Lope de Vega (Ire)

Last year's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Tiger Tanaka (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) was back in action in Sunday's Listed Prix La Camargo at Saint-Cloud, but she had to play second fiddle to the emerging force Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) as Gemini Stud's representative dealt her a resounding six-length beating in the mile contest. Last seen finishing a length behind Tiger Tanaka when they were fourth and sixth in the 10-furlong G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in October, the daughter of the dual stakes winner and G2 May Hill...

Yuesheng Zhang has built up an Irish stable with enviable horsepower while shopping with a relatively modest budget over the last few years. His stable star is undoubtedly last year's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who looks to someday have a future at stud both in Europe and at Zhang's Yulong property in Victoria, Australia. For now, though, connections have set their sights on the May 1 G1 2000 Guineas in Newmarket, with the colt preparing at Jessica Harrington's yard in good nick....

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,...

The fireworks at the annual Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton November sales are always a highlight of the year as seven-figure bids abound on some of racing's top broodmares and broodmare prospects. But after the dust settles, it can be years before words get out on the breeding careers of the sales' top offerings. We catch up with the connections of a few of these most recent million-dollar broodmares and learn of their mating plans for 2021 in our ongoing 'Million-