Kevin Philippart de Foy has been appointed by Amo Racing to be the retained trainer at the operation's Freemason Lodge.
The Belgian-born Philippart de Foy started his career in Newmarket in 2020 and has trained just shy of 200 winners on the Flat in Britain in the interim. He celebrated his best season in 2023 when his stable had 61 winners and won over £860,000 in prize-money, highlighted by the success of Inquisitively in the G3 Cornwallis Stakes.
Meanwhile, Philippart de Foy's appointment will see Raphael Freire, who has been training the Amo Racing horses at Sir Michael Stoute's former yard since March, return to his previous role as Amo's private trainer.
“First, I'd like to welcome Kevin Philippart de Foy as our new trainer at Freemason Lodge,” said Kia Joorabchian, founder of Amo Racing, in a statement posted on social media.
“Kevin is a fantastic horseman who understands our goals and shares our ambition. Having known and worked with him for several years, it makes this transition even smoother. We know his character fits and our ideas align perfectly.
“We believe he's the right person to take the operation to the next level and we're excited about what's ahead with him leading the team at this historic yard.”
Joorabchian added, “At the same time, I want to say a big thank you to Raphael for stepping up and doing such a brilliant job getting Freemason up and running. His work over the past few months has been crucial and he's laid a solid foundation for the future.
“Raphael has been a big part of Amo Racing's journey so far and he continues to be an integral part of our team moving forward.”
Philippart de Foy, who has trained 14 winners in Britain so far this year, said, “I am deeply honoured to have been entrusted with the responsibility of taking over at Freemason Lodge and training such an exciting string of horses for Amo Racing. This is a major milestone in my career and I'm incredibly grateful to Kia and the team for the opportunity.
“Amo Racing's investment and ambition in the sport are truly inspiring and I look forward to playing my part in what I hope will be a very successful journey together.”
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