Kildare trainer uses success to  to promote mental health

Francis Foran has long been working to promote mental health through sport, and it has been horse racing that has, most recently, provided him with the very platform he needs to air his message.

Indeed, the personal trainer and life coach from Kildare Town enjoyed a big win with his horse, Stuzzikini in Navan’s Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase earlier this month.

Trained by Gordon Elliott, the six-year-old was ridden to victory by Gavin Brouder, a late replacement for Danny Gilligan, who had suffered an untimely injury in the lead-up to the race and was consequently stepped down.

While it marked a seventh victory for Elliott in this showpiece, it was, by far, the biggest success for Foran, whose venture into horse racing has been motivated by the parallels that exist between the sport and mental health.

“The racing industry has so much in common with mental health” insists Foran. “You’ve good days and you’ve bad days, whether it be jockeys, trainers, owners or guys working in the yard.

“But, in horse racing, trusting the process is a big thing, trusting these guys like Gordon.

“It’s about knowing that we’re going to have good days and we’re going to have bad days, but we have to embrace those good days.

“The very first time I ran this horse was in Downpatrick and he pulled up, but then in his second run he won in Kilbeggan, so I went from being on my knees to suddenly being ecstatic.

“But Navan was a massive race to win. Danny Gilligan was supposed to ride Stuzz’ that day, but he had had a fall a couple of days previous and the doctor stood him down.

“Gavin Brouder stepped in at the last minute. I used to play Gaelic with Gavin. I had done a bit of training with him in the Gables in Newbridge years ago when he was thinking about giving it up.

“I advised him to give it another lash, keep your head down, do what you can and people will see your worth.

“When he came in on the horse, he was saying ‘My God, imagine if I had given up, I wouldn’t have had this day.’ “It was lovely to see that because that’s where I’m at when I’m dealing with these guys. You’re trying to push them on” he said.

Foran, whose work in the area of mental health as taken him around various schools and clubs in the county, has also used jersey sponsorship of teams in GAA, soccer and rugby to help promote his message.

The Kildare man even enjoyed some success in greyhound racing with Reaching Out, who won four races in quick succession, and he is hoping he can do the same with new acquisition, Mind Your Mind.

But it has been the exploits of Stuzzikini that have really gone a long way to helping Foran in his endeavour to shine a light on the issue of mental health.

It was trainer Aidan O’Ryan who guided Foran in the direction of the young horse back in 2022, the Kildare Town man opting to make the purchase after receiving the seal of approval from long-time associate, Pat Power and his uncle Noelie O’Toole who, himself, had ridden a number of winners.

“I had no history in horse racing. This was my first horse” said Foran.

“I went to a great friend of mine, Aidan (Mouse) O’Ryan, who’s Gordon’s assistant.

“He brought me to this horse and he told me that he had a lovely little couple of runs and asked if I wanted to take a chance on him.

“We had a look at him, loved him. We had a good feel about the yard, Gordon and everything, and so we bought him.

“He’s a lovely little horse, such a genuine horse and he’s as safe as houses. His biggest attribute is his jumping” he added.

For Foran, Stuzzikini’s stunning success in Navan this month closed out an emotional week as he explained “The week previous, one of my best friends, Martin Kerwick passed away from cancer at 53.

“I found it hard to get myself up to go racing, but I’m trying to practice what I preach in that you’ll have good days and bad, and you’ve got to keep driving on.

“Martin was certainly with us that Sunday when I went in the gate and I had my son with me.

“It’s mad the way fairytale things can happen. I was overwhelmed after the win, and it was fairly emotional” he recalled.

There could well be another chapter in this fairytale as both Elliott and Foran set their sights on some major meets for the horse in 2025.

“The dream is that he’ll go for the English Grand National” Foran told The Kildare Nationalist. “That’s the plan at the minute, but that can all change.

“He could go to Cheltenham in March. There’s a race there for him. He’ll be either there or Aintree, but we’ll let the boss [Elliott] decide that.

“Little did I think coming out of Downpatrick when the horse pulled up, that we could now potentially be in the English Grand National with a chance. It’s mad, but this is where we’re at.

“Gordon is of the opinion that he’s a Grand National horse. That would be the dream to get in there, get our foot in the ring and bring more awareness to mental health through that. It needs to be pushed out there” he insisted.