Caitlin O’Sullivan Doyle has been immersed in racing from a young age and she was recognised for her individual contribution to the industry at Entain’s Industry Excellence Awards on Sunday.
A daughter of hall-of-fame jockey turned Group One-winning trainer Lance O’Sullivan, O’Sullivan Doyle took out the National Racing Woman of the Year category for her pursuits in marketing and communications, alongside work as a presenter and ambassador.
“I was super excited to just be nominated, alongside some very worthy finalists,” O’Sullivan Doyle said. “To win was great, it was an awesome night put on by Entain.
After growing up at Wexford Stables, O’Sullivan Doyle recognised a professional opportunity in racing later in her teens, and now has a range of digital marketing clients, including the family business, and various studs around the country.
“Growing up, I’d pop over and pat the horses, but in terms of being actively involved, that more so came when I was about 15 and 16,” she said. “I realised I’d like to be involved in racing from a professional standpoint, and it’s grown from there.
“In my line of work, no two weeks are same, which I personally love. My focus is digital marketing for a range of racing and non-racing clients, and with the racing, it is obviously seasonal, so we’re looking at different times of the year with events like key race days or yearling sales.
“I love the horses, the people and the journey of following a horse all the way through, whether that be for stud clients having foaled a horse down, or the process of coming through the stables to get to race day.
“It’s pretty special.”
For the past two seasons, O’Sullivan Doyle has been an ambassador for Ellerslie Racecourse, following in the footsteps of her mother Bridgette, who was the first to hold the position.
“My mum was the original Ellerslie ambassador in the early 2000’s, so it was a nice full-circle moment when they asked me to come on board as an ambassador,” she said. “It’s a very easy, enjoyable role, it hardly feels like a job when you get to attend races like a Karaka Millions or NZB Kiwi.
“I go to the races, do a couple of interviews, and promote and showcase racing.”
On the night, O’Sullivan Doyle expressed her gratitude to the Wexford cohort, and fellow clients Rich Hill Stud and harness racing giant Breckon Farms.
“I’ve had a lot of great mentors, particularly in three of my more prominent clients,” she said.
“Breckon Farms, who are doing amazing things in the harness racing industry, Rich Hill Stud, and of course, Wexford. With those three operations alone, I’ve got fantastic people above me that I’d consider industry leaders.
“I’m very fortunate to be learning from some of the best.”
As an owner, O’Sullivan Doyle has enjoyed success with small shares in the likes of stakes winner Do You Just, and promising four-year-olds King Of The North and Grande Gallo. She hopes to continue that trend with a well-related juvenile, as well as when she crosses over into the standardbred code for the first time.
“The Do You Just-King Of The North double at Ellerslie was hugely exciting, it was definitely a highlight for me as an owner,” she said.
“I have a share in High Society, who is a two-year-old half-brother to Snazzytavi, and I went into a couple of yearlings this year as well, so fingers crossed they can follow in their footsteps, I’ve had some good fortune so far.
“I’m learning about the standardbreds through a bit of ownership too, I purchased a couple of small shares in yearlings from the Breckon Farms draft in February. Hopefully we can be up at Alexandra Park with them in the future.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
