WHAT an opportunity we all have this morning/afternoon to go out and visit some of the most influential studs in world racing, the very backbone of what makes the Irish bloodstock industry held with such respect by every racing jurisdiction in the world.

The Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Stallion Trail continues to grow but it’s arguably still not anywhere near its potential. The scope is there to make it much bigger because when else do you get the opportunity to go behind the scenes and witness such equine talent?

Of course you’re not just going to see the stallions but the people as well, often part of breeding family dynasties that go back over a century. These families have been integral to the development of the Irish racing industry into the over achieving, world renowned success it is today through acquiring, nurturing and prospering with the stallions that have shaped the breed as we know it.

Indeed, if some of the studs you can visit today were offered as a prize visit in an auction, they’d go for 100s of euro, if not thousands.

Rathbarry and Glenview Studs would fit that bracket. Based near Fermoy, Co Cork, they are owned by the Cashman family who have stood the test of time, the greatest test of all in this industry, as they approach 90 years standing stallions, ever since Royal Pom became the first stallion to stand at Rathbarry in 1935 after Paul Cashman bought 159 acres of land between Castlelyons and Conna.

From those early years Rathbarry has grown and maintained a world class reputation. Paul’s son Liam took over and along with his wife Catherine, the operation moved onto another level. They read the trends and demand of the industry to facilitate breeders with stallions who would become top class such as Kampala, Taufan, Alzao and Barathea.

In 1991, Glenview Stud, just down the road from Rathbarry, was established to house the National Hunt stallions, with the demand increasing from breeders.

Sadly Liam passed away in 2010 but Catherine is still the backbone of everything that happens in Rathbarry and Glenview, with her son Paul and Niamh (Woods, married to former jockey Francis) putting their own stamp on proceedings.

“At the core of it all is love of the horse,” Niamh told Daragh Ó Conchúir for this feature in 2017, and Paul is no different, still thoroughly enjoying a way of life, as much as a career.

The first hand experience he has in stallion business, breeding, at the sales and in the point-to-point sector is second to none, and the guts of an hour spent on the phone with him on Tuesday evening was as informative as it was enjoyable.

Rathbarry and Glenview are thriving with 10 stallions in all, four at the former and six at the latter. On the flat side the brilliant servant Acclamation, now 24, heads up the up-and-coming Kodi Bear and James Garfield, with the very notable addition of State Of Rest.

On the National Hunt side, Shirocco and Sholokhov continue to prosper, alongside the new star in the jumps game Blue Bresil. Youmzain along with the big potential pair Old Persian and Eagles By Day complete a formidable line-up.

“I remember when we were younger with Mam and Dad here, we used to be in school and coming running down to feed the calves,” Cashman says reflecting on how things have developed at Rathbarry. “When this place was a dairy farm, we used to milk over 100 cows back in the 80s.

“That was a great grounding in animal husbandry but the equine side was starting to expand and so Dad had a decision to make; either the horses or the cattle, and he chose the horses.

“I suppose the game has gone a lot more professional now. Back then, you had a lot more loyal breeders who trusted my father’s judgement and supported his stallions year after year.

“Now it’s gone more business-like, it’s more commercially driven. It’s all about popularity. If your sire is popular he’ll get mares, if he’s not, it’s tough work. But it’s probably similar to other sections of the industry, the top end of the scale is good but the middle to lower end is getting a lot tougher.”

Fresh talent

That’s why studs like Rathbarry/Glenview can ill afford to rest on their laurels. The need to add fresh talent to the team is always there to entice breeders but it says plenty that looking ahead to 2023, that Cashman reports the bookings to be as busier than ever.

The tried and tested success of the likes of Acclamation, Shirocco and Sholokhov will always stay solid in the market but much of the excitement in Rathbarry/Glenview is to do with recent additions State Of Rest, who joined the team in September and Blue Bresil, who was acquired ahead of the 2020 season, and whose progeny’s success on the track have spiralled since that arrival.

Such additions are pivotal to the success of the stud and a huge amount goes into the decision. For instance, State Of Rest was acquired for a substantial figure after he had won the Cox Plate. He went on to significantly enhance his profile by securing two more Group 1s last year in Europe. His acquisition had all the mark’s of Paul’s father Liam’s investment to secure Barathea from Sheikh Mohammed before he went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

“There is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with these decisions,” Cashman reflects. “There are a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of work goes on behind the scenes - it is a team decision.

“With State Of Rest, you only had to look at what he did in Australia, winning the Cox Plate, probably the biggest race there bar the Melbourne Cup. So you’re thinking down the road, if you wanted a shuttle stallion, he was the ideal horse.

“He was owned by Teme Valley so we brokered the deal through Richard Ryan, their racing manager. We were liaising with Joseph all the time as well and he was very keen on the potential of the horse back in Europe, he was very positive about him winning a Group 1 here.

“There was a lot of box walking done before the Ganay, because obviously there was a lot at stake but we couldn’t have asked for a better result.

“For him to then go on and win the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, it was unbelievable. We’d have been happy with a good run in defeat there, but Joseph and Shane (Crosse) had a plan and executed it perfectly. It was fairytale stuff for us really.

“It reminded us of the days of Barathea. To be able to buy a horse like that and then to do what he did, it was just super. A lot of people have bought into that. We have a great syndicate of shareholders now, probably our best since the Barathea days.

