By Heather Anderson
In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victories of a quartet by Ballylinch Stud's Lope De Vega (Ire).
Lope De Vega Filly Best At Saratoga
Making her debut, Ozara (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) eked out a win at Saratoga for Cheyenne Stable, LLC and Christophe Clement (video).
Bred by the Fleche D'Or Partnership, the bay was a 350,000gns yearling at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The second winner for her dam Cercle D'Or (Ire) who also won at two, the filly has a yearling half-sister by Frankel (GB). Dual-purpose sire Golden Horn (GB), who won the G1 Derby and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and two other top-level races, is a half-brother to Cercle D'Or.
Lope De Vega's progeny have a strong success rate in America, with 37 of his 68 runners (54%) becoming winners. His seven stakes winners (10%) now include six at the graded level, with Program Trading (GB) joining Newspaperofrecord (Ire) and Aunt Pearl (Ire) as a Grade I winner this past weekend and Carl Spackler earning his graded stripes on Friday.
#10 Ozara wins first time out in the opener at Saratoga under @Tyler_Gaff for trainer @clementstable! 🤩
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/bMsn6vzXT2
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 6, 2023
Queen For A Day
German group winner Kalifornia Queen (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) won for the first time in over two years with a tally at Saratoga on Friday (video). Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, LLC, First Row Partners, and Michael Caruso, the 6-year-old has collected a litany of stakes-placings on both sides of the Atlantic, with a third in the 2021 GI E. P. Taylor S. among them.
Bred by Stall Torjager, the chestnut was purchased for €70,000 out of the BBAG October Mixed Sale in 2018. Sent into training with Henk Grewe, she made seven starts in Germany and France for her breeders, with her best effort a victory in the 2020 G2 Diana-Trial. Put through Arqana's sales ring the same day as her European finale, the filly realized €260,000 at the 2020 'The Arc' Sale. Out of G3 German St. Leger heroine Kaldera (Ger) (Sinndar {Ire}), who was third in the G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis at four, Kalifornia Queen is the last known foal out of her dam.
#10 Ozara wins first time out in the opener at Saratoga under @Tyler_Gaff for trainer @clementstable! 🤩
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/bMsn6vzXT2
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 6, 2023
Honourable Mentions
Now a Grade I winner with his strike in Saturday's Saratoga Derby Invitational S., Program Trading (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is the third progeny of his sire to feature in Making Waves this week. Already highlighted in a May column, the 19th Grade/Group 1 winner for his sire is a son of Dreamlike (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and secured the victory for Klaravich Stables, Inc. and trainer Chad Brown.
Friday afternoon marked the win of 'TDN Rising Star' and fellow Lope De Vega-sired colt Carl Spackler (Ire) in Saratoga's rescheduled GII Hall of Fame S. (video). The e Five Racing Thoroughbreds-owned Brown trainee was already featured in February, and is his sire's 116th stakes winner and 65th group/graded winner worldwide.
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