Blackbeard

3.18 Nottingham, Mdn, 2yo, f, 5f 8yT SENORITA BONITA (IRE) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) topped the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale at 900,000gns and debuts for Victorious Forever and Simon and Ed Crisford in the maiden won in the last three years by Zelaina, Leovanni and Beautiful Diamond. Jaber Abdullah's Queen Of Christmas (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) also makes her debut, with the Karl Burke-trained €305,000 Arqana Deauville October purchase a half-sister to the Listed-winning dam of last year's Prix du Moulin de Longchamp hero Sahlan (Wootton Bassett).   5.40 Curragh, Mdn, 2yo,...

Coolmore's dual Group 1-winning juvenile Blackbeard is the 6/5 favourite with Fitzdares to be crowned Britain and Ireland's leading first-season sire by number of winners in 2026, ahead of Shadwell's Minzaal at 7/4. Fitzdares launched its market on Tuesday, four days out from the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster, the first two-year-old race of the year in Britain. Whilst both Blackbeard and Minzaal are without a representative among the 22 entries published on Monday, it's likely to be just a matter of time before their two-year-olds start to appear in large...

The Flat season kicks off in Ireland at the Curragh on Sunday and Brian Sheerin has spoken to some of the main protagonists ahead of the eagerly-anticipated fixture Robson Aguiar has described himself as a big fan of first-season sire Persian Force and said he expects Force Noir to get the Tally-Ho Stud resident off to the best possible start with victory in the opening two-year-old maiden of the year at the Curragh on Sunday.  Through his association with former licence holder Adrian Murray, the Brazilian native has dominated the...

Minzaal has been chalked up at odds as short as 10-11 for first-season sires' championship honours by Paddy Power, whose trader James Ryan said it is the Derrinstown Stud-based stallion's 'title to lose'. Ryan, who priced up the market, also revealed that the firm is happy to lay second-favourite Blackbeard at odds of 6-4. Meanwhile, Baaeed has not gone unsupported at odds of 66-1.  According to Global Stallions, Minzaal has 115 two-year-olds to run for him this year while Blackbeard has the same number of juveniles. Tally-Ho Stud's representative Persian...

Notable absentees from the first-day buyers' sheet at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, the Coolmore partners made their second seven-figure purchase of Wednesday's session when going to 1,700,000gns for the No Nay Never colt out of the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Millisle (Starspangledbanner). Consigned by Watership Down Stud, lot 266 is the third foal out of Millisle, who also won the G3 Ballyogan Stakes as a three-year-old. Her first foal, Alfareqa (Frankel), successful once in five career starts, was herself a Book 1 yearling when bought...

KILDARE, IRELAND - For the second time in Goffs Orby Sale history, a full-sister to Blackbeard led the way - this time with Coolmore's MV Magnier going to €1.9 million to secure the Glenvale Stud-consigned daughter of No Nay Never.  It was at this sale in 2022 when Run Away commanded top lot status when selling to Richard Knight for €2.3 million. In the meantime, Blackbeard has made a good impression with his first crop of yearlings while his little brother Charles Darwin has proved himself to be a chip...

There was a sense of deja vu at Kildare Paddocks on Tuesday as Glenvale Stud's No Nay Never filly out of Muirin (Born To Sea) stole the show at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, with MV Magnier having to stretch to €1.9 million - the highest price of the sale so far - to outpoint Jacob West. Whilst perhaps best known for producing the dual Group 1-winning juvenile Blackbeard and this year's G2 Norfolk Stakes winner Charles Darwin from her previous trysts with No Nay Never, Muirin also made headlines...

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE - Pound for pound, Camas Park Stud has produced the goods like no other consignment at the Arqana August Sale in recent years.  Queen Mary third Balantina (Ten Sovereigns), Saratoga Oaks runner-up Evershed (Churchill) and genuine Derby hope Isaac Newton (Camelot) are just some of the August Sale graduates that have been strutting their stuff on the track this year alone for an outfit that sold the 2022 European Champion Two-Year-Old Little Big Bear on this sale ground.  Put simply, few people run a tighter ship than Tim...

Circle the wagons and sally forth as one, for Deauville is in view, which means only one thing: it'll soon be Christmas. There is, however, a circuitous route to be navigated before we reconvene under the Normandy lights in December. And right now, surely even the older members of the travelling show can lift an enthusiastic heart, along with the odd glass or two, as the summer holidays merge happily with the beginning of the European yearling sales at Arqana and some damn good sport across the road at the...

Coolmore has introduced three new names to its Irish roster for next year with Paddington (GB) heading the list of newcomers at €55,000. The son of Siyouni (Fr) won six of his eight races this year, including four Group 1 victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace, Eclipse, and Sussex S. Little Big Bear (Ire), winner of the G1 Phoenix S. at two followed by the G2 Sandy Lane S. this year before finishing runner-up in the G1 Commonwealth Cup, will stand for €27,500. The Antarctic (Ire), a...

Little Big Bear (Ire) has been named Europe's champion juvenile for 2022 and becomes the 12th European champion 2-year-old to have been trained by Aidan O'Brien. The son of No Nay Never, who was bred by Camas Park Stud and Summerhill, achieved his top rating of 124 for his seven-length rout in the G1 Keeenland Phoenix S. at the Curragh. The victory was the culmination of four straight wins in five starts, including the Listed Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot and the G3 Anglesey S. "We always thought from...

Whether it was Bayside Boy (Ire) at Ballylinch, Minzaal (Ire) at Derrinstown or King Of Change (GB) and Dubawi Legend (Ire) at Starfield, one of the main takeaways from this year's Irish Thoroughbred Stallion Trail was that the pedigree buffs and bloodstock fans love nothing more than getting a glimpse at the new stallions this country has to offer.  "Don't dream of putting a picture of that lad up on Twitter otherwise I'll have Eddie O'Leary tweeting that it's not the only pig down in Ballyhane," - Joe Foley. Few...