LIAM CASHMAN:LIAM CASHMAN, who has died aged 72, was the owner of Rathbarry and Glenview studs in Cork and a leading figure in the Irish bloodstock industry.
A renowned breeder, he had a genius for the “feel” of a horse, a shrewd eye when purchasing young stallions, a flair for mating dams and sires so as to produce tough racehorses and then selling them on.
An expert judge of a stallion, his decisions were valued throughout the bloodstock industry and, as one admirer put it, his clients prospered.
Yet, despite his success, he never lost sight of his roots. A staunch supporter of Castlelyons hurling club, he loved the countryside and had a deep sense of pride in his own place.
Mares from around the globe visit Rathbarry Stud near Fermoy where he stood leading stallions under the flat racing code. Two miles away, at Glenview Stud, he stood top stallions under the National Hunt code.
From boyhood days at Rathbarry, the stud farm founded by his father Paul in 1935, horsemanship was in Cashman’s blood. A winning jockey in his day, he also enjoyed success as a trainer, but above all, he was regarded as one of Ireland’s most progressive breeders.
Just two days before he passed away after a short illness, there was a poignant moment at Lismore point-to-point on Sunday, March 21st, when Storming Gale came home at the head of the field in the four-year-old maiden, the fastest race of the afternoon. Cashman was the owner and his son Paul the trainer.
The family is steeped in racing. As well as being a trainer in his own right, Paul is an accomplished amateur rider and has ridden winners at many a point-to-point.
Niamh, his daughter, is the wife of former National Hunt jockey Frannie Woods. Catherine, his wife and closest friend, gave unstinting support when he faced the challenge of breaking into the stallion market. They both knew that investing in young racehorses in the hope that they would be successful stallions was a high-risk business.
He had a gift though for breeding winners. His first purchase paid handsome dividends as Kampala became the leading first-season sire in 1984, later being responsible for the 1988 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Tony Bin. Taufan also topped the freshman sire list in 1985.
His purchase of the 375-acre Glenview Stud farm in 1991 turned out to be real success story.
Catering for National Hunt stallions, the stud has produced some of the finest sires in the business.
The purchase of Barathea from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for $5 million was one of his greatest coups. The stallion went on to win the 1994 Breeders Cup Mile.
Among Glenview’s current residents, Presenting is predicted to be on course for a fourth jumps sires championship in the 2009-10 season. His Prix Morny’s winning son Tagula topped the freshman sire list in the millennium year. He also boasted horses of the calibre of Alzao, Taufan, Tagula and Acclamation.
Cashman was a steward of the Irish National Hunt Committee and a measure of his standing in the industry was reflected in the moving tributes paid by his peers in Ireland and Britain last week.
Leading trainer Dermot Weld described him as “ one of the most important people involved in the racing and breeding industry at all levels”. Fellow breeder Maurice Burns of Rathasker Stud said he was “ a great judge of both man and beast . . . His clients prospered by following his judgement”.
A friend of the Cashman family for 30 years, British trainer Mark Tomkins, referring to his passing, described him as “a proper person . . . old fashioned horsemanship was in his blood . . . He was a great stallion master”.
Paying tribute to Cashman, Willie Mullins also underlined his popularity among the racing fraternity. “Liam was highly respected . . . He was a hugely influential man”.
He is survived by his wife Catherine, daughter Niamh, son Paul, sisters Shivie, Nora and Betty.
Liam Cashman: born October 17th, 1937; died March 23rd, 2010