The remarkable story of the bloodstock student who became royal photographer

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Irish National Stud breeding course by the operation’s late, legendary managing director Michael Osborne.

The educational programme quickly became an international leader in its field, and has turned out a huge number of distinguished breeders, trainers and agents and otherwise influential industry leaders.

Sally Carroll, Hubie de Burgh, Christy Grassick, Robert Hall and Arthur Mitchell were among the early graduates, while Maurice Burns and the late Gerry Dilger completed the course in the late 1970s.