Two words. Three vowels. Four constenants. Seven letters. It can either cut you open to the core and leave you in ungodly pain or it can free your soul and lift a tremendous weight off your shoulders. The phrase is: It’s over, however in horse racing many partnerships are broken as easily as they were formed, it’s unfortunate though but cannot be helped.

The most recent high-profile parting of company is with trainer Michael Halford and his stable jockey Shane Foley, who has been connected to the yard for the past decade but will now be going freelance, with Halford using the best jockeys available for the remainder of the season and for the foreseeable future.

Halford told his website, http://www.michaelhalford.com: “There’s been no falling out, we’ve just decided that Shane won’t be automatic first choice and I’ll be using the best available for the rest of the season. I’ve spoken to all my owners and they are happy to go with that. Shane has been a great asset to us here and we’ve had some great days.”

Foley has stated in response “I’ve had a great run with Michael. I’ve ridden for him for over 10 years, but we had a chat last night and while I’m disappointed, there are lads out there a lot worse off than me. “I hope to continue to ride for Michael when available and I’ll be going freelance for the remainder of the season. “I’d like to thank Michael and his owners for their support and I’m sure that we’ll enjoy more success in the future.”

From all the team at 3furlongsout.com we wish both Michael and Shane all the very best of luck with their careers as there are both two important assets to Irish racing.