CAOIMHE Doherty is testament that with hard work and passion, anyone can make a difference in the competitive worlds of horse racing and breeding.

Without any family background in racing, the Galway native has worked her way up to the position of manager at Tony and Sharon Smurfit’s Forenaghts Stud, and co-founded Treo Eile, a not-for-profit organisation focused on thoroughbreds’ lives after racing.

The Galway native developed an interest in horses via her grandfather, who brought her and her siblings to follow the local hunt, and would always have racing on the television. Reading the pony club manual cover-to-cover and devouring all books and magazines on the subject became one of her favourite pastimes, much to her grandfather’s delight.

After completing a degree in Food and Agribusiness Management at UCD, Doherty spent a year interning at Paca Paca Farm in Japan, before earning a place on the Godolphin Flying Start programme. A year-long stint at the Racing Post followed, before spending four years on the nominations team at Kildangan Stud, and she is now in her fourth breeding season at Forenaghts Stud in Co Kildare.

Purple patch

The 200-acre farm is enjoying a fantastic run of late, with homebred Chicago Critic finishing a gallant third in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, while the Forenaghts-bred Thunder Run is now rated 100 following his Clipper Handicap success at York’s Ebor Festival.

On Chicago Critic’s length defeat to Haatem, Doherty recalls, “I feel like I celebrated, like he was going to win!

“It was amazing, because the whole family were there, and I saw a tweet the night before that it had been, I think, over 20 years since the Smurfit colours had been seen at Ascot. So that was really cool.”

It was Tony Smurfit who chose to run the 80/1 shot in the Jersey, and Doherty explains that he is very much involved in every aspect of the racing and breeding operation.

“I talk to him most days, keeping him updated with pictures and videos of what’s happening on the farm. We do all the matings together. I’ll do a list, and then I’ll send it to him. He’ll change plenty of them, or he’ll say, maybe we won’t spend that on her, or why don’t we send her to this stallion?”

Forenaghts have invested in some exciting broodmare prospects of late, with one of their more recent additions being Cadeau Belle, who carried Smurfit’s colours to victory in a listed race following her private purchase to remain with Johnny Murtagh.

A balancing act

On the selection process, Doherty explains, “Number one, they have to be a racehorse. But number two, we have to try and pay some bills every now and again, so you have to be thinking commercially.

“It’s the same with our matings; we’re looking at horses that can go well in the sales ring, but will also get you a runner and a winner if it doesn’t work out. I think that’s really important, and maybe I’m being a little bit harsh on people, but I think a lot of people just breed for the sales ring now. If you’re only breeding for the sales ring, then your mares have a shorter longevity.”

The farm’s fine season should benefit their eight yearlings heading to Goffs and Tattersalls in the coming weeks. Described as “a solid bunch” by a modest Doherty, they include yearlings by Oasis Dream, New Bay, Night Of Thunder and Starspangledbanner.

Forenaghts have enjoyed commercial success in recent years, the highlight being the €400,000 sale of a Frankel filly to BBA Ireland at last year’s Goffs Orby Sale. Caoimhe has also had plenty to celebrate at the store sales, courtesy of profitable pinhooks with Tom Howley’s Brook Lodge Farm.

“Tom has sold a six-figure horse every year for the past four or five years, and he’s only been selling for seven years. He’s worked so hard and I’m really proud of him.”

Finding time for what matters

With yearling prep in full swing at Forenaghts, it’s a wonder that Caoimhe finds time for her two prized Connemara ponies, who she regularly shows on weekends.

She made her Dublin Horse Show debut earlier this month aboard ‘Nemo’, but her proudest moment of the week came when Mickah Wallace and Stephanie McGlynn won the Racehorse to Riding Horse class.

Treo Eile, which Doherty founded with Sarah Sands, was integral in uniting the combination of McGlynn and Wallace, with Sands having put McGlynn in touch with owner Mark Cahill.

“It was amazing,” Doherty says of the RDS win. “Steph has worked really, really hard, and that horse is beautiful. He’s a credit to her - he moves so well, he rides so well, and I’ve seen her with him in side saddle, he events - he’s an all-rounder.

“They’ve been an incredible partnership, and they’re an amazing poster child for Treo Eile and what we’re trying to do, and what the industry should be trying to do. Because these horses are versatile. They are trainable, they are adaptable. And they can compete on those levels.”

Linking retired racehorses with their future owners is just one element of what Treo Eile does, as Doherty explains. “We have three pillars; connect, support and promote. So, connect horses to new homes, and we’ve just launched our portal where horses can be advertised and listed - it’s a safe space to try and find these horses new homes.

“Then, promote; so that’s all the social media, the videos, the stories about how these horses succeed in a new role, and then finally, there is the support. I always say, you can’t expect people to take on these horses if there’s nothing for them. We’ve put a huge amount of prize money up for ex-racehorses, as well as clinics and education.”

