Kevin Philippart de Foy is a rising star in the coaching ranks, first forming in Newmarket in 2020 and having improved his stats again this year compared to last year. The Belgian, who has worked for some of the game’s giants, kindly took the time to prepare all-weather runners to answer our questions.
respondent: Racing is in your blood because your mother was a jockey—tell us about growing up in that environment.
Kevin Philippart de Foy: I was almost born on a racecourse! My mother was a jockey for 30 years and I spent a lot of time in the weight room in Belgium. I remember running around racecourses since I was very young. It didn’t take me long to realize that I wanted to be in racing, too.
I tried to be a jockey but I was so heavy and pretty mediocre it wasn’t the best combination! When I met Criquette Head, it quickly became clear that my future was as a coach, not as a jockey.
respondent: You seem to have well-rounded experience, having worked for instructors in France, Ireland and the United States — was it a plan or just happened, and what did you learn from each?
KPF: I was lucky enough to meet Criquette Head when I moved to France at the age of 17. She guided me in the right direction; first by allowing me to do various chores in her yard and then guide my path forward. Originally, she sent me to Ireland to work for John Oxx.
Criticism head
That walk has been a great experience for me, both from a racing perspective and developing my English. I returned to France and a few years later she sent me to America to work for Christophe Clement. When my visa expired, Christophe gave me the option to apply for another visa or go back to Europe, which is why I came to the UK to work for James Fanshawe.
respondent: What have you learned from 5 years working with James Fanshawe and how did starting your own company in Newmarket go?
KPF: James is a very good teacher; It’s all about patience and waiting for the horse to be ready. He has a very close relationship with his horses and is a very good rider. I learned a lot from James and after four seasons, when I announced that I wanted to start training at Newmarket, both he and his wife Jacko were very supportive.
Setting up on my own during the early part of the pandemic was pretty horrible but I had no choice, my license was going through and I was committed to renting a yard, so I had to put my head into working hard. only.
respondent: How many horses did you start with and what were your initial plans for attracting owners and establishing yourself?
KPF: I started with seven horses, I got my first win with third place, and it went pretty well the first winter. I think we were close to a 25% strike rate for most of the first six months. People started to notice our results, we imported horses that we thought were good from France and Ireland, won a few GB in bonuses and traded two horses abroad.
I’m a person who doesn’t like to talk too much; I try to get results and hope people talk about me positively and send their horses.
respondent: Are you targeting any specific blood sales?
KPF: I always try to find value in any sale I attend. I start with a very low budget, but I always have a plan in mind when buying horses. I attend most horse and pony training sales, and I review as many horses as I can. I am always looking for an angle, especially in sales training horses, and also try to match the right horse with the right owner.
respondent: Do you find it difficult to buy into this year’s sale, as trading seems to be relentlessly strong?
KPF: Correct. I find the market is always strong and I don’t find many holes in the market compared to sales in the last few years. I see that as a positive for our sport.
New Bay and Lope de Vega from Ballylinch Stud. They breed trying and good-minded racehorses. Farhh s are rare but they always catch my attention with annual sales. I have one green point and a Advertisement aspirational, both have a great attitude towards their work so far and I’m delighted to see them on track.
respondent: You’re having a great year with over 50 winners, including a pair in the listed races and £700,000 in prize money—what are your short- and long-term ambitions?
KPF: I have a decent number of horses and want to keep them that way for the next two or three years; The goal is to improve the quality of our horses every year and compete at the highest level. Obviously I want to win the classics and group 1 games, but most importantly, we want to get the best out of each horse and train them individually.
