No ordinary Joe: inside the mind of Ballyhane owner and industry addict Foley

Joe Foley wears many hats in the bloodstock world. First and foremost he is the owner and manager of Ballyhane Stud in County Carlow, while in recent years he has overseen his friend Steve Parkin's growing Clipper Logistics racing and breeding operation.

He would not miss many stops on the auction circuit, either supervising the sale of Ballyhane homebreds and pinhooks while keeping an eye on the progeny of the stud's stallions going under the hammer, or sourcing stock for himself or for Clipper Logistics.

A regular face on industry committees, he is renowned as one of those rare people who makes things happen – from being instrumental in launching the Racing Post Yearling Bonus, credited with shoring up the market in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007, to helping introduce a popular series of auction and median two-year-old races in Ireland.