'No Marcus, you're riding Geos ' - Nicky Henderson called it right for Foley in 2004

Jockey Marcus Foley won the William Hill Hurdle 21 years ago on the Nicky Henderson-trained Geos, a horse he had actually tried to get off just days before to switch to his stablemate Saintsaire in the race.

Thankfully, his plan was scuppered and he went on to deny then reigning Champion Hurdler Rooster Booster by a short-head (with Saintsaire only seventh), recording a victory that was one of the highlights of Foley's career before he was forced to retire from the saddle through injury in 2009, aged just 27.

Now 43, Foley has run a successful breaking and pre-training business since calling it a day as a jockey and currently operates out of Lew House Stables in Oxfordshire where he numbers Henderson, Ben Pauling and Eve Johnson Houghton as his clients.

Recalling that day at Newbury, Foley said: "What was funny was that Nicky's first jockey Mick Fitzgerald was out injured at the time, so I was promoted to number one. We had two in what was the Tote Gold Trophy in those days, Saintsaire and Geos. I'd won on Geos before and knew him very well but I worked them both separately the week before and Saintsaire was fantastic. 

I remember afterwards trying diplomatically to get on Saintsaire but Nicky just turned round to me and said: "'No Marcus, you're riding Geos'. So thank God that Nicky knows a lot more than me!"

He said of his current venture: "When I first retired I had a yard in Barbury Castle across from Alan King and moved down to my current place a few years ago where my dad Patrick worked for Captain Charles Ratcliffe, who pre-trained the likes of Corbiere, Morley Street and Mole Board at the property.

"A friend of Dad's called James Hook then bought the place and he has upgraded it, so we know have 24 boxes, an all-weather gallop, indoor school, outdoor school and well as 140 acres of turn out facilities."

He added: "We also buy some of our own stock and the horse we are excited about at the moment is Wolf Moon, who we have with Ben Pauling and finished second to the £1.2 million horse Palladium at Huntingdon last month.

"He's a promising horse who we bought for just £25,000. The plan is to run him at Southwell next on March 17."

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