Fascinating Rock

Whether the Classic picture is any clearer this week than last is debatable but what the last seven days have brought us is some truly impressive performances to savour. And it is hard to pick just one, though it has to be said that Portcullis's Wood Ditton run was visually the most spectacular for all that you could see the colt learning with every stride he took, from being left at the start, to bounding through then clear of his rivals.  His maiden success for the King and Queen played...

There was much consternation when only three new Flat stallions retired to stand in Britain for the 2025 season. It remains to be seen whether this was a blip, but if it becomes a trend then obviously it is cause for concern. It is easy to understand why, in an increasingly commercial sphere, breeders would either flock to the proven elite (for those with mares good enough and pockets deep enough) or to the next first-season sire on the block who may be forgiven for a year or two until...

Although his first crop is just four this year, Make Believe (GB) has made an impressive start at stud with his flagbearer, Mishriff (Ire), backing up his Classic-winning year with a recent win in the Saudi Cup. With the flat season due to start in a few weeks, racing pundits are already guessing at what possible route the winner of the world's richest race might take this year. For Make Believe, the breeding season has started in a strong vein and the team at Ballylinch Stud, where the sire stands,...

Lope de Vega (Ire) (Shamardal), who has enjoyed a stellar year with his progeny on the track, has seen his fee increased to €125,000 from €100,000 at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland. In 2020, the sire of 77 black-type winners total, has enjoyed four Group 1 winners, including juveniles Lucky Vega (Ire) in the G1 Phoenix S. and Aunt Pearl (Ire) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Previous Grade I winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire) scored in the GI Just a Game S. Stateside and Gytrash (Aus) saluted in the G1...

High Peak (Ire) (Fascinating Rock {Ire}), a debut runner-up at Newcastle earlier this month, justified odds-on favouritism to become the first winner for his Ballylinch Stud-based freshman sire (by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in Tuesday's Join Racing TV Now Novice Median Auction S. at Thirsk. 1st-Thirsk, £5,400, Nov, 6-16, 2yo, 7fT, 1:27.70, g/s. HIGH PEAK (IRE) (c, 2, Fascinating Rock {Ire}--Expectation {Ire}, by Night Shift), who shaped with a deal of promise when second in his June 4 debut over six furlongs at Newcastle, duly delivered as the odds-on favourite going...

Monday heralded the first day of perhaps the strangest turf season any of us will ever witness. From Wednesday, Ireland has gone from racing behind closed doors to joining the rest of the Europe in learning to cope with no racing action at all. There is now uncertainty over when the next 2-year-old race will take place but three of this year's 30 first-season sires in Europe are already off the mark with a first runner, with Buratino (Ire), Prince Of Lir (Ire) and Markaz (Ire) each having been represented...

For the stallions with first-crop 2-year-olds of 2020, the guessing game is effectively over. The market has offered up its opinions at the foal and yearling levels--for some, reputations have been enhanced even before their firstborns bore tack. For others, the market has nearly already decided their fate. Irrespective of what happened in the ring, however, a great many first-crop 2-year-olds are now in the hands of their trainers, and we have just mere months to wait before the most precocious of those begin to show their hands. In the...