AS the days tick away towards a resumption to racing next Monday, the focus is finally returning to action on the track.

All eyes will be on our sport which will begin with a number of Classics including the Irish and British Guineas weekends. As the industry picks itself up from the floor, leading bloodstock agent Barry Lynch is well placed to outline the challenges ahead while also painting a positive outlook once racing gets going again.

The Fermoy native has been involved in sourcing several high-quality horses, including Beat The Bank (below) who became a household name at all the major festivals across the water. Sourcing high-quality horses and moving them on means Barry Lynch is dealing with so many stakeholders across all levels of the sport.

“It’s terrific we are getting back racing as that will be the catalyst to get everything moving again. My main role is to advise, help, manage and source quality stock for my clients which mainly covers the racing and breeding side of the industry,” he said.

“Our client base is fairly varied, with plenty of international business taking place in all the overseas markets like America, Hong Kong, France, Middle East and Australia/ New Zealand. Of course most of our clients would operate out of here and the UK, but the world is certainly getting smaller, in a racing context.

“Trade has slowed down considerably with no racing here and also the unsuitability of travel due to Covid-19. Since the news that racing will recommence here, the phone has been hopping and there is such an eagerness from everyone to get the show on the road again.

“We had a great start to the year, with several exciting horses going overseas, so we will be keeping an eagle eye on those. Everyone is just so excited to get going as we’ve already missed a couple of months of the new season.”

Many commentators are predicting a deep recession here, and whether the market for luxury items like racehorses suffers remains to be seen.

Barry Lynch is dealing with the grassroots of the sport here, which include the small breeders, and his interactions can also lead him to the high flyers of the sport who are looking for that Derby or Royal Ascot winner. The softly-spoken Fermoy man has a very calm demeanour, and laughs off predictions of negativity for the industry.

“We are a global leader in this sport for a good reason — it’s in the blood. Generations of farmers, breeders, trainers, and breeze-up consignors know how to produce top-quality horses. It’s going to be a different year for sure, but everyone is hoping that they might have the next Shergar, Sea The Stars, or Frankel in their ranks. That’s the beauty of racing — there is always a new star waiting to conquer the world.

“The breeze-up consignors will certainly be relieved to see a return to racing. We have a great tradition here in Cork with breeze-up horses and people like Brendan Holland, Johnny Collins, and Paula and Mark Flannery have all been involved with high-profile horses in recent seasons.“

Lynch is far too modest to over-hype his horses, but when you are doing business with leading British trainers like Andrew Balding and Mark Prescott, he must be doing something right.

“We certainly had a great start with Beat The Bank who unfortunately died this year after winning a race. We bought him after he won a maiden at Dundalk and he went on to win eight races across the water including a number of Group 2 contests. He brought the owners to all the big meetings and was superbly handled by Andrew Balding.

“I’ve been involved with a couple of lovely horses with Sir Mark including Bodyline who won his maiden at Epsom, and may go on to better things this summer. Another horse for the readers to watch out for is called Shroders Mistake who is trained by Ken Condon. Moody Jim is another horse who has gone to America and has been flying the flag for us over there. A horse with potential called Aerclub has gone to Hong Kong and we got him from Henry De Bromhead.”

Racing is set for a blockbuster opening and Pinatubo has the potential to join the greats. Unbeaten in six starts as a juvenile, Pinatubo could be the next Frankel.

“It would be great for racing to have another superstar and also for Godolphin who invest plenty of money in the Irish breeding industry,” says Lynch.