Plot traces inside Foley’s bloodstock profession—which noticed him to attempt to purchase Mage at a 2-year-olds sale, then buy Dornoch as a yearling 4 months later—have converged at a rare degree in 2024.

BloodHorse: What did you do once you labored for Darley?

Conor Foley: I labored for John Ferguson and Dan Satisfaction, who’re two phenomenal people. It was a bloodstock job. I used to be principally making an attempt to foretell how properly the stallions had been gonna do, and I might assist and purchase racehorses both for the steady or as stallion prospects. 

BH: What made you wish to go away Darley and exit by yourself?

CF: I had been doing the identical factor for seven years, and I used to be most fortunate to be doing it, however I used to be prepared for a giant new problem. I might go to each sale, and I simply needed to do it by myself.

I nonetheless have a ton of mates at Godolphin and I root for them every time they’re in a race. I owe an unlimited quantity to Sheikh Mohammed. I am the most important Godolphin fan outdoors of Godolphin there’s.

BH: Previous to this unimaginable yr, what was the perfect horse you had purchased on the gross sales?

CF: Positively our work with Donegal, serving to Jerry Crawford get his horses. I feel our first yr serving to him we purchased Eager Ice. It was a good way to start out. And Puca was in that group, too.

Puca was Jerry’s first filly he ever purchased or stored. Trying again at it, I put Jerry in a clumsy spot. Jerry had put up the mare for a foal share with Large Brown, and the stallion season was put up by Paul Pompa. We ended up bidding in opposition to Paul for her. I assumed she was particular, and it wasn’t a loopy sum of money for her, both ($90,000).

BH: You stated “our first yr.” Who else is in your crew?

CF: Jim Hatchett and I do each sale collectively. He’s full-time with me. Everybody thinks he is my Dad, and I do not even right them.

And Nick Esler helps me at sure gross sales and instances of the yr, similar to September. These are the fellows that assist me on the gross sales.

BH: Your unimaginable yr kicked off with Tuz profitable the Golden Shaheen. He was Hip 4000 within the final e-book of the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. What do you recall about that buy?

CF:  The entire sale that yr was 20 days, and 19 of the 20 days had been beautiful sunny climate. I had been carrying shorts and golf shirts, after which the final day it bought tremendous chilly and wet and depressing. I assumed he would value between $80,000-$100,000. I assumed he was the perfect horse promoting that day. I used to be shocked he value $7,000. He did not seem like a sprinter, he sort of seemed like a two-turn horse.

BH: How do you method the again books of Keeneland September?

CF: You do it the identical method you do another sale. Get each horse checked out. There can nonetheless be some good bodily athletes in these books. We now have individuals who race within the Center East or different elements of the world who’re blissful to race with a lesser pedigree. However we do not change something. We do every thing the identical. The horses simply value much less.

I like to have a look at these strong sires that individuals surrender on simply because they have not had an attractive horse. A few of them look lesser as a result of much less cash is put into prep. Weight and toes, I’m fairly forgiving on these horses on stuff like that.  But when the horse appears quick and it appears like it might keep sound, you’ll be able to tackle slightly danger on stuff like that once you’re paying $20,000 for a yearling.

BH: So clearly you remembered you helped purchase Puca once you had been shopping for her son Dornoch as a yearling. Was that important in your resolution?

CF: Nicely, I had tried to purchase Mage on the (2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic) 2-year-olds sale, after which 4 months later I see Dornoch, and I did assume Dornoch was an excellent higher specimen. He and Mage look utterly completely different, however Mage was additionally very athletic.

For me, the Puca half had nothing to do with liking these horses at first. I knew the maternal facet was athlete, and I assumed hopefully they’d attempt to win races like she did, however that is actually all I need out of that half. She was very gifted and she or he ran enormous a number of instances, however she was very unfortunate.

However for me it is all concerning the athlete. I actually do not take into consideration pedigree till I determine who’s getting vetted. Simply purchase the perfect conformed athlete doable. That horse has to rise up and practice exhausting day by day and nonetheless be sound a yr from once you’re shopping for them. In the event that they’re gonna be any good as a 2- or 3-year-old, they’re coaching fairly exhausting in September a yr after you purchase them. That is the primary requirement.

This half is an artwork type, too, as a result of a horse’s conformation can change. You’ll be able to inform once they’re at a developmental stage, however they nonetheless need to be athletic sufficient to seem like they don’t seem to be sluggish. After you have been doing this for some time, a sluggish horse sort of reveals itself.

Dornoch was slightly leggy as a yearling, however he was extremely properly made, very right. The two-year-old guys might need stated it will likely be exhausting to get him to go quick early, however he was very athletic, very properly coordinated. And each time I went to go see him, it was like a replay of the time I noticed him earlier than.

I all the time revered Good Magic as a racehorse, and he throws a really well-balanced horse, however for me it is actually simply the person athlete.

CF: The primary time I assumed, “This one may very well be actually actually good,” was once I noticed him gallop at Raul Reyes’ place in Ocala (King’s Equine) in April of his 2-year-old yr.

After which I used to be again down there for the June sale, and I went over to Raul’s once more. They bought the pay-per-view for a boxing match. We’re out again barbecuing a bunch of stuff on his grill, and Raul is inside, and he principally had his assistant, two foremen, and two riders there. 

I do not assume they knew I had something to do with Puca, so I requested them, who’s the perfect horse on the farm this yr? Raul has some fairly huge shoppers, however with out hesitation, all of them stated “the Puca-Good Magic.”

On my journey again to Lexington from Ocala, I bear in mind pondering, “Huh, I’m wondering how good this horse is?”

BH: Dornoch was a $325,000 yearling in e-book 2, however Society Man was in e-book 4 and solely value $85,000. What was he like once you purchased him?

CF: Once we purchased Dornoch, Good Magic solely had a pair winners at that time. He was an exceptional athlete and he bought early within the day. I assumed he’d value half 1,000,000, and we might have gone to that. I used to be simply tickled to demise we bought him for ($325,000).

Society Man was actually, actually athletic and a horse that I assumed would value $150,000 to $200,000. He undoubtedly was a horse I hoped would develop slightly bit, however once I checked out his pedigree, I noticed plenty of late-developing blood.

Sadly, he was a hothead the primary a part of his profession, and (coach Danny Gargan) lower him. I want we hadn’t lower him, however it’s what it’s. I all the time hate to do it, however typically it’s very obligatory. I do not love to do it earlier than they flip 3.

However actually Dornoch helped us imagine in Society Man, as a result of Society Man was the one horse within the barn who might play one-on-one basketball with Dornoch. We made a giant resolution to run (Society Man) within the Wooden, and he ran enormous and validated our resolution and bought into the Derby.