Joe Foley

We're starting to feel a little long in the tooth in this corner. The racing equivalent to the observation about policemen looking young these days now applies to the weighing-room, and on Saturday one young gun after another came out with a performance that would entitle them to be considered the next big thing.  Benoit de la Sayette has already achieved plenty in his nascent career. Now 20, he had his first ride in November 2020 and became the first apprentice attached to John Gosden's stable in almost 30 years. ...

The fourth running of the Irish EBF Ballyhane S. on Monday, August 7 will be worth €300,000, with every runner in the race set to earn prize-money. At a twin launch at Ballyhane Stud and the Lord Bagenal Hotel on Wednesday evening, representatives from Naas Racecourse, the Irish EBF and Ballyhane, ably helped by the stud's impeccably behaved new stallion Space Traveller (GB), also announced an accompanying prize for one lucky racegoer of a trip to the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Entrance to Naas Racecourse for the meeting will be...

Whether it was Bayside Boy (Ire) at Ballylinch, Minzaal (Ire) at Derrinstown or King Of Change (GB) and Dubawi Legend (Ire) at Starfield, one of the main takeaways from this year's Irish Thoroughbred Stallion Trail was that the pedigree buffs and bloodstock fans love nothing more than getting a glimpse at the new stallions this country has to offer.  "Don't dream of putting a picture of that lad up on Twitter otherwise I'll have Eddie O'Leary tweeting that it's not the only pig down in Ballyhane," - Joe Foley. Few...

The TDN Europe team reached out to several industry members for a light-hearted Q&A as the holidays approach. First up is stallion master Joe Foley of Ballyhane Stud.   What was you first job in the Thoroughbred industry? Coolmore as a young 19-year-old having left UCD to the academics. They gave me a lot of responsibility for a young lad and I met some great people there.   The biggest influence on your career? My parents.   Favourite racehorse of all time, and why? So many to choose from but...

By Brian Sheerin and Emma Berry   After a hectic few months perusing this year's foal and yearling crops, we asked the buyers to share their thoughts on the young stallions with first foals and yearlings.  Dermot Farrington, agent: "If you look at the list of people who have bought yearlings and foals by Advertise, it's a long time since a young stallion has attracted the who's who of the bloodstock world, and that's exactly what he has done. Whether it be yearlings to breeze, yearlings to race or foals...

Space Traveller (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}--Sky Crystal {Ger}, by Galileo {Ire}), successful in group events in England and Ireland and placed three times in Grade I company in North America, will enter stud in 2023 at Joe Foley's Ballyhane Stud, where he will serve mares at an introductory fee of €6,500. Carrying the colours of Clipper Logistics and trained in Europe by Richard Fahey, Space Traveller was Group 3-placed as a juvenile before winning the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot--defeating future multiple top-level scorer Space Blues (Ire)--and was a...

The solid trade continued at Fairyhouse on Thursday with a record €10,473 average recorded at Part Two of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, representing an 8% increase on 2021.  The median was also up 12% over last year at €8,000 while turnover reached €963,500, up 42%, at a clearance rate of 82%. The session was topped by a Dark Angel (Ire) half-sister to multi-surface Group 1 winner Hunter's Light (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), knocked down to Joe Foley for €52,000 from Ringfort Stud. "She is a good model of a...

His roots may be deeply entrenched in National Hunt racing and just this spring he won the most famous jumps race of them all--the Grand National with Noble Yeats (Ire) (Yeats {Ire})--but Emmet Mullins has now netted himself yet another major payday--this time on the Flat with a filly that he bred, owned and trained to win a maiden at his local track before selling her for six figures.  Thebestisyettobe (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) became the second 2-year-old winner of Mullins's career when sluicing up in the opening seven-furlong maiden at...

The all-grey silks of Steve Parkin's Clipper Logistics have become an increasingly familiar feature at racecourses over the last two decades, and the prolific owner recently added another string to his bow in becoming a breeder. His Yorkshire-based Branton Court Stud notched a major milestone on Wednesday when Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) scorched home in the G2 Queen Mary S. to provide Parkin with a first homebred group winner. "We started in racing 20 years ago and, through Joe Foley, I started a breeding operation," said Parkin. "[Dramatised] has come...

The Irish European Breeders' Fund will continue with their record sponsorship of €2.6 million in 2022. The second year contributing €2.6 million, it will bring the overall contribution to nearly €54 million since the formation of the Irish European Breeders' Fund in 1983. The spend encompasses nearly 500 races, both flat and National Hunt, that will carry EBF conditions throughout the year. "The owners of every stallion standing in Ireland, big or small, Flat or National Hunt, have contributed to this amount and as chairman, I'd like to thank them...

A horse for 2022: Trueman (GB), a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt with William Haggas. First season or proven: A proven, good sire. Speed or stamina: Acceleration. Eat out or home cooking: Both (obviously!). Coffee shop or pub: I'm Irish. Pub. Ascot or Longchamp: Can I say York? Rock or classical: Rocking All Over The World was my first single purchase so there's your answer. Bright young thing to follow: David Redvers would LOVE it if I mentioned him here but he doesn't qualify. Jack Foley (no relation) is my pick...

NEWMARKET, UK--As the prices dipped from Friday's bumper session to a more modest level, so did Newmarket's weather, which settled into relentless icy rain for almost the entire concluding session of foals at Park Paddocks. Such gloomy exterior conditions could not dim the demand for bloodstock in the ring, however. We're not even into December yet, but Tattersalls can be satisfied with heartening levels of trade at the halfway house of its lengthy December Sale, with just four days of fillies and mares to come from Monday. On Friday, Genesis...