Judge Rules Sands Of Mali Will Stay at Ballyhane Stud

[Wandering Eyes]

Sands Of Mali (Fr) will remain at Ballyhane Stud after an injunction application by Steve Parkin to have the stallion removed from the care of his former advisor Joe Foley was turned down by the High Court in Ireland.

The injunction hearing, which took place in Dublin on January 23, outlined the disputed ownership of Sands Of Mali, with Parkin claiming to have bought the son of Panis outright while Foley, owner of Ballyhane, countered that Parkin had taken a 50 per cent share of the horse with him. Foley's claim to shared ownership of the stallion was backed up by affadavits from Sands Of Mali's former trainer Richard Fahey and bloodstock agent Federico Barberini, who was formerly employed by Parkin.

The latter had made payment to Sands Of Mali's former owner The Cool Silk Partnership but in court Foley stated that his share in the stallion was credited against boarding and training fees due for Parkin-owned horses residing at Ballyhane Stud. This is disputed by Parkin, who claims that there was a profit-sharing agreement for Sands Of Mali but no partnership. 

Delivering his judgement, Mr Justice Nolan determined that Sands Of Mali should remain at Ballyhane Stud on the proviso that he is examined by a vet at least once every six weeks and that monthly accounts pertaining to the stallion are made available to Parkin.

Parkin had claimed that there were welfare issues in regard to Sands Of Mali remaining at Ballyhane but this was refuted in the judge's determination which stated that “There was no evidence that the stallion is subject to any detrimental environmental issue or that his health is in any way affected by it remaining there”.

Reacting to the judgement, which comes as the covering season gets properly underway, Foley said, “I'm obviously happy that this judgement vindicates my position but am equally pleased that it provides certainty for Sands Of Mali and to the many breeders who want to use him this season.

“The uncertainty surrounding his future caused by this court action was unsettling but, despite this, he's on track to cover a full book of mares and I'd like to put on record my thanks to our many clients for their support. Sands Of Mali looks to have a lot of talent as a stallion and he should have a bright future ahead for both of us.”

In reference to the court proceedings, he added, “It's obviously a shame that it came to this but recent events notwithstanding, Steve and I had a great 20 years working together. We enjoyed some brilliant successes during that time and I'm proud of the role that I played in that success, culminating with two Group 1 winners bred from his farm in 2024 out of mares I'd bought for him as yearlings. It's important to reflect that Steve was a big investor in the industry and supported a lot of smaller trainers and breeders over the years and I wish him and his family every success into the future.

“However, it's time to concentrate all my efforts now on Ballyhane and I'm pleased to report that our new recruit, Sakheer, has gone down very well with breeders and has a strong first book of mares to cover, so along with Sands Of Mali, we're delighted to have two exciting young stallions here and my family and I can't thank our friends and clients enough for their support during the past year.”

 

Sands Of Mali at Ballyhane Stud

 

Sands Of Mali was initially bought as a yearling by Con Marnane for €20,000 at Osarus and later fetched £75,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Breeze-up Sale when selected by Matt Coleman for The Cool Silk Partnership. His racing career spanned five wins from 18 starts across four seasons, with victory over Harry Angel (Ire) in the G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint of 2018 representing the peak of his success for the Fahey stable. 

Bought for stud duties in August 2020 for £225,000, Sands Of Mali started covering mares at Ballyhane Stud in 2021 and was one of the leading first-season sires in Europe last year with 21 two-year-old winners. 

In 2023, Parkin launched his own stallion operation at Dullingham Park just outside Newmarket and moved his stallion Soldier's Call (GB) from Ballyhane Stud to stand alongside the newly purchased Shaquille (GB) in England for the 2024 covering season. 

In March 2024, following a breakdown in the longstanding business relationship and friendship between Parkin and Foley, Parkin removed Space Traveller (GB) and Asymmetric (Ire) from Ballyhane to stand at Starfield Stud in Ireland. Sands Of Mali remained with Foley, who had previously been racing manager and advisor for Parkin's racing operation conducted under the name of his company Clipper Logistics, which he sold in May 2022. Parkin and Foley filed legal proceedings against each other in the Irish High Court last July.

In 2024, Parkin enjoyed victory in the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas with Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). The filly was bred by him at his Branton Court Stud in Yorkshire and was sold last summer, along with a number of other horses, to Wathnan Racing. Parkin also bred last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}).

Steve Parkin has been approached for comment by TDN and this story will be updated when a statement is received.

 

 

The post Judge Rules Sands Of Mali Will Stay at Ballyhane Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article