The first week in July brought significant news from one of Newmarket’s most iconic training establishments. Formerly home to legendary trainer Sir Michael Stoute, Freemason Lodge was purchased by Amo Racing in January.
Since that time, Amo Racing’s private trainer, Raphael Freire, has overseen the running of the yard. However, that is about to change. Having caught the eye of many in recent years, Kevin Philippart De Foy is the new retained trainer for the Kia Joorabchian operation.
Who Is Kevin Philippart De Foy?
Born in Belgium, 33-year-old De Foy learnt his trade in France, the USA and Britain via assistant roles with Criquette Head, Christophe Clement and James Fanshawe. Furnished with experience, including assisting with Treve’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe successes, De Foy set out on his own in November 2020. Lethal Force provided the fledgling handler with his first winner when coming home in front at Lingfield in December 2020.
Having outgrown his first home and briefly overseen a second yard at Egerton House, De Foy moved to the nearby Induna Stables in January 2024. By this stage, the up-and-coming trainer had begun to make his presence felt on the British racing scene. The first of five Listed wins arrived when El Habeeb claimed the 2022 edition of the Noel Murless Stakes, whilst Inquisitively, renamed now as Fast Responder, took De Foy to the Group 3 winners enclosure when landing the Cornwallis Stakes in 2023.
Inquisitively (100/30) is a most likeable young sprinter and takes the Group 3 Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes at @NewmarketRace in taking style under William Buick. A notable success for @kpfracing. 🏇 pic.twitter.com/eaJQFN6Z0n
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 13, 2023
Overall, De Foy has enjoyed an excellent start to his training career. However, his results have trended downward in recent seasons. Reaching a peak of 61 winners in 2022, he backed that up with a 60-winner haul in 2023 but dipped to 29 in 2024.
The difficulty of operating separate yards may have played a role in those results. Now, De Foy has the opportunity to shine working for a man who was quick to spot his talent. Kia Joorabchian was amongst De Foy’s earliest supporters, having supplied the trainer with a small selection of runners for the past three and a half years. Those numbers appear set to increase significantly.
An Opportunity Too Good to Refuse
When asked about his early ambitions as a trainer, De Foy stated:
“My first goal when I started training was to compete at the highest level, and I feel the opportunity has come at the right time to allow me to push on and achieve that.”
In aspiring to reach the pinnacle of the racing world, De Foy certainly has the right man on his side. Regularly stating a desire to shake up the established order, Kia Joorabchian has put his money where his mouth is at the sales. Splashing out over £1m on six individual youngsters at the 2024 yearling sales, the head of Amo Racing recently bolstered his ranks further when shelling out £2m for Ghostwriter ahead of Royal Ascot.
When outlining the motivations behind the appointment, Joorabchian stated that he believes De Foy is the right man “to take the operation to the next level”. The new man in the hot seat simply stated that this was “an opportunity I can’t refuse”.
De Foy plans to merge his existing string of horses with the Amo Racing runners in the coming weeks and will relocate his Induna Stables team to Freemason Lodge.
Raphael Remains in the Team
In addition to expressing his delight at securing De Foy, Joorabchian was quick to thank Raphael Freire for his role in laying the foundations at Freemason Lodge. Freire, meanwhile, expressed that it was never his wish to remain in the role full-time.
“I was happy to take on the challenge even though I had always made it clear that I would like to return to my original role once everything was in place.”
Freire is set to resume his role as private trainer to Amo Racing, but the bulk of the runners will hail from the new De Foy-fronted operation at Freemason Lodge.
The Future Looks Bright
Amo Racing achieved a breakout success when King Of Steel claimed the 2023 Qipco Champion Stakes. Following Dallas Star’s win in the 2024 Ballysax Stakes, the operation has now registered ten victories at Group 3 level or above.
Backed by a driven owner with vast spending power, boasting a talented retained rider in David Egan, and now with a motivated young trainer on board, those pattern-class triumphs may rise significantly in the coming years.
