Lope De Vega (Ire) (Shamardal) and New Bay (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) will be available to cover on Southern Hemisphere time this year, Ballylinch Stud's Eoin Fives told TTR AusNZ. They will stand for €60,000 (AU$98,957) and €40,000 (AU$65,971) respectively.
In total, Lope De Vega has sired 18 Group 1 winners and 112 individual stakes winners across 12 different countries. From 2011 to 2014, he shuttled to the now-defunct Patinack Farm, and left an indelible stamp on the Australian industry. The result was four elite-level winners of nine Group 1s; Santa Ana Lane (Aus), Vega Magic (Aus), Gytrash (Aus) and Vega One (Aus).
His potency when crossed with Fastnet Rock mares has certainly helped in accruing that total, with the mix firing at a rate of 21 per cent stakes winners to runners. Both Santa Ana Lane and Gytrash fall into that category, with their exploits no doubt driving demand on the other side of the world.
“It's a cross that seems to work very well, and it's definitely pushed an uptake up here in the last few years where we've covered a lot more Fastnet Rock mares,” Fives said. “He's very easy to breed to. He's an outcross for over 90 per cent of the mare population in Europe, so, if you're buying a mare up here, he's very easy to breed to as there are very few things you have to avoid in a pedigree.”
Fives reported that New Bay was also getting the attention of Southern Hemisphere breeders. He received the support of one of Australia's top stables at the Goffs London Sale recently. Landed on by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the aptly named New Endeavour (GB) was a £260,000 (AU$499,000) purchase for the Tulloch Lodge team, who was previously co-owned by Ballylinch and Teme Valley.
He will remain in training with Roger Varian in Newmarket before eventually making his way down to Australia.
Twice a handicap winner over 1400 metres, New Endeavour was sold in the lead up to Royal Ascot, and subsequently ran second in the high-class Britannia S., earning an official rating of 103, which puts him well in the mix at Listed level in the UK. He appears to be on a neat upward curve and may yet be New Bay's next stakes winner.
Meanwhile, Fives reported a surge of interest following that solid Royal Ascot performance. “Coming back from Ascot, more Australians were asking about him (New Bay) and curious about him,” he said. “We can probably see his profile increasing over the next few years, he's only a young sire.”
“His fee has increased every year since he's had runners. His first crop really dazzled, I suppose, and then the last season was just incredible. “He had a Group 1 winner with Saffron Beach, and then he just totally stole the show on British Champions Day when he took the two feature races with Bayside Boy and Bay Bridge.”
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