I DIDN’T grow up in a racing family. My grandfather introduced me to horse racing when I was about five or six years old.

I remember watching racing in the “back room” of my grandmother’s house, circling certain horses in the paper just for entertainment. It wasn’t until I moved out to Ballinvana that my interest in racing really grew.

In 2021, I first handled a horse, and from then on, I watched racing nearly every day. I attended my first foal sale at Goffs that same year, and that was the moment I realised I absolutely loved racing and wanted to pursue a career in it.

Everything really developed when I started working in Ballinvana House Stud. My parents bought a house beside the Heelan’s farm, and I got a job with Ken and John. Ken introduced me to horses and taught me about pedigrees.

My early days at the sales consisted of following Ken and John around asking hundreds of questions. The same patience they showed training breeze-up horses was the patience they showed teaching me how to understand a horse. I couldn’t be more grateful to them both, and I still call over at least once a week and attend the sales with Ken regularly.

Prepping and pedigrees

I’ve sat on ponies a few times, but riding never really interested me as much as prepping yearlings and learning pedigrees. I only started riding around 15, and by then my focus was more on bloodstock.

My parents wouldn’t be huge racing people either, but they now own a piece of a Masar filly who is a half-sister to Moody and, we’re all very excited about her.

I’m still in school and preparing for my Leaving Certificate, so that remains the main focus at the minute. During school I spent a lot of time shadowing Daniel Creighton. Dan is a brilliant teacher because he is direct and honest – you get the full answer from him. He’s an unbelievable judge of a horse, and his record speaks for itself, having bought the Guineas winner Laurens.

I met Daniel through going to the sales with Ken. Alongside shadowing Ken and John at foal sales for years, it was important to learn from men who have bought winners at the highest grade. Whether it was a high-class two-year-old or a Cheltenham winner they have done it all.

I also spent a lot of time showing horses at the sales and, during TY, I travelled to Newmarket for a breeze-up sale. Watching breezers every Saturday morning with Ken and John has been an unbelievable asset. It gives you a much better understanding of breeze-up horses and teaches patience.

Sometimes a horse may not be ready to breeze early but could still develop into a very smart horse with time. It’s difficult to identify, but seeing different breezes every weekend helps you recognise ability that might not yet be fully developed.

Buying and selling

In February 2025, I set up Sean Freney Bloodstock. I started off trading nominations, which was slow enough initially but since then we’ve been flat out buying and selling. I’m based in Kilmallock and will be prepping a few yearlings from a local farm this year to head to the sales.

Getting clients to trust me at 17 years of age has been a success in itself and, I’m extremely grateful to everyone who has supported me. Their backing has been essential in getting the business off the ground.

My first winner, Take The Boat for Georgie Nicholls, was a pinch-me moment. She was bought for just 6,000gns at the Tattersalls July Sale and has been very consistent, winning and placing multiple times.

I also bought Voyka for Roberto Di Paolo. She was the first horse I bought at Fairyhouse last year for €15,000 and had already placed twice before winning on Sunday at Florence in Italy. Roberto has been a great friend to me over the last few years while I was trying to get into the industry.

Another horse I’m very excited about is Valdoro for Dylan Cunha, my most expensive purchase to date at €130,000 from the Goffs Orby Sale. He’s a No Nay Never colt out of a Kodiac mare. Dylan is having a brilliant season and, the reports on the horse have been very positive. Hopefully he can develop into a horse capable of competing in some of the top two-year-old races.

I’m also excited about selling the Masar x Agathonia filly alongside Jerry Horan. She received a major update when Moody won two listed races for Paddy Twomey. Moody looks like a filly very much on the up, and Agathonia is still a young mare with a Dubawi colt to come through next year, which means the filly can be sold as a racing and breeding prospect.

Hit the track

As this has been my first season with runners, many of the horses I bought last year are only beginning to hit the track now. I mainly bought foals and mares with three yearlings for trainers including Valdoro, an Iffraaj colt and, an Invincible Army filly.

Heavenly Fire, bought on behalf of Eddie Linehan’s Lackendarra Stables, received a major pedigree update when Pivotal Attack won at Galway before finishing third in the Priory Belle. Eddie has been another huge supporter and has given me plenty of business. I also privately purchased Fashion Family and Cordelin for a new Irish partnership.

Fashion Family produced Zarathos, who won impressively recently for Dylan Cunha, while Cordelin comes from a family I know very well, as I also purchased her dam Absolutely Right privately.

Absolutely Right has bred several winners, most notably Come On Eibhlin, who ran a huge race in the Queen Mary for good friends and, supporters Tom Hughes and Brett Little.

Pinhooking

Most of my focus is on pinhooking. Last year I bought five flat foals and three National Hunt foals, followed by another four at the February Goffs Sale. Among them are an El Caballo filly for a UK syndicate, a Phoenix Of Spain colt for Tom and Paul Radley of Claramount Stud and, a Dragon Symbol filly purchased from Hetty Spencer for the Five Acre Racing syndicate. The plan is to trade them all as yearlings.

I would love to buy a stakes horse soon – it’s been a goal since I bought my first horse. A Group 1 winner is the dream further down the line but for now my focus is on continuing to grow the business, building more clients and, developing more strong relationships within the industry and, most importantly, buying winners.

Sean was in conversation with John O’Riordan.