JOE Foley of Ballyhane Stud in Leighlinbridge seems to be involved in some way in a lot of good initiatives in Irish racing, and the ITM Irish Stallion Trail is just one of them.

Asked to recall how it came about, Joe told us: “In 2014, I met Charles O’Neill shortly after he was appointed as chief executive of ITM. I advised him to copy the Route d’Etalons, which I thought was very successful in France. Fair play to Charles, he grabbed the idea and it has been a success.”

How do you define success? It’s more than just selling nominations, Joe says.

“It’s just as much about opening up the stud farm gates as doing business. There was a lot of negative stuff in the media at the time about the stallion tax exemption (ended 2008).

“It appeared to me that ordinary people were probably driving past stallion farms and didn’t feel there was any connection between the studs and the local community.

“The Stallion Trail opened up the gates and made them accessible. All sorts of people come in, people with no mares, even politicians, and they get a great understanding of the stallion business and the people working in it. Where else would I get to meet those people if there wasn’t a Stallion Trail? So, for me, it’s been very important politically.”

But is it not tiresome putting on tea and biscuits for people who might never do you a turn? That’s not how Joe sees it.

“They might not own a horse now, but they might one day. Every year I get people in here on the Stallion Trail and they ask me how they could get into the game, how would they get a mare, what should they do. Even if only one in 10 of those people became a breeder, it would be a positive thing.

“Another thing is that you get a lot of teenagers and students coming in and asking for career advice. They want to work in the industry and maybe they find it easier making that approach during a public event rather than knocking on the door all on their own.”

Shy breeders

Breeders themselves can be shy, Joe continued. “Stallion people tend to be like car salesmen, you know, giving the hard sell, and it can be intimidating for breeders if they are visiting the stallion farm on their own and getting the full treatment.

“He’s a beautiful horse to deal with, a gorgeous-tempered horse

“But on the Stallion Trail, they can pop in unannounced, look at the stallions they want to see, have a cup of tea if you want, and then drive away with no commitment. It’s a nice way of window shopping.”

Laughing to himself as he recalls the sometimes awkward dance between stallion man and breeder, Joe says: “I’ve often seen people call in on the Stallion Trail, who wouldn’t normally be in Ballyhane. I’d say hello and they’d be trying not to get cornered, so I would leave them to their own devices. Next thing, they’d be impressed by a good-looking stallion and they’d come over and start chatting to me!

“Other times, if they didn’t like the horse they’d be gone in the car, and that’s their prerogative. And that’s another reason why the Stallion Trail works. Some breeders like the anonymity of driving around all the farms, getting a look at the horses they are interested in, and then making up their own minds in their own time.”

Visitors to Ballyhane next weekend will see two young stallions, Sakheer and Magnum Force.

Magnum Force is the latest arrival at Ballyhane Stud \ Healy Racing

Magnum Force

Winner of the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes, Sakheer covered 130 mares in his first season in 2025. Magnum Force, winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, is a new recruit.

Asked how he acquired Magnum Force, Joe says: “I saw him at York as a two-year-old when he finished an unlucky second in the Roses Stakes. I thought he was an absolutely gorgeous horse, so I followed him from there.

“The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint is a race I was involved in a few years ago, when Dramatized was narrowly beaten in it, so I knew it was a very tough race to win. Magnum Force was very impressive in winning it and, when the horse lost his form as a three-year-old I just thought he might be available for sale. I approached the team that owned him and managed to do a deal.

“I’ve long been of the opinion that the most important thing in a stallion prospect is ability. They don’t have to show it for two or three years. If they have the ability, it will come out in the progeny. That’s one of the main reasons why I bought Sands Of Mali.

“And Magnum Force was obviously a very, very fast horse. So, while it didn’t work out for him as a three-year-old, he had that innate ability.”

What’s Magnum Force like to handle?

“He’s a beautiful horse to deal with, a gorgeous-tempered horse, really easy-going and kind, a lovely-natured horse. He reminds me a lot of Dandy Man.

“Physically, he is as I remembered him in the parade ring in York and I’m looking forward to showing him to everybody in the next month.

“In Ireland, you quickly find out if you don’t have a horse that fills the eye and isn’t good-looking. Irish breeders are good judges. They’ll quickly get into the car and drive away if they don’t like what they’ve seen.

“The opposite applies as well. If they like a horse physically, it’s a big thing for Irish breeders, because horses mostly reproduce what they are themselves, physically. If you start with a good-looking stallion, you have a much better chance of having good-looking stock, which obviously helps them sell well.”

Joe says everyone who has seen Magnum Force so far has been impressed and plenty have taken shares in the horse.

“The initial reaction has been very strong. He’s a nice size for a Mehmas and a lovely-walking horse. Physically, he will suit most mares. He is going to be predominantly a sire of sprinters though he has a bit of stamina in his pedigree too, being out of a Fastnet Rock mare.”

Sakheer

Asked to assess Sakheer’s first year at stud, Joe says: “He was popular. He covered 130 mares, loads of good ones. He has good fertility, and is an equally lovely-tempered horse, good-looking, and he’s done very well, physically.

“People who were impressed with him last January will be impressed again with him this year. We’ll try and get him as strong and as big a book as we can for his second season. Sakheer was a very talented horse and he’s got a big chance.”

Joe wears many hats in the industry and seems to be the first name on the list when anyone in racing or bloodstock is putting together a committee aiming to solve a problem. What’s he working on at the moment?

“I’m semi-retired from most of that stuff!” he says. “I’ve been chairman and president of the ITBA, but I’m still chairman of the ITBA Awards Committee, so we’re busy doing all the filming and scripting ahead of that big night on January 24th. That’s a pleasurable job, an enjoyable thing to be able to recognise well-deserving breeders.

“Chairing the Irish EBF is my biggest role at the moment and I am also involved in the IRE Incentive, a scheme which gives €10,000 sales vouchers to the owners of Irish-bred horses who win selected races. I suppose they’re the three biggest things I’m doing at the minute, apart from running Ballyhane.”

Hang on, there’s one more thing. Isn’t Joe organising the annual Mark O’Hanlon Racing and Breeding Quiz, which takes place in The Lord Bagenal Hotel in Leighlinbridge next Friday night?

“Oh God, yes, we started it years ago, when I was chairman of the local ITBA region, but then it lapsed for a few years. After a very good pal of mine, Mark O’Hanlon, died in 2015 I remember thinking it would be good to get the quiz going again and to run it in his memory. Mark was only 52 when he died. He was from Carlow and he helped a lot of people in the industry.”

All are welcome to join the table quiz and, if you don’t have a team, just go along anyway and you will be fixed up. The event was usually staged in February but this year moves to coincide with the Stallion Trail, which should lead to more teams taking part.

Most of the questions are on racing, but there are usually some bloodstock questions too. To get you in the mood, here are five breeding questions to test your wits.

ANSWERS: 1. Wootton Bassett. 2. All bought at Tattersalls Ireland. 3. Golden Ace and Poniros. 4. Starman. 5. Authentic or Mandaloun.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE ITM IRISH STALLION TRAIL