Jockey Profile

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It could be argued that Shane Foley was one of the best apprentices of recent years not to win a Champion Apprentice title. He finished runner-up to fellow Michael Halford-apprentice Gary Carroll in 2009 with a fine tally of 33 winners and looked set to make a big challenge for the title in 2010 only to have his prospects scuppered by an injury sustained at Bellewstown in late-August and again he had to settle for second spot behind Joseph O'Brien.

His failure to win the junior title didn't slow his progress in any way and Shane quickly became well established as a top 10 rider in Ireland, mainly due to his association with Michael Halford. But it was Halford's fellow Curragh trainer Adrian Keatley who gave Shane his first major success when Jet Setting landed the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh on May 22, 2016.

Halford and Foley went their separate ways when the Curragh trainer announced on September 15, 2017 that the rider would no longer be automatic first choice for his runners. Foley said at the same time that he would continue riding as a freelance. The pair shared 227 winners in Ireland over a ten year period before the split.

Foley was back in the big time when landing a second Classic success at the Curragh in May 2018 when taking the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas on Romanised for local trainer Ken Condon.

Shane was appointed as Jessica Harrington's number one rider for the 2019 Flat season in February of the same year. The partnership enjoyed Group 1 success in their first season together with Millisle and Albigna. 

Shane has ridden four winners on the same card on two occasions. He rode his first four-timer at Dundalk in October 2014 and repeated the feat at Naas on June 9, 2020 as racing returned from a 76-day enforced absence due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

Shane enjoyed by far his best season in 2020, riding 92 winners in Ireland to finish runner-up to Colin Keane, who rode 100 winners, in the jockeys' championship.