Irish National Stud

The Irish National Stud (INS) today announced its Thoroughbred Breeding Management Class of 2025, featuring 26 students from eight different countries--Ireland, the UK, France, Sweden, the United States, Colombia, Australia and South Africa. The six-month residential course begins in January and provides students with hands-on training and lectures covering all aspects of Thoroughbred breeding. The curriculum spans key subjects such as reproductive anatomy and physiology, mare and stallion management, foaling procedures, equine nutrition, equine business, and farm management. The programme is designed to ensures that graduates are well-prepared to meet...

The four-strong roster at the Irish National Stud was revealed on Thursday, with all returning stallions' fees unchanged from 2024. After the retirement of roster stalwart Invincible Spirit (Ire) on Wednesday, Lucky Vega (Ire) heads the roster at €12,500. The Group 1-winning son of Lope De Vega (Ire) has his first runners in 2025, as does Nando Parrado (GB), who is listed at €6,000. New kid on the block is smart sprinter Shouldvebeenaring (GB) at €6,000. The son of Havana Grey (GB) has placed multiple times at the highest level...

A consequence of massive book sizes is that it has become even harder for a less obvious prospective stallion to break into the elite tier. However, just as many seemingly excellent stallion prospects over the years have failed to make the grade, and there is still scope for a stallion to succeed against the odds, to 'pull himself up by his bootstraps', to join the elite after having started out considerably farther down the ladder. One such has been the admirable Invincible Spirit (Ire), whose retirement from active service at...

Invincible Spirit (Ire), the sire of 22 individual Group 1 winners worldwide, has been retired from covering duties, the Irish National Stud announced on Wednesday. Now 27, Invincible Spirit was a fixture on the Irish National Stud roster of stallions for 22 consecutive seasons, starting in 2003 after his breakthrough Group 1 victory in the Sprint Cup at Haydock the previous autumn. As a racehorse he won seven of his 17 starts for trainer John Dunlop and owner-breeder Prince Faisal, with his other wins including the Duke Of York Stakes...

The Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation awarded two recipients the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Experience Scholarship, the program announced Thursday. The award, open to graduates of Irish equine programs, grants one year placements at leading Kentucky farms to provide the next generation of young people with an opportunity to further develop their horse skills. For 2025, the board selected Ciaran Phelan who will work with Springhouse Farm in Lexington and Lola Queck who will work with Hunter Valley Farm in Versailles. Ciaran worked at Coolmore Stud and Lodge Park Stud, graduated...

Middleham Park Racing's Shouldvebeenaring (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) will take up a stallion career at the Irish National Stud next year, Middleham Park Racing's Tom Palin confirmed on Tuesday. Entered in the G2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket on Friday, the colt is eyeing the G1 QIPCO Champions Sprint Stakes as a likely finale. The French Group 3 winner was second in the 2023 G1 Sprint Cup Stakes and third in the G1 Prix de la Foret last year. He's also placed third in both the G2 City Of York Stakes...

Edited Press Release The board of the Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation is delighted to announce the two recipients of its Irish National Stud tuition and placement scholarship for 2025. Josefina Posada has traveled extensively in her quest to learn and progress in the bloodstock world. The Bogota, Columbia, native, attended Hartpury University in Gloucester, England, graduating with first class honors in Equine Science. She has also gained valuable experience at Barton Stud in England and is currently an intern at Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. In the future...

Tattersalls Ireland has rightly earned a reputation as being a place where the younger brigade can prosper and Conor Mahon could well be the latest to play a star role at the September Yearling Sale this week.  Under his own Archersgrove Bloodstock, one of the newest consignments on the sales circuit, the 30-year-old will offer a Space Blues (Ire) filly and a Make Believe (GB) colt who were purchased as foals for €26,000 and €10,000 respectively.  Archersgrove Bloodstock is already up and running for the year. A combined £46,000 was...

The Irish National Stud will host the fourth event in IEVA 's CPD 2024 Series Saturday, Aug. 31. Entitled "Surgery and Lameness", the event is geared toward recent veterinary graduates and veterinary surgeons and will cover a wide range of topics from field anesthesia, castration, wounds and fractures. It will also look at the global career opportunities for equine veterinary practitioners as well as the importance of good client consultancy and engagement. The panel includes Simon Hennessey, Leah McGlinchy, Patricia Romero Marco, John Ortega McCormack and Marcus Swail. IEVA President...

The colt crowned Cartier Horse of the Year in 2021 when he retired as a five-time Group 1 winner; an elite miler who also won five races at the top level, notably at Royal Ascot in both 2020 and 2021; and the GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero of 2021, speedy enough to win the previous year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over six and a half furlongs. Those three summations alone should give some idea of the calibre of racehorse we're dealing with when it comes to the 2025 crop...

Elinor Wolf is joining the team of Starlight Racing and StarLadies Racing as their new director of marketing, partner relations and recruiting, the syndicates said in a release on Wednesday. Wolf has spent the past few years studying abroad and working. During that time she completed the Irish National Stud Course in 2021, graduated from the Godolphin Flying Start Program last year, and for the past six months ran Thoroughbred Country in Ireland. "I am thrilled to be relocating to the U.S. and joining Starlight Racing and StarLadies Racing full-time,"...

A total of 28 students celebrated June 26 after successfully completing a comprehensive six-month programme designed to prepare them for careers in the thoroughbred industry. The ceremony feting the 2024 Class of the Thoroughbred Breeding Management Course took place at the Irish National Stud, Co Kildare. The event, hosted by Leo Powell, began with formal addresses from Irish National Stud Board Member Clodagh Kavanagh, who delivered a speech on behalf of Chairman Dan Flinter and CEO Cathal Beale. Grace Hamilton (USA) and Tadgh McGuinness (Ireland) delivered a keynote speech on...