KAVANAGH TRAINER ISSUE 46_Jerkins feature.qxd 30/06/2014 21:28 Page 1
INDUSTRY VETERINARY
BRIAN KAVANAGH A man with his finger on the pulse of racing If you need something done then ask a busy man, so it’s little wonder that Brian Kavanagh, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) since its inception in 2001, is in so much demand. Aside from his role with HRI, Kavanagh is also chairman of the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF) and vice chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). In his spare time he can be seen relaxing on the racecourse, hardly an escape from the day job. It’s probably safe to say that Kavanagh is rarely off duty. WORDS: LISSA OLIVER PHOTOS: HORSE RAcIng IRELAnD (HRI)
70 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 46
T
ODAY we are in the ridiculously large boardroom of the HRI offices and it’s very easy to imagine the various representatives of the various racing industry groups seated at the very lengthy table that I certainly wouldn’t want to have to polish. Like the HRI subcommittees, it’s vast. Yet, for all the officialdom, one length of the room is given over to windows and the view is of bronze racehorses in the garden and the Curragh beyond. We can just see the racecourse grandstand and Kavanagh tells me that morning meetings offer a backdrop of horses exercising on the famous Old Vic gallops. “We often sit and watch them,” he says casually. For all the paperwork entailed, his business is ultimately only about the racehorse and those charged with its care.