ON Monday, the return to outdoor working means that the sales companies can start to inspect yearlings and thus establish some much needed momentum. The week would “normally” see the Goffs UK Spring Sale at Doncaster and the Goresbridge Breeze Up (at Fairyhouse), to be followed by the Irish Guineas meeting. That has all turned out to be the stuff of dreams, and there will be a pretty different complexion as well to the yearling visits, which are subject to a number of rigorous new protocols, agreed together by Goffs and Tattersalls.

There will be regular hand sanitising, masks and gloves will be worn, and a minimum amount of staff are permitted to show the yearlings. We must stay at least two metres from both horses and humans, and cannot enter any vehicle with a client, nor any indoor premises. This final regulation is particularly sad as a highlight of many visits is the chats and treats around many a kitchen table though one upside of this will be that the few ounces that I have managed to shed during the lockdown may be kept at bay from returning too quickly.

Protective suit

Perhaps I should wear the protective suit that I have been using for spraying weeds at home. However, while I am still bearded, it might all look too much like Dr John Harbison arriving at a murder scene, as he did for so many years. There is quite enough to worry about as it is, without starting off a yearling campaign by being mistaken for the former state pathologist.

Hopefully, everybody will understand the protocols because it is critical that every sector of the horse racing world demonstrates how it can operate without compromising anybody’s safety. Goffs has plenty of practice when it comes to taking on board new regulations. Our conditions of sale have grown from 300 words at the start of the 20th century to more than 9,000 words now, all of which represent the encountering of new problems and the solutions put in place to address them.

Challenges

The bloodstock world faced plenty of challenges 10 years ago, arising from the 2008 financial crisis, and some of these may raise their heads again in the coming months. The big difference this time is the absence of horse racing, the implications of which are being felt by many readers of this publication.

Horse racing has proved its ability to operate under the social distancing protocols and its contribution to both the economy and reputation of this country is widely acknowledged. Any further outlawing of its going ahead would seriously question why any racing or bloodstock professional should ever form an orderly queue? You could not sell skiing holidays if there was no snow. In fact, most ski resorts have snow machines just in case it does not come naturally. Without it in the Alps, there would be no visitors, no jobs, no point. Horse racing is our snow.

Part of my Goffs PPE is a drum of hand sanitiser made by Bertha’s Revenge. They are a specialist gin company in Co Cork, based at the beautiful boutique hotel Ballyvolane House, not far from Rathbarry Stud, near Castleyons, Co Cork.

The gin is named after a legendary cow from Sneem in Co Kerry, known as Big Bertha, who died in 1993, just three months shy of her 49th birthday having given birth to 39 calves, which earned her an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

I am an infrequent gin drinker but, when I do, Bertha’s is my brand of choice, not least because I like its taste but also because I know the men behind it. Justin Green is the owner of Ballyvolane, who learnt his acclaimed hotel management skills in Hong Kong, Dubai and the UK, while his business partner Antony Jackson is an old friend who married my flatmate in Dublin. Antony used to run the Berry Brothers wine store next to Westbury Hotel in Dublin and, some years ago, had a stand at Goffs so he was quick to make contact when the lockdown arrived.

Bertha’s gin is milk-based and uses whey alcohol as its base spirit while most use barley or wheat grain spirit. Special yeasts are added to whey to convert the milk sugars into alcohol, producing a spirit which is then distilled with 18 different botanicals to produce the gin.

Like so many producers, Antony and Justin have re-invented themselves in recent weeks and, as bars closed and demand for premium gin waned, they followed World Health Organisation guidelines and quickly produced a liquid hand sanitiser and disinfectant.

After collecting my Goffs PPE kit, a small flower spray bottle filled with the sanitiser unfortunately spilt in the boot, leaving a distinct gin-like aroma throughout my car. Thankfully, social distancing will prevent any checkpoint Garda sticking his head in the window, because the slightest whiff of this would have him running for his breathalyser straightaway.

Trump follower

If any devoted, let alone deluded, Trump follower intended to follow the President’s suggestion of consuming disinfectant to combat the virus could, this would be ideal for the job. All they need to do is stick on their Make America Great Again cap, mix it up with some tonic and a slice of fruit and, with an alcohol content of about 75%, it would be a tastier way to go than a glug of neat Jeyes Fluid.

Above all, I love the product’s name. Carrying the same cow’s head logo as the gin, they have named it, (as simply had to be done), Bertha’s Revenge ‘Herd Immunity’ hand sanitiser.