“Newgate Farm down in Australia bought into him as well so he’s going to shuttle from Ireland to Australia for the southern hemisphere season so from our point of view it will open up more doors with the Australian connection and you never know what could come from there. It’s exciting.”

It was at David Futter’s Yorton Farm that Cashman first laid eyes on Blue Bresil, having gone over to support the Yorton Sale in its first year. He loved the horse straight away - pinpointing the depth he had, great physique and athletic walk. He left thinking if there was ever an opportunity to buy him, he’d have no hesitation so when that opportunity came, that is exactly how it worked out.

It was a phenomenal venture because Blue Bresil’s success has only gone one way and received another boost over Christmas when among his several winners were Blue Lord and Constitution Hill bolted up in Grade 1s.

“Look, you need a bit of luck in this game,” Cashman asserts. “We’ve been very lucky with Blue Bresil. He got a good backing in England but they never cover a big book of mares in England. He was always covering 70 to 80 mares so it gave him a chance without having a huge number.

“I suppose he had that very good mare in France at the time, L’Autonomie. It looked like for what he did in France, you’d be hopeful that, with his progeny coming through from France and from England as well, you’d have a great chance.”

Unsurprisingly, Blue Bresil’s covering fee has been raised to €16,000, with half that for a filly, but elsewhere, Rathbarry/Glenview have mostly followed the trend of leaving covering fees the same for 2023, despite what seemed to be a good year at the sales.

“Once the sales season finishes up in November/December, we have breeders enquiring about stallions,” Cashman explains. “I suppose at this stage the bookings of each of the flat stallions are up on last year so we’re looking forward to a busy season.

“It’s a similar picture with the National Hunt stallions and our office staff have been kept busy answering all the email and telephone enquiries in recent months.

Further

The Rathbarry/Glenview influence on the industry stretches further than standing stallions. Cashman says they usually sell up to 70 homebred yearlings each year. They had some fine results last year, with 10 of their yearlings fetching six-figure sums. In general, it’s a breed to sell as yearlings operation, with only a small bit of pinhooking, usually to support their own stallions progeny.

On the National Hunt side, they aim to buy around 15 of their own stallions’ progeny as foals, again to support the breeders that support the sires at Glenview. They’re stored with an aim to sell at the big three-year-old sales.

Whatever is not sold is kept to either or go into training, or to go point-to-pointing, though Cashman has downscaled his involvement between the flags, having ridden successfully and sent out plenty of winners as a handler.

Much of that is to do with how competitive that scene has become, it’s very much a specialist area now and requires a significant amount of time.

The Rathbarry/Glenview influence will still be felt as influential between the flags, in the sales rings and on the track. Indeed just before this interview began, Willmount, a son of Blue Bresil, dismantled a Doncaster bumper in fine style. He was bought at the sales for £340,000 after he won a point-to-point at Comea for Colin Bowe.

That bodes well for what should be an exciting year and is just one reason to consider Rathbarry/Glenview for a visit if you’re heading out on the stallion trail today.

Cashman will tell you that as much as anything else in this industry, it’s all about the people being a family run operation, people seem to appreciate the personal touch.

“You never know where people will come from to get involved in either breeding or racing so the Stallion Trail is a great idea. It’s open to everyone and all are welcome. It helps us to drum up business but it’s also a very good PR exercise. I think ITM have done a great job with it.”

Cashman on the up-and-coming stallions at Rathbarry/Glenview

Old Persian

He is a fine, big, gorgeous horse by Dubawi with a very attractive walk. He’s probably not a typical Dubawi, he is 16.2hh, with plenty of scope. He was obviously a good racehorse, being a dual Group 1 winner. It’s an outcross we need for the Sadlers Wells line so he ticked a lot of boxes.

We were lucky to acquire him and from his first two seasons with us he covered big books of mares. It is very encouraging to see from the foals he has had on the ground from his first crop that a lot of breeders came back to use him.

Eagles By Day

He is by Sea The Stars and that’s a line that continues to be popular with National Hunt breeders. He produces nice middle distance horses with the speed to win over a mile. Eagles By Day is a lovely outcross as well, being out of Missunited, who was as good a mare on the flat as she was over hurdles. She was second in the Ascot Gold Cup. So it’s a lovely mix, you’ve flat and National Hunt in there. He’s a fine, big, 16.2hh good looking horse. Now in his second season, he has let down into a very striking individual and we look forward to seeing his first foals on the ground in the coming months.

Kodi Bear

He is an exciting young sire and it appears the best has yet to come. He was a leading first and second crop sire and he impressed many breeders by upgrading his first mares which yielded three Group 1 performers each of whom were the first blacktype produce of their dams. Additionally, four of his stakes performers are out of maiden or unraced mares. This has resulted in quality books of blacktype mares being covered in recent seasons which include the dams of classic performers and Group winners and half sisters to Group 1/Group 2 winners. Kodi Bear remains as popular with buyers as breeders, with his yearlings selling for up to 210,000 guineas in 2022 and his proven horses commanding prices of up to 340,000 guineas.

James Garfield

His first crop made a bright start in 2022 and saw him become the first freshman stallion to sire a stakes winner when Maria Branwell took the Listed National Stakes at Sandown and she went on to finish third in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, which earned her an official rating of 100. James Garfield’s promising start with his first crop of two-year-olds is made all the more exciting given that he himself improved as a three-year-old. His fine start at stud was evident at the 2022 yearling sales where his second crop were purchased by some of the shrewdest operators in the business.