BY MICHAEL O’LEARY
With the flat season underway, Shane Foley will be very busy in the months ahead as he will be looking to add to the great success he has had over the past 5 years when he became stable jockey to Jessica Harrington in 2019.
The Graiguenamanagh native began his career almost 20 years ago, and his first winner came at Leopardstown in June 2007 when partnering the Liam McAteer trained Snap to victory.
Shane had a very promising spell as an apprentice, and he was runner-up in the apprentice championship twice to Gary Carroll in 2009 and Joseph O’Brien in 2010.
He was closely associated with Michael Halford as stable jockey for over 10 years from 2007-2017 as he rode over 200 winners for the Curragh native, with their biggest triumph coming courtesy of Raydara in The Group 2 Debutante Stakes at The Curragh in August 2014.
The duo went their separate ways in September 2017, but he continued to ride for Halford as a freelancer afterwards until he was appointed as stable jockey to Jessica Harrington five years ago.
A year earlier in 2016, Shane enjoyed his greatest feat to date when partnering the Adrian Keatley trained Jet Setting to victory in The Irish 1000 Guineas.
He also won The Irish 2000 Guineas aboard the Ken Condon trained Romanized in 2018, while the following day he rode Platinum Warrior to victory in The Group 3 Killenaule Stakes.
Platinum Warrior defeated the Joseph O’Brien trained Latrobe who would go on to win The Irish Derby, while on the same day Shane’s future boss Jessica Harrington would train Alpha Centauri to the first of her 4 conseutive Group 1 wins in The Irish 1000 Guineas.
Shane’s arrival as stable jockey to Mrs Harrington in early 2019 was perfectly timed, with the two combining for plenty of Group 1 triumphs across Europe.
Jessica had enjoyed plenty of National Hunt success over the years with Moscow Flyer, Jezki and Sizing John among others and the acheivements of Alpha Centauri helped greatly to establish her status as a leading flat trainer.
In 2019, the two combined for double two-year-old Group 1 glory in both the UK and in France, with Millisle winning The Cheveley Park Stakes in Newmarket while that was quickly followed by victory in The Prix Marcel Boussac with Albigna.
Millisle and Albigna were rated the top two two-year-old European fillies for 2019, and those victories paved the way for further glory to follow.
The 2020 flat season belatedly in June as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions, but when the season finally got underway it started with a bang for Shane as he rode a four-timer on the opening day of the flat season.
The Graiguenamanagh native had previously ridden a four-timer at Dundalk in October 2014.
That flying start paved the way for a highly successful season, as he finished the season with a career high of 92 winners in pushing Colin Keane to the wire in the race to become Champion Jockey.
Having missed out on the ride on Alpine Star in The Coronation Stakes due to Covid restrictions, Shane bounced to win The Group 1 Phoenix Stakes aboard Lucky Vega before following again 12 months later in 2021 to win on the Hugo Palmer trained Ebro River.
Champions weekend 2021 was memorable for Shane as he rode 4 winners, including a treble at Leopardstown along with two Group 1s for good measure.
Foley got the ball rolling aboard 25/1 shot No Speak Alexander in a thrilling finish to the Group 1 Matron Stakes in Leopardstown, before doubling up on 14/1 shot Real Appeal a half-hour later in the Group 2 Boomerang Mile.
The hat-trick was completed when Ever Present defied top weight to land the Petingo Handicap.
Meanwhile, the Group 1 double was complete in the Curragh the following day, when Discoveries repelled the efforts of the Joseph O’Brien-trained Agartha to land the Moyglare Stud Stakes and round off a memorable weekend for the Graiguenamanagh man.
The stand out highlight of 2022 was Irish Oaks glory aboard Magical Lagoon who was following up from her Royal Ascot victory in The Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes, while he piloted the Charles Hill trained Galeron to land The €1.2 million Goffs Million at The Curragh.
Also in 2022, Shane was top jockey with 5 winners at the week long Galway Festival.
However, last year in 2023 was not without it’s challenges. Shane started the season very well, and by The June Bank Holiday weekend he was joint leader in The jockeys championship with Ryan Moore.
He had ridden the Jessica Harrington trained Sprewell to a very impressive victory in The Group 3 Derby Trial at Leopardstown, before running with credit to finish 4th in The Epsom Derby.
Unfortunately, disaster struck on The June Bank Holiday Monday last year in Gowran Park when Shane broke his collarbone in a fall that would rule him out of Royal Ascot.
However, he would bounce back and recover in time to ride Sprewell in The Irish Derby.
The 2024 flat season has started with Shane riding a double in Leopardstown last week, and with plenty to look forward to in the months ahead he will be hoping to continue the success he has enjoyed in recent years.
