Updated: Sunday, 10th June, 2007 12:00am

Print | Email |

Under starter`s orders and ready for the off

Meath woman at the helm

WALKING through the Fairyhouse `Hall of Fame` Navan woman Caroline Gray is reminded of just how much history and tradition is attached to the old racecourse. A history that goes way back to the mid-19th century.

The first race was held there in 1848. The first grand national in 1870.  Pictures of Vincent O`Brien, Pat Eddery, Tom Dreaper, Pat Taaffe, Arkle, Dawn Run and Nijinsky adorn the walls. Legends who showed with their unique talents that they were genuine royalty in the sport of kings.

Since she was a child Gray has been going to the famous track close to the N3. She is very familiar with all the hullabaloo that goes with big race days, the excitement of seeing the best horses and jockeys compete, the distinctive flavour of it all.

She remembers vividly making her way to Fairyhouse as a child to see Desert Orchid win the Grand National in 1990. The place heaved with the huge crowd that turned out that day. She recalls having to stand on picnic tables in front of the stand "to see this great white horse coming over the last." Days like that were special.

She is familiar with Fairyhouse and she is about to get to know it even better. Next Monday, 1st October she takes over as general manager of the course. In so doing she becomes the first female manager of a premier track in Ireland.

"It`s a place with a huge tradition, especially for Meath people, the Grand National and all that goes with it," she told the Meath Chronicle last week.

"We were probably all here at some stage. Particularly when it comes to national hunt, there is huge tradition here, the pictures on the wall of all those great horses and horsemen reminds you just how steeped in tradition it really is."

Still only in here early 30s, the Navan woman takes on a considerable challenge, managing a big staff and overcoming the type of obstacles that makes the task of getting around the Grand National course look an easy task.

Yet she is undaunted and certainly has the background to know what is required to make a success of it all.

A qualified chartered accountant, she spent some time with that most famous of financial houses, Price Waterhouse. She moves to her job in Fairyhouse directly from her role as manager of the Betting Division of Horse Racing Ireland.  

She can also draw on a deep reservoir of experience in the racing game. She grew up around horses as her father Michael was a trainer for a time, based just outside Navan on the Slane road. Her mother Marie and brother Mervyn combined to make it a family affair. "We always had something going on at home. As a kid going racing I was always fascinated by how it all happened on the day. Horses were a part of my life growing up and you know in a family set up you`re very much at the coalface of things, it was very much the hobby for us all," she explained.

Now living in Navan, she will not have far to travel to her work and as she prepares to start her new job she has a strong vision as to how she wants to proceed.

She looks at the huge, ever increasing population in the immediate vicinity of Ratoath, the mushrooming housing estates in places such as Blanchardstown, Ashbourne, Navan. The aim is to let as many people as possible know about Fairyhouse and get them on board.

Running a racecourse these days is not just about horses, jockeys, fences and the formsheets. There are facilities in place for parties, exhibitions and rock concerts. The large sweep of land close to Dublin offers a good venue for crowds of up to 50,000.

The `Plant Love` concert was held their recently and the Sunday morning market is available for those seeking a cut price bargain.

With the turnover at Fairyhouse estimated in millions each year, Gray is taking on quite a task. She points out that there is a very experienced team of people already in situ at all levels including marketing and administration. Experienced people to look after the core business, making sure everything from racecards to stewarding is sorted out for the course`s crucial 21 days of racing.

There is the ground staff to look after the course which consists of foreman Noel Fanning and his team of seven full-time staff.

"We have three tracks here at Fairyhouse which as people will appreciate the upkeep is considerable. There`s the main track we`re all familiar with, then there is an inside track we`ve developed over the last few years which we`ve used for racing on quieter days and we have almost completed a schooling track," she explained.

"It is expected that the schooling track will be up and running next year."

When time allows, Gray participates in other sports. She is an "avid" follower of the Meath football team and points out that on her mother`s side she is related to the Curtis family of Rathkenny. She also plays tennis at Stackallen and follows rugby.

A woman in a world dominated by men, Gray says that she dosen`t think about things in that context. Citing the success of top amateur jockeys like Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh, she says that women are coming more to the fore and "having come from dealing with 200 bookies," she is well accustomed to the banter and doesn`t consider the gender gap any problem.

She expects a tough few months ahead as she settles into her new job, but she is relishing the challenge. She is under starter`s orders and ready for the off.