Irish racing has come a long way - but new top dogs still face big challenges

All change at the top. In Berlin, Angela Merkel, arguably the most influential figure in European politics in the first two decades of the 21st century, leaves the stage.

In Kildare, Brian Kavanagh steps down after 20 years as the first chief executive of the 2001-inaugurated Horse Racing Ireland. Denis Egan, who has had an identical tenure at the historic Turf Club (redesignated as the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board in 2018), is about to follow suit.

The comparison may be facetious, yet Irish racing politics can be as turbulent as the politics of the real world. At the helm for four years longer than Merkel, Kavanagh has presided over a period when Irish racing has thrived domestically and has had an impressive influence on the British scene and the wider international stage.