Lope de Vega (Ire)

  Rare are the days that John O'Connor of Ballylinch Stud enjoyed at Ascot on Champions Day last Saturday. No sooner had the G1 QEII celebrations died down after Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB})'s victory, a horse the stud bred and co-owns with Teme Valley, when another runner that the stud owns jointly, Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}), lowered the colours of Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Champion S.    It was an afternoon that propelled Ballylinch resident New Bay into the spotlight and...

Nurlan Bizakov's homebred Group 1 winner Belbek (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}), successful by a neck in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere earlier in the month, will not travel for the Breeders' Cup meeting at Keeneland, and instead enjoy the winter off. Trained by Andre Fabre, the colt also won the G3 Prix du Bois in June. "He's done for the year, we decided he did not need to run again," said Fabre. "I don't see him having any problem in staying a mile next season, he would have had no problem...

DEAUVILLE, France--It's beginning to feel as if it's John O'Connor's world and we're just living in it. After selling 27 yearlings for almost 6.5 million gns at Tattersalls last week, Ballylinch Stud, which he manages, was then represented by a Group 1 double at Ascot's Champions Day when first Bayside Boy (Ire) won the Queen Elizabeth II S., followed by the triumph of Bay Bridge (GB) in the Champion S. Both are sons of Ballylinch resident New Bay (GB), and Bayside Boy was bred and is co-owned by Ballylinch, while...

Jurgen Sartori's unbeaten 2-year-old filly Quantanamera (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}--Quaduna {GB}, by Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) posted an impressive three-length debut success tackling nine furlongs at Dortmund last month and blitzed those that dared once more in Sunday's G3 BBAG Preis der Winterkonigin, Germany's premium event for juvenile fillies, at Baden-Baden. The well-backed 6-4 favourite was sharply into stride from the outside stall and bowled along under a firm hold on the front end. Settling the contest in an instant when shaken up at the top of the straight,...

NEWMARKET, UK--With almost 100 lots still to sell, the turnover for Book 2 had already surpassed the tally set in 2021 and, just as witnessed last week at Tattersalls, this second catalogue of four for the October Yearling Sale, bettered all markers of a year ago. There was a broader spread of buyers, but Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, whose principal Anthony Stroud had been so busy on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation during Book 1, was again active throughout, with the agency ending Book 2 as the leading buyer with...

Breeder Ballylinch Stud offered a bay filly (lot 1303) by their resident stallion Lope De Vega (Ire) on Wednesday and she was knocked down for 650,000gns to Anthony Stroud. The daughter of Gallitea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is a full-sister to the winning Oviedo (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who was third in the G3 Acomb S. in August. Gallitea is a half-sister to the ill-fated G1 Shadwell Fillies Mile and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Chriselliam (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), and Lope De Vega's triple Group 2 scorer Very Special...

Group 1 winner Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) will be offered during the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale during Dec. 3-6. A winner of the G1 Prix Vermeille, the 4-year-old landed the G2 Prix Corrida, G3 Prix de Flore, and the Listed Prix La Camargo in the Gemini Stud silks for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard earlier in her career. Graffard said, "It's been a pleasure to train this magnificent filly for the last three years. Very brave and with a great temperament, she achieved all her objectives this year...

A Kingman (GB) half-sister to G1 Dewhurst S. hero Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) (lot 1025) is one of the highlights of the 1172-strong catalogue for the Tattersalls December Foal Sale which is now online. The sale will be held from Nov. 23-26 and will begin at 10 a.m. each day. There are a total of 161 full- or half-siblings to group and listed winners, among them 11 Group 1 winners. Besides the Kingman filly offered by Whitsbury Manor Stud, half-brothers to G1 1000 Guineas heroine Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) (lot...

Godolphin's Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}--God Given {GB}, by Nathaniel {Ire}), whose yearling half-brother sold for 1,500,000gns at Tattersalls' Book 1 sale during the week, bounced back off a below-par effort--behind subsequent G1 Dewhurst S. hero Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB})--in last month's G2 Champagne S. to deliver a game victory in Saturday's G3 Emirates Autumn S. at Newmarket and completed a hat-trick for connections following in the wins of Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the two most recent editions of the seven-furlong...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a daughter of Grade I winner Daddys Lil Darling.   2.00 Thurles, Mdn, €15,000, 2yo, f, 8fT SAVETHELASTDANCE (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is the first foal out of the GI American Oaks heroine Daddys Lil Darling (Scat Daddy), who was purchased by M V Magnier for $3.5...

It was late in the day, but the demand for quality bloodstock had not diminished at Tattersalls and Richard Knight made the winning bid of 1.8 million gns for lot 344, a Lope De Vega (Ire) half-sister to crack sprinter Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and the Group 2-placed The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Consigned by breeder Ballyphilip Stud, the bay is from the same family as dual group winner and smart, young sire Tasleet (GB) (Showcasing {GB}).   ' - . # This filly by Lope de Vega...

Al Shaqab Racing's Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}--Traffic Jam {Ire}, by Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), off the track since failing to land a blow in Chantilly's June 19 G1 Prix de Diane, exacted revenge on that Classic's winner, 'TDN Rising Star' Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), with a late rush to secure a career high in the flickering embers of Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines at ParisLongchamp. The €260,000 Arqana August graduate had earlier annexed Saint-Cloud's Apr. 29 G3 Prix Cleopatre before taking second behind another 'TDN...