Lope de Vega (Ire)

Value is relative. A homebred yearling by a lowly stallion who goes on to reap rich rewards on the track, or one by a more fashionably expensive name who brings a bonanza return in the sale ring could each be considered to have offered 'value' for their breeders. In a slight departure from the norm for this annual series, we will be looking at the profitability of stallions in four key price brackets according to their yearling sales returns of 2022 set against their fees at the time of covering,...

Having provided the winners of this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Prix de Diane, Prix Jacques le Marois, Grand Prix de Paris and Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Frankel (GB), unsurprisingly, has been named the champion sire of France in 2022. He ceded his position as champion in Britain and Ireland to Dubawi (Ire), whom he finished in front of when it comes to overall European earnings. Of the winners of the above named Group 1 races--Alpinista (GB), Nashwa (GB), Inspiral (GB) and Onesto (Ire)--all bar Alpinista remain in training...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a half-brother to an Italian Classic hero. 13.44 Newcastle, Nov, £6,800, 2yo, 8f 5y (AWT) Hugo Palmer trainee IMPERIAL ACE (IRE) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a 125,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 son of G3 Premio Verziere victrix Cottonmouth (Ire) (Noverre), is kin to a trio of...

There was an exciting newcomer in action at Kempton on Monday as Yoshiro Kubota's Dragon Icon (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) made light work of the seven-furlong British EBF Novice S. A full-brother to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and GII Jessamine S. winner and $3million Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale sensation Aunt Pearl (Ire), the Roger Varian-trained bay travelled strongly towards the rear with the anchor down throughout the early stages. Building a head of steam in early straight, the 4-1 shot struck the front passing the furlong pole and stayed...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's Observations features a full-brother to GISW Aunt Pearl. 16.15 Kempton, Nov, £14,000, 2yo, 7f (AWT) Yoshiro Kubota's hitherto untried 360,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 acquisition DRAGON ICON (IRE) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is a Roger Varian-trained full-brother to GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Aunt Pearl (Ire)....

Lot 928, a daughter of Lope De Vega (Ire) and the Poet's Voice (GB) mare Poet's Vanity (GB) who won the G3 Oh So Sharp S., was the first foal to break the 500,000gns barrier when selling for exactly that amount to Juddmonte Farms. Consigned by Langton Stud, the bay is kin to G3 Ballyogan S. heroine and G1 Golden Jubilee S. third Lesson In Humility (Ire) (Mujadil). She, in turn, has two stakes winners to her name, including the Group 3 winner and G1 Irish Derby second Tiger Moth...

Roster stalwart Lope De Vega (Ire) enjoyed another excellent year with his progeny and will remain at a roster-topping €125,000 at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland. Now the sire of 103 black-type winners since reaching his centennial earlier this year, the chestnut also sired a 1.8 million guineas yearling during the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales. No less than 26 of his progeny have won stakes worldwide in 2022, led by dual Group 1 winner turned $2.7-million Keeneland November alum Dreamloper (Ire). He is also the sire of G1 Prix Vermeille heroine...

Dreamloper's owner-breeder Olivia Hoare has admitted to being overcome with emotion ahead of a trip of a lifetime to the Breeders' Cup to see her dual Group 1-winning homebred bow out from racing on the biggest stage of all. Trained by Ed Walker to win two top-flight races at ParisLongchamp this season, Dreamloper (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is likely to race for the final time in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile given the 5-year-old is entered up in the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale next week. The decision to...

  Rare are the days that John O'Connor of Ballylinch Stud enjoyed at Ascot on Champions Day last Saturday. No sooner had the G1 QEII celebrations died down after Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB})'s victory, a horse the stud bred and co-owns with Teme Valley, when another runner that the stud owns jointly, Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}), lowered the colours of Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Champion S.    It was an afternoon that propelled Ballylinch resident New Bay into the spotlight and...

Nurlan Bizakov's homebred Group 1 winner Belbek (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}), successful by a neck in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere earlier in the month, will not travel for the Breeders' Cup meeting at Keeneland, and instead enjoy the winter off. Trained by Andre Fabre, the colt also won the G3 Prix du Bois in June. "He's done for the year, we decided he did not need to run again," said Fabre. "I don't see him having any problem in staying a mile next season, he would have had no problem...

DEAUVILLE, France--It's beginning to feel as if it's John O'Connor's world and we're just living in it. After selling 27 yearlings for almost 6.5 million gns at Tattersalls last week, Ballylinch Stud, which he manages, was then represented by a Group 1 double at Ascot's Champions Day when first Bayside Boy (Ire) won the Queen Elizabeth II S., followed by the triumph of Bay Bridge (GB) in the Champion S. Both are sons of Ballylinch resident New Bay (GB), and Bayside Boy was bred and is co-owned by Ballylinch, while...

Jurgen Sartori's unbeaten 2-year-old filly Quantanamera (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}--Quaduna {GB}, by Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) posted an impressive three-length debut success tackling nine furlongs at Dortmund last month and blitzed those that dared once more in Sunday's G3 BBAG Preis der Winterkonigin, Germany's premium event for juvenile fillies, at Baden-Baden. The well-backed 6-4 favourite was sharply into stride from the outside stall and bowled along under a firm hold on the front end. Settling the contest in an instant when shaken up at the top of the straight,...