Joe Foley

"The grey colours, there's a big plan behind all that. Eventually my daughter will take over. I'm doing this for my family when I'm no longer here." Those were the words of owner-breeder Steve Parkin in a TDN interview penned in September last year, revealing all about his ambition to stand stallions at Dullingham Park Stud, plus the succession plan which he hopes will guarantee the long-term future of a racing and bloodstock empire he's spent the last two decades building. Five months on and the wheels are now firmly...

A new Spring Series of median sires races has been added to the Irish Flat racing calendar for 2024 and beyond in what is a significant boost to the three-year-old programme for middle-distance horses. In an announcement made by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), the Irish European Breeders' Fund (Irish EBF) and Gowran Park Racecourse on Monday, the Spring Series will conclude with the €200,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Gowran Classic--the richest race ever held at Gowran Park--on Bank Holiday Monday, June 3. Three-year-olds with a median price of no more...

Dandy Man (Ire), the classy sprinter from the sole crop of Mozart (Ire), has died at Ballyhane Stud at the age of 20. As hardy as he was talented, Dandy Man was bred by Noel O'Callaghan at Mountarmstrong Stud from the G3 Molecomb S. winner Lady Alexander (Ire) (Night Shift), who is also the dam of G2 Queen Mary S. victrix Anthem Alexander (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). He raced for five seasons, winning six of his 30 starts, initially for Con Collins in Ireland, then for his daughter Tracey, before he...

Group 2-winning 2-year-old Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) has been retired to stand at Ballyhane Stud for 2024 and will command a fee of €7,000. A high-class juvenile for Alan King, Asymmetric fetched a six-figure prize-tag at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale before landing the G2 Richmond S. in tremendous fashion. That victory was described in the Sporting Life as "a highly impressive performance", with Asymmetric accounting for a quality field, which included subsequent Group 1 winners Perfect Power (Ire) and Ebro River (Ire), as well as the G2 Flying Childers...

Clipper Logistics' Group 1 winner Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) will not be seen on a racecourse again this season and instead will target a Guineas next spring, according to Joe Foley, racing manager for the owners. The imposing three-for-four Karl Burke trainee won her Haydock debut in May, ran second at listed level at Sandown in July and then rattled off victories in August's G3 Sweet Solera S. and the G1 Moyglare Stud S. at the Curragh in September. She was under consideration for next week's G1...

It was a day for the die-hards at Part Two of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale where a filly by first-season sire Soldier's Call (GB) led the way at €45,000 to Joe Foley. But the story of the sale was the strength of the Italian buyers, with Cristiana Brivio, who operates under the banner of Razza Latina, and Valfredo Valiani, two of the leading purchasers on the day.  Foley, who also stands Soldier's Call at Ballyhane Stud, was repeating the trick from last year after topping this sale 12...

It is fair to say that Steve Parkin has reimagined the man-with-a-van concept.  He was that once, until he turned the van that he drove himself into a fleet of lorries, and his business extended from warehouses and distribution to supporting some of Britain's biggest retailers in meeting their increasing online demands. Clipper Logistics has become a well-known name beyond the business pages, particularly among those who follow horse racing. Thirty years after the company was founded, Parkin sold Clipper to GXO Logistics in May 2022.  "How does a little...

Horses purchased for €1,000 up to €70,000 are among the 51 entries eligible for the €120,000 Irish EBF Auction Series Race Final at Naas Oct. 15. The Irish EBF is the largest sponsor of races in Ireland. "It's hard to win 2-year-old races in Ireland but this series is a great initiative," trainer Noel Meade said. "The races are worth good money and to have the final at the end of it, it really is great. It is nice to be able to say to somebody that we have these...

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...