THE baton was passed early this year, but there was little time to sit back, relax and bask in any glow. Cathy Grassick is the second woman to hold the position of chairperson of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, and the first to smash that glass ceiling to smithereens was Eimear Mulhern.

As it happens, Eimear is a role model for Cathy, someone she counts as a friend, mentor and client.