Victor Ludorum (GB)

Hello Youmzain (Fr), the leading first-season sire in France this year, has had his fee increased to €40,000 as he prepares to stand his fifth season at Haras d'Etreham in 2025. The sire of two black-type winners from his first crop, namely the G3 Prix des Chenes winner Misunderstood (Fr)--who also finished third in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere--and G3 Prix Eclipse scorer Electrolyte (Ire), Hello Youmzain was introduced at a fee of €25,000 back in 2021. He remained at that level the following year, before being dropped to €22,500...

A total of 775 lots have been catalogued for the Arqana October Yearling Sale, including a Romanised (Ire) half-brother to this year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), who was bought by Alessandro Marconi for €78,000 at this very sale in 2022. The five-day fixture takes place from Tuesday, October 22 to Saturday, October 26. The Romanised colt (lot 23) will be one of the early lots to go under the hammer during Part 1 of the October Yearling Sale, with lots 1 to 208 set...

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...

Nine-time Group 1 winner Anamoe (Aus) leads the 18-strong Darley Australia roster at A$121,000 in 2024, the organisation announced on Tuesday. He is set to be joined in New South Wales by the shuttle Too Darn Hot (GB), who will command a fee of A$110,000, having produced the G1 Champagne S. winner Broadsiding (Aus) from his first Southern Hemisphere crop. New shuttle recruits Native Trail (GB) and Triple Time (Ire) will stand at fees of A$27,500 and A$22,000, respectively. Native Trail is in the midst of covering his first book...

Dual Group 1 winner Victor Ludorum (GB) was represented by his first reported foal, a colt, on Thursday, Jan. 12. Out of Ever Sun Shine (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), the colt was described by breeder Guilaume Vitse as "a strong colt, of good size and muscular like his father. He is a good-looking colt and I am very, very happy with him." The Kildangan Stud resident stands for €15,000 in 2023.

Five-time Group 1 winner Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}), GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and the Classic-winning Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) all have had their first mares scanned in foal, Darley Europe announced on Monday. Each stallion also has a full book. A crack miler, Palace Pier stands for £55,000 at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket. Also, a winner of the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, Space Blues commands €17,500 at Kildangan Stud in Ireland. Rounding out the trio, Victor Ludorum landed the G1 Prix...

   Sunday's G1 Prix d'Ispahan at ParisLongchamp sees two of France's big names Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) go head-to-head over the unique intermediate trip of nine furlongs 55 yards. While Skalleti has yet to strike at this exalted level despite holding the enviable tally of seven group-race wins, his compatriot has won one of the most prestigious of them all in Ascot's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. in October. Disappointing so far this term, Al Asayl France's The Revenant could have been forgiven for...

Andre Fabre felt a slow start contributed to Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal)'s defeat in Sunday's G1 Prix du Jockey Club. The G1 French 2000 Guineas winner was aiming to double up in the French Derby, but having broken slowly from stall one, the Godolphin runner found the rest of the field in front of him after 100 yards. Having circled the other 15 runners, he just about hit the front before his run petered out and John Gosden's Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) sprinted clear to win going away, leaving...

There was an unwelcome twist on Thursday for connections of the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial winner English King (Fr) (Camelot) as the draw for Saturday's £500,000 G1 241st Investec Derby imposed a widely-perceived "hoodoo" on Bjorn Nielsen's bay. Ante-post favourite for Epsom's Blue Riband, he will have to depart from the dreaded stall one after heading a field of 16 declarations. Qatar Racing's G1 2000 Guineas hero Kameko (Kitten's Joy) has been allocated gate 11, historically a far more favourable position which gives Oisin Murphy options from the break. Aidan...

Andre Fabre's Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) will attempt to do the French Guineas and Derby double which stablemate Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) so nearly pulled off last season, as the latest entries for the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Prix de Diane were announced on Monday. One of 27 in the males' Classic, he turned around previous form with The Summit (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who had beaten him in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau in May, his only defeat in his career. Fabre could also run...

Andre Fabre's 'TDN Rising Star' Ocean Atlantique (American Pharoah) may head to next month's G1 Investec Derby at Epsom, with stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) likely to contest the French version. Fabre has no intention of stepping Victor Ludorum up to a mile and a half yet, and the G1 Prix du Jockey Club has always been his aim. American Pharoah colt Ocean Atlantique is owned by Coolmore, whose chief Epsom hope Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) is out to 10-1 for the Derby following his Royal...

After all the worry and uncertainty of the past few weeks, the first of the European Classics to be staged in the time of COVID-19 provided a reassuring outcome as Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) made class tell over the straight mile at Deauville. As it was before the huge disruption wrought by the virus, so it remains at least in this sphere with the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner confirming the form of the Arc card's juvenile highlight to regain the winning thread in Monday's G1...