The High Court has awarded a total of €208,000 against South African lawyer Nigel Riley in a dispute over the upkeep and breeding of thoroughbred mares in Ireland.
In a judgment delivered on 19 March 2026 after a three-day hearing in Cork, Mr Justice Peter Charleton awarded €138,000 to Coolagown Bloodstock Limited for horse maintenance and €70,000 to Linley Investments Limited, trading as Coolmore Castlehyde and Associated Stud Farms, for stud fees.
Coolagown's claim arose from six mares owned by Riley and kept at David Stack's stud farm. The relationship dated back to 2013, with daily boarding charges initially around €17 and higher rates for mares with foals.
Riley disputed the claimed arrangement and argued that from late 2019 the parties had instead entered a partnership under which Stack would keep and breed the mares without boarding charges in return for half of future foal-sale profits.
The court rejected that account. Mr Justice Charleton described Stack's evidence as trustworthy and found that invoices and earlier payments supported an ongoing contract for paid maintenance. He held that no replacement partnership agreement had been made.
However, the court also found that Coolagown was required to mitigate its losses after Riley repudiated the maintenance agreement in June 2021. Rather than allowing boarding charges to accumulate indefinitely, steps could have been taken within a reasonable period to secure ownership or court-ordered sale of the horses.
The court therefore started with €148,000 outstanding in June 2021, allowed a further €40,000 for a reasonable period of continuing care, and deducted €50,000 representing estimated horse values, producing the €138,000 award.
Separately, the court accepted Coolmore's evidence that Stack acted as Riley's agent in arranging five mare coverings costing €70,000. Riley's denial of responsibility was rejected.
Court interest was ordered to run from the date of judgment. The judge indicated that, subject to further argument, the plaintiffs should jointly receive one set of costs.