St Mark's Basilica

Aidan O'Brien says that he is looking forward to seeing what Paddington (GB), the brilliant Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace S. winner, can do over an extra two furlongs in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday and says the colt has made rare progress this season.  Paddington provided O'Brien with a record 83rd Royal Ascot victory when slamming the 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the St James's Palace. The master of Ballydoyle went on to secure his 85th winner at the royal meeting before passing...

The first foal by European Champion 2-year-old and World Champion 3-year-old St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) was born at Kiltinan Stud in Fethard, Co Tipperary, Ireland on Jan. 9. The colt is out of Vital Force (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and owned by the John Ferguson-headed Natalma Bloodstock. Vital Force is a half-sister to Godolphin's G2 Coventry S. winner Buratino (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and from the immediate family of Danehill Dancer. "He's a good first foal with a good frame to fill into and a confident temperament,"...

Offered as lot 1622 at the midway stage of the first of two Sceptre Sessions during the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in Newmarket, the Archangel Gabriel (Arch--Princess Kris {GB}, by Kris {GB}) fetched a final bid of 800,000gns from Hunscote Stud to dissolve the partnership between that operation and Chris Humber. The 9-year-old, a full-sister to US Grade I winner Prince Arch and a half-sister to G1 National S. winner Kingsfort (War Chant) and to the dam of Group 3 winners Pincheck (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Valeria Messalina (Ire)...

Off the back of a star-studded season, No Nay Never will stand for €175,000 in 2023, which represents a €50,000 rise, while his dual Group 1-winning son Blackbeard (Ire) will join him on the Coolmore roster next year at a price of €25,000. No Nay Never has had an exceptional year. Older filly Alcohol Free (Ire) landed the G1 July Cup at Newmarket, but it has been his Coolmore-owned and Aidan O'Brien-trained juveniles that have set tongues wagging this term. Like his father, Blackbeard landed the G1 Prix Morny in...

St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a Group 1 winner at two and an unbeaten Classic winner at three who earned Horse of the Year honours last year, is set to cover a strong book of mares at Coolmore this season when he debuts at €65,000. A handful of black-type winners and producers have already been scanned in foal to St Mark's Basilica, including: Believe'N'Succeed (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}): the dam of G1 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and New Zealand champion sprinter Bounding (Aus) (Lonhro...

Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar), the Aga Khan's unbeaten 2008 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner and the dam of last year's champion French first-season sire Zarak (Fr), will be covered by another Aga Khan superstar, Siyouni (Fr), in 2022. Zarkava has already produced the listed-winning filly Zaykava (Fr) from a mating with Siyouni, and she has a yearling colt by the French champion sire. Zarkava's listed-winning and Group 1-placed daughter Zarkamiya (Fr) (Frankel {GB}) is currently in foal to Siyouni. Siyouni stands for a second consecutive season for €140,000 at...

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Knicks Go (Paynter) was named the Longines World's Best Racehorse of 2021 during a virtual ceremony of the Longines World Racing Awards presented from the National Horse Racing Museum in Newmarket, England on Tuesday. Also during the ceremony, the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe--won last year by Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger})--was announced as the Longines World's Best Horse Race of 2021, and Ryan Moore was celebrated as the Longines World's Best Jockey. The 6-year-old Knicks Go earned a rating of...

Champion 3-year-old St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) is preparing to stand his first season at Coolmore Stud next year for €65,000, and his book is already set to include a plethora of Group 1 winners and producers. Gold Cup winner Estimate (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}), Matron S. victress Fiesolana (Ire) (Aussie Rules), Prix Marcel Boussac winner Tiger Tanaka (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) and Moyglare Stud S. winner Cursory Glance (Distorted Humor) are among the Group 1 winners already booked into the five-time Group 1 winner, as well as Northern Farm's triple...

Welcome to TDN Europe's annual Value Sires Series. Over the next few weeks we will analyse the continent's sires by sire crop and provide a general state of play in the stallion market and, most importantly, pull out some potential value that may be lurking beneath the surface. Of course, the concept of value is subjective and can depend upon a wide range of goals: whereas one breeder may be looking to produce an animal that they can race and pick up purses with for years to come, many more...

St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr})-Cabaret {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) arrived at Coolmore Stud on Monday and will stand for a fee of €65,000 in 2022.  The top-rated horse in the world in 2021, he is a half-brother to his fellow Classic winner and Coolmore sire, Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), the pair having been bred by Bob Scarborough and both trained by Aidan O'Brien for Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor. Winner of the G1 Dewhurst S. at two, St Mark's Basilica was never beaten after his...

Trainer Aidan O'Brien has "backed off" five-time Group 1 winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) after the 3-year-old once again exhibited soreness in the area of a minor injury he sustained this summer. St Mark's Basilica missed the G1 Juddmonte International at York last month after a cut on a hind leg caused by a thrown shoe became infected, and although the dual French Classic and G1 Eclipse S. winner returned to win the G1 Irish Champion S. 10 days ago, he has since been sore in the area...

Best horse in the world. Check. Top-rated miler. Check. The only two horses to win three Group 1 races in three different countries in 2021. Check. Highest-rated turf horse in America. Check. Most exciting juvenile in Europe. Check. When a sale can boast all of these as its graduates in a single season then it's not doing badly at all, but then the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale--and Book 1 in particular--has long been a world leader, both for its results and for its pull of potential buyers from across the...