either Cairde Go Deo (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) or Ladies Church (GB) (Churchill {Ire}) were going to do something special this weekend, had worked himself into a tizzy about doing a post-race interview with RTE's Brian Gleeson. He needn't...

The European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders' Associations (EFTBA) and Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA) held their annual general meetings--in a hybrid format--at the ITBA headquarters in County Kildare on May 25 and May 26, respectively. The EFTBA meeting was held in Ireland due to both the chairmanship and secretariat of the EFTBA being held by the ITBA. Cathy Grassick was named the new Chairperson of the ITBA, replacing John McEnery. ITBA CEO Shane O'Dwyer oversaw the proceedings, while the ITBA also welcomed Dr. Dean Harron as the new ITBA President.

Amid the frenzied trade of the Tuesday evening session at last month's Tattersalls December Mares Sale, there were plenty of plaudits being passed around, and rightly so, for the sellers and the purchasers of the session's most sought-after mares. Partaking in a lower-profile-but equally deserved--celebration was the Grassick family of Newtown Stud, which had bred two of the top five lots at the sale: the Group 1-placed 2-year-old filly Flotus (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) (lot 1798), sold to Katsumi Yoshida for 1-million gns, and the listed-winning and group-placed Shades Of Blue...

There was barely time for the dust to settle on a successful renewal of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale before the firm continued on Thursday with the first of two days of its Sportsman's Yearling Sale, which likewise returned strong results. The Sportsman's Sale, like the Orby, was relocated last year to the Goffs UK headquarters in Doncaster with the pandemic making it all but impossible for visitors to travel to Ireland, and back at its rightful home in Kildare on Thursday the first session returned positive figures. Whereas in...

A new virtual workshop titled "A Smart Approach to Yearling Sales Preparation" is slated for Thursday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association announced on Friday. All aspects of a good planning programme will be covered in advance of the upcoming yearling sales season. Elements addressed during the free workshop include: farriery, nutrition, transportation and veterinary. The workshop's panelists are breeder/consignor Cathy Grassick of Newtown House Stud, veterinarian Serena Iceton of Troytown Equine Hospital, Connolly RED MILLS equine nutritionist Lorraine Fradl, Master Farrier Martin...

On the back of the eagerly anticipated stallion fee announcements in Europe, Gary King spoke with a number of leading industry figures about value. Today we hear from Cathy Grassick. GK: Who have you identified as a first-year stallion at an appealing opening fee? CG: Earthlight (Ire) is excellent value retiring to stud at €20,000 for a dual Group 1-winning 2-year-old by Shamardal. First season with runners, for me Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) is really good value considering his sales results and the type of yearling he produced. He is...

In this TDN series we ask a group of experts for their predictions for the 2020 flat season in Europe. Today we hear from Cathy Grassick. TDN: Who do you think will be the leading first-season sire this year? CG: It is definitely one of the harder years to figure out where the leading first-season sire is going to come from due to the amount of horses that retired to stud in 2017. I was very taken with the offspring of Shalaa (Ire) in France; he has an excellent first...