Leahy was then making his way as a jumps jockey and arrived in New Zealand hoping to further his experience and see more of the world along the way.
He fell in love with the country and has remained ever since and off the back of a successful riding career is now well-established at Cambridge, principally trading young thoroughbreds.
That side of his operation was handsomely rewarded at last week’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale when his colt by Sacred Falls (NZ) sold through Sam Beatson’s Riversley Park draft for NZ$525,000 to Richardson Racing who was bidding on behalf of an undisclosed Hong Kong client.
Leahy had bought the colt for NZ$80,000 as a yearling when offered by Cambridge Stud and represented a life-changing result for the 48-year-old.
“It was unbelievable and it took a couple of days to sink in. Then you start to think how it is going to make life better,” he said.
“It was unbelievable and it took a couple of days to sink in. Then you start to think how it is going to make life better.” – Finbarr Leahy
With young children Harrier, six, and Frankie, four, the financial implications for the family are significant.
“A bit of extra cash will never go astray with the kids at Christmas time, they’ll get spoiled for sure. We’ve also needed a new ute for a while.
“Kelsey has a horse trailer for her three-day eventing and show-jumping and we need a car with a bit more power.
“We’ll go shopping for a new ute for Christmas and we’ll probably pay a bit of money off the mortgage and even to go back to sales next year with a bit of confidence to do it all over again.”
Lot 54 - Sacred Falls (NZ) x Savabeel Star (colt)
Leahy said top of his shopping list when sourcing yearlings was type and then pedigree.
“The x-rays also have to be pretty much 100 per cent for what we do. I don’t often give a horse a triple-A rating, but the Sacred Falls colt ticked every box.”
“I don’t often give a horse a triple-A rating, but the Sacred Falls colt ticked every box.” – Finbarr Leahy
“I’ve pinhooked yearlings for a few years now and generally we like to bring them on to the Ready to Run Sale or the trials and flick them on that way,” he said.
“What we’re left with in between we end up racing them, but touch wood we don’t usually have many that fit into that criteria.”
Leahy has regularly pinhooked in partnership with Beatson and another friend and fellow trainer Ben Foote, but was flying solo with the Sacred Falls colt.
“There’s been a bit of rib-tickling with that and it’s just the way it worked out. Sam does all the breaking and I often take a half-share with him or with Ben or we go into third shares.
“There have been other horses that I wasn’t in on, it’s just one of those things.”
City upbringing
Leahy was brought up in the city of Cork in the south-west of Ireland and had no early hands on horse experience.
“My family were city folk and thought what the hell is he doing when I went off to apprentice school. I was always a bit sporty and slotted in pretty quickly,” he said.
“My dad used to love the horses and would have his each-way bets and I would pick out a few and watch the races with him. The interest was there from a very young age.
“I was in school and a career advisor came and there was an advertisement for apprentice jockeys over jumps so I gave it a go.
“I had a bit of success when I later went to England and rode a few winners and did alright for myself.”
Finbarr leads a breeze-up horse out to the track | Image courtesy of Armourcroft Stables
Leahy was still in his late teenage years when he landed in New Zealand and was quickly won over.
“I came here in January 2000 after spending New Year’s Eve in London with my sister and on a plane a week later. It was going to be a little working holiday, just to get away and do something else before going home,” he said.
“I thought I would come over and have a look and basically never went back. I’d read about New Zealand and what a beautiful country it was.
“I thought I would come over and have a look and basically never went back.” – Finbarr Leahy
“I knew there was jumps racing, but that wasn’t the main thing it was more to travel around. I had been to America and went back home to see the family and then New Zealand looked a good option.”
It looked even better after Leahy made the most of an early riding opportunity in a prestige event within months of his arrival.
Famed jumps trainer the late Ken Browne handed him the mount on Gold Story (NZ) (Cache Of Gold {USA}) in the Great Northern Hurdles and they duly saluted.
“I also won the Grand National Steeples on Cuchulainn and the National was the big one,” Leahy said.
Leahy also won the 2003 Wellington Steeplechase with the Bob Autridge-trained Cuchulainn (NZ) (Double Nearco {USA}) before they landed the Koral Steeples at Riccarton ahead of the National and the Great Northern Hurdles the following year.
Archer on target
He also won the Waikato, Manawatu and Koral Steeples on Silver Archer (NZ) (Random Chance {NZ}) for owner-trainer Craig Amrein and, while unsuccessful, rode the horse in both the Nakayama Pegasus Jump and Nakayama Grand Jump in 2003.
Leahy rode 41 winners in New Zealand over seven years before he retired in 2008 to successfully concentrate on building up his current business at Armourcroft Stables.
Finbarr and Kelsey | Image courtesy of Armourcroft Stables
“We bought the place off my wife Kelsey’s parents and they had named it so we kept it. We’ve got a few 2 and 3-year-olds here coming through, we usually have 12 to 18 in work,” he said.
“We like to keep it to that number and give them that little bit more attention. I ride quite a lot of them myself and Charlie Studd, a jockey and a friend of ours, rides with me and he’s a great help.
“My wife does a lot of work too so it’s like a family operation. We can keep our finger on the pulse a bit more when the numbers are around about that.”
