Ballylinch Riding Vega High

BALLYLINCH RIDING VEGA HIGH 
By Emma Berry 
Following one of the strongest years of bloodstock auctions in recent times many will be approaching the foal sales with optimism, but few have the right to feel quite so positive as the team at Ballylinch Stud. 

Terrific results at the sales and on the track, plus a dream start to the stud career of a young stallion would have most people bouncing off the walls, but Ballylinch’s unflappable Managing Director John O’Connor is taking it all in his stride. As we speak, he has just watched yet another first-crop winner for the aforementioned young sire, Lope De Vega (Ire) (Shamardal), courtesy of the first-out victory for Exceedingly Rare (Ire) at Chantilly, which brings the freshman’s tally to 22. 

“It has been a very good year and it seems to be continuing,” said O’Connor in his understated manner. 
A fee rise from €12,500 to €40,000 has not stopped breeders jamming the phone lines to secure a slot in Lope De Vega’s book for next season, and the team in County Kilkenny can rejoice not just in his resounding success, but in the significant part they have played in it. His first Group 1 winner, the Dewhurst S. victor Belardo (Ire), was bred by Ballylinch Stud, as was his second top-rated horse, Burnt Sugar (Ire), winner of the G3 Sirenia S., a race won in the previous year by his half-brother Brown Sugar (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}). 

O’Connor continued, “Lope De Vega is flying. It is very satisfying to have bred his Group 1 winner and in some ways it’s a good indicator for our clients too. They know we’ll send quality mares to our young stallions and that makes it twice as satisfying–it’s not just that we have the sire and the dam.” 

Next year, the anticipation and excitement will resume as another of the stud’s young residents, Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}), is represented on the track by members of his first crop. He has a hard act to follow but hopes are high that he will do just that. 

“Quite a few of the mares we sent to Lope De Vega we then sent to Dream Ahead the following year,” said O’Connor. “We pick the mares that we think will give the young stallions the best chance.” 

Dream Ahead’s first test in the sales ring has been passed with flying colors, with his yearlings having sold for an average of €92,550 (approximately $115,500). 

“I’m really pleased with the athleticism of his stock– they look racy across the board and they seem to have good temperaments, as he has,” O’Connor said. “They’ve sold very well–his average is good–and he’s done very well for the people who have used him.” 

O’Connor continued, “Sales are obviously important to commercial breeders, but the racecourse is the ultimate test for a stallion and the ones who do well will become commercial. It’s important to keep your eye on the winning post at all times. I’d be very optimistic about Dream Ahead’s chances.” 

With the Ballylinch Stud draft for the Goffs November Foal Sale including one of the six Frankel foals to be offered in Kildare next week, the consignment is certain to garner plenty of interest, but he’s far from being the only weanling of note. Indeed, the half-brother to G3 Prix Thomas Bryon winner US Law (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) (lot 886) is one of 23 foals about to come under the hammer for Ballylinch, including a brace for Lope De Vega and Dream Ahead, respectively. 

“There are two really nice colts by Lope De Vega, including a full-brother to his first-crop winner Back To Base (Ire),” said O’Connor of the son of Indian Express (GB) (lot 919). 

Meanwhile, lot 769, one of two Dream Ahead colts in the draft, has received a decent update with the G1 Melbourne Cup victory of Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), whose third dam, Poughkeepsie (Ire), is the youngster’s grandam. 
Goffs has already been a happy hunting ground this year for Ballylinch Stud, who sold the top-priced filly–a €1.1 million Sea The Stars (Ire) half-sister to Lord Shanakill (Speightstown)–at the Orby Sale at the beginning of October. In fact it was the second year running that a filly out of Vimal and Gillian Khosla’s Green Room (Theatrical) was the best-selling Orby female and her Galileo (Ire) daughter, who fetched €680,000 in 2013, is now a Group 1 winner who goes by the name of Together Forever (Ire). 

“Amanda Skiffington bought the Sea The Stars filly and she proved to be very astute in that regard, as Together Forever won the G1 Fillies’ Mile a few weeks later,” said O’Connor. 

Like the Sirenia S., the Fillies’ Mile has been dominated by Ballylinch graduates in the last two seasons. Agnes Stewart (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), bred by John O’Connor in partnership with Ballyhane Stud, chased home Together Forever for second having previously won the G2 May Hill S., while the 2013 winner, the ill-fated Chriselliam (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), was bred by Ballylinch Stud from the Danehill mare Danielli {Ire}). She subsequently won the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf before succumbing to a serious foot infection earlier this year. 

O’Connor can justifiably approach the forthcoming sales with confidence. He said, “Pinhookers are generally an optimistic lot, but I don’t think they’ll go too crazy–lessons have been learned from the last crash. Having said that, the foal sales are bound to be strong this year. Once again it will be focused on certain sires and very good individuals–sometimes there’s an over-focus on a certain number of fashionable sires. There’s always value to be found away from the obvious stallions.” 

As well as the 23 weanlings, Ballylinch Stud also offers 18 mares at Goffs during the two-day broodmare sale–five of whom are being sold in foal to Lope De Vega. 

“We split our draft among the different sales but Goffs is our local sale and we always like to have a strong draft there,” he explained. “You have to give credit to Henry Beeby and his team–their hard work is being rewarded.”