Not good enough

Anne O’Connor, who Doherty says “does trojan work” is the only paid full-time member of the team at Treo Eile, while Melanie Young assists with administration and promotion on a part-time basis.

Sands remains on the advisory board, while Caoimhe, Diana Cooper and Harry McCalmont are directors, and all on a voluntary basis.

While I hugely admire what Treo Eile have done for thoroughbred aftercare, I wonder why it was left to passionate volunteers to create the organisation, and not to the industry authorities.

I asked Doherty for her take. “It shouldn’t be up to us. I think, in one way, the fact that we are independent is really good, because we can get stuff done and we can kick on, but I do think, like, it shouldn’t be up to us, and that’s a frustration.”

Doherty’s major role is securing industry funding for the organisation, she tells me. “I literally go around with my hand outstretched, saying, ‘Can I have money, please?’ And the industry has been great. There’s been no one who’s ever said no, and I think special shout out to Godolphin, who have been our biggest supporters.

“They’ve really thrown their weight into it, both financially and helped with so many other things. I think the industry would be a very different place without Godolphin in it. I don’t think people understand how much they put into so many different projects: aftercare, welfare, education.

“They’re really big thinkers, and they think about the community, and they think about the future. Without them, I don’t know if we would have gotten started, or how far we would have got.”

Doherty also mentioned the EBF, HRI and Foal Levy fund as important supporters of Treo Eile, but admits that the system is far from ideal. “I’m kind of slow about taking levies out of this, that and the other.

“Because I don’t want someone to turn around and say, ‘well, actually, I paid my Levy at the start of the year.’ Let’s say you paid 50 quid. How long does that keep a horse going for you? You don’t even get a day and a half out of that.

“People need to take responsibility for every horse that you breed or every horse that you own. We need to be thinking, what’s the plan for the end of this horse’s life? I think 95% of breeders and owners don’t think negatively about it, it’s just not in the plan.”

End of life

Doherty is also fully aware that Treo Eile can’t help all former racehorses. “Sometimes horses aren’t suitable for a new career; if your horse has a chronic unsoundness, if it’s mentally unsound, retraining is not the answer for it.

“The other thing is, I think we need to be much more proactive about euthanasia, because there’s a fate worse than death for a lot of horses, but it needs to be humane, to be properly controlled, and it needs to be regulated.”

She continues to make a good point; “People put down their dogs all the time, when they’re not physically sound enough to have a good life, and I don’t think we should be so afraid of doing that for horses.

“It kind of boggles me sometimes that people are afraid to do it, and we’re afraid to do it because of the backlash that we might get, whereas in many instances it’s the best thing to do.

“I really believe that people understand if you can show them how you make that decision, how you get there. It’s a really difficult decision to make. It’s really hard.”

It’s impossible to discuss the topic without mentioning the disturbing footage featured by RTÉ Investigates earlier this year. “What we saw in Straffan was a real shock, because realistically, you sending your horse to the factory, it should be okay.

“If it’s controlled and if it’s regulated, and you know that horse is going to have a good end of life, whereas what we saw there wasn’t that. I don’t think it’s ever going to be publicly acceptable to be sending horses to the factory, but we need to have an end-of-life facility that is safe for them, that they’re not going to be treated that way.

“I think about it all the time, and it keeps me awake at night.”

Also apparent in the RTÉ footage was the insufficient traceability of horses in Ireland, which is a barrier for thoroughbred aftercare, with some owners reluctant to rehome their horse in the fear that it may eventually end up in the wrong hands.

“I don’t blame people for being afraid to rehome horses,” Doherty admits. “We’ve seen plenty of those cases where they’ve come back to bite them, where they haven’t seen the horse in 12 years and their names are dragged through the mud because they’re on the passport as the owner, or the breeder, whereas it hasn’t had an accurate owner in 10 years.

“In fairness to Weatherbys and HRI, they are working on that traceability, but it’s going to be slow. If it’s so up to date with cattle, why is it so behind in horses?”

Looking ahead

Despite these frustrations, Caoimhe is a positive person, so I think it’s important to end on a bright note. “It’s been so rewarding,” she says on what Treo Eile has done.

“One of the best days I think I had was at Tattersalls last year. It was midweek, so I didn’t think we were going to have many entries, but we had something like 22 in one class, 18 in another.”

I then ask what she’s looking forward to at Forenaghts. “I look forward to every day. I know that sounds really stupid, but I love coming in here. It’s such a beautiful farm to drive into every day.

“I love doing the yearlings, because I think they change so much in front of your eyes. And as I said earlier, I think they learn so quick, and it’s so rewarding.

“I love going racing. I love having runners. I love having winners more, but they’re harder to get! I’m just excited for the future.”