Richard Barry will retire as stallion manager at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in June after 40 years at the Versailles, Ky., farm.

Barry, 76, reflected on his career in an interview with BloodHorse.

The Ireland native said he came to the U.S. in 1978 and worked at Murty Farm for seven years. He said he was hired at Ashford Stud to handle Storm Bird, who “was a bit of a boy.” The son of Northern Dancer was the English and Irish champion 2-year-old male in 1980.

Among the horses in Barry’s care is Justify, horse of the year for 2018 after winning the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“Justify, he doesn’t have any patience,” Barry told BloodHorse. “He doesn’t want to be shown too much. If he’s been out there too long, he’ll let you know, that sort of way; but he’s not a bad horse.”

Another horse of the year in his care is American Pharoah, three-time Eclipse winner and winner of the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2015.

He “hasn’t changed one iota since he got here,” Barry said. “He is a pet. You raise your voice to him, you’d hurt his feelings. He’d do anything for a carrot. Absolute gent of a horse.”

Barry said it’s important to be “positive” with stallions.

“There are exceptions to the rule,” he said, “but with most horses, if you relax with them, they start relaxing around you. They generally come around to your way of thinking. There’s been a few cases where we’ve had to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting, as the fellas say, but fairly rare.”

Barry said he and his wife will live in their home in Richmond, Ky., after his retirement, and he plans to hunt and fish.

“I may still come back over here and help out at the sales and stuff like that, but very little probably,” he said. “I’ll miss the horses obviously. I’ll still probably drop in every now and again. I’m sure I’ll get a fix.”