Foley Raises The NH Jockey Bar

It’s not unknown for WA’s William Pike to hop aboard a flight out of Perth, jet into Melbourne for a ride or two, and then straight back onto a plane for commitments at Ascot, however the latest effort by Shane Foley possibly lifts the bar even higher. The rider flew out of Ireland to New York, a not insubstantial 7 hours 20 minutes flying time, never mind the customs procedure and traffic, before riding Cadillac (Lope de Vega) in the Gr1 Saratoga Derby Invitational. Casting disappointment aside – his mount finished near the tail of the eleven-horse field – Foley jumped on a red-eye flight out of the US where he was booked to ride Ebro River (Galileo Gold) at The Curragh on Sunday in the Gr1 Phoenix Stakes for 2YOs. Despite Aidan O’Brien’s 16-win dominance in the race, Hugo Palmer-trained Ebro River caused a boil-over as only the second British horse to win the race since 1997. Foley might well adopt a relatively sleepless night strategy again, as aside from the elite victory, he rode a hattrick on the Curragh card. According to bloodhorse.com, Foley said, "I slept a bit on the way home all right, but I don't know whether I'll sleep tonight."