New Bay

Ballylinch Stud has released the fees for its five stallions, with its flagship sire Lope De Vega (Ire) receiving an increase in price to €175,000, up from €125,000, though he is set to cover a smaller number of mares in 2025. "Lope de Vega continues to prove himself as a global sire sensation," said Ballylinch Stud's managing director John O'Connor. "He has again proven his effectiveness at the very highest level with the most Group 1 winners, European Classic winners, and black-type horses of any stallion worldwide this season. His...

Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale, which begins its three-day run this Monday, marks a welcome return to the consigning ranks of Daylesford Stud. Daylesford is a name synonymous with quality and it is not just the organic farmshop and luxury goods brand to which that label can be applied. The stud's owner, Lady Bamford, has long been a breeder of top-tier horses, her maroon colours having been carried to glory by two homebred Oaks winners since 2009 - Sariska (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Soul Sister (GB) (Frankel {GB})....

A substantial drop in the median, average and overall turnover along with a 72% clearance rate spoke to the struggles facing Irish breeders at Part 2 of the September Yearling Sale at Tattersalls Ireland on Thursday.  Trade was highlighted by the Rockview Stables-consigned New Bay (GB) colt [lot 812], who sold to prominent breeze-up handler Thomond O'Mara for €36,000 on a day where all of the key figures were down on last year.  Despite 27 more horses going through the ring compared to 12 months ago, turnover dropped by 20%...

Lope De Vega (Ire), whose new top-level winners in 2023 include Program Trading (GB) and Arapaho (Fr), has had his fee held at €125,000 for the fourth year. Four of the Ballylinch Stud stallions will stand in 2024 at the same price as they were advertised this year, while the fee for Waldgeist (GB) has been reduced. Ballylinch Stud's managing director John O'Connor said, "The Ballylinch stallion roster had another flagship year in 2023, with our proven sires Lope de Vega, New Bay and Make Believe being responsible for some...

With great trust comes responsibility and nobody knows that better than Henry Beeby. After throwing down the gauntlet to the breeders of Ireland to support this year's Goffs Orby with their top-tier yearlings, Beeby has assembled what he describes as the strongest catalogue for this sale in his 41 years working for the company.  Along with some of the major farms in Ireland--your Glenvales, Camas Parks, Barodas, Tally-Hos, Ballylinches and more--Philip Stauffenberg is here. Consigning at the Orby Sale for the first time, Stauffenberg Bloodstock will offer the Kingman (GB)...

As we move into the third tier of our examination of stallions by yearling profitability, the name at the top of the list for those standing between the equivalent of £10,000 and £19,999 perhaps provides an example of how rarity drives demand. On paper, the Dalham Hall Stud-based Farhh (GB) has an awful lot going for him. A son of Pivotal (GB) out of a dual Group 1 winner over a mile and a half, he was lightly raced, with just one winning appearance in each of his two- and...

As we approach the opening of the 2023 breeding sheds, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. The China Horse Club's Christie DeBernardis, Matt Houldsworth and Michael Smith clued us in on which sires they have chosen for some of their top American and European mares. ALBEROBELLO (m, 8, Bernardini—Carson Jen, by Carson City), booked to Justify Alberobello hails from a very deep family that is constantly improving. Her full-sister's daughter Key to...

By Brian Sheerin and Emma Berry   After a hectic few months perusing this year's foal and yearling crops, we asked the buyers to share their thoughts on the young stallions with first foals and yearlings.  Dermot Farrington, agent: "If you look at the list of people who have bought yearlings and foals by Advertise, it's a long time since a young stallion has attracted the who's who of the bloodstock world, and that's exactly what he has done. Whether it be yearlings to breeze, yearlings to race or foals...

The insatiable demand for foals was evident in the figures recorded at Goffs last week with turnover rising 16% to €29,561,000 and the average climbing 16% to €40,110. At the top end of the market, Kingman (GB) dominated with three foals by the Juddmonte-based stallion selling for a combined €1,540,000 and one of Europe's leading pinhookers Philipp Stauffenberg signing for the €550,000 top lot by the sire.  Tally-Ho Stud may be best known for being sellers but they pipped Stauffenberg for the biggest spenders title by signing for 19 foals...

Sons of Dubawi (Ire) shot the lights out at Goffs on Tuesday as a colt by first-season sire Ghaiyyath (Ire) topped the November Foal Sale at €185,000 followed by a Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt who made €180,000. Ghaiyyath himself was sold at this sale in 2015 for €1,100,000 before proving himself a world-class performer on the track for Godolphin and the Kildangan Stud-based sire has enjoyed a good start at Goffs this week. The Ridge Manor Stud-drafted colt was sold to Pier House Stud, whose Brendan Morrin revealed that...

It is a source of regret that the selection of British racing colours has been homogenised to the extent that it comes down to artlessly underwhelming choices such as light blue or dark blue. Eighteen standard colours are allowed in a variety of patterns, but gone, sadly, are the days when an aspiring owner could opt for 'Straw' (The Duke of Devonshire), or 'Apricot' (Lord Howard de Walden). James Wigan inherited his distinctive set from his grandfather, the owner/breeder Charles Gordon, who most certainly would have approved of seeing his...

  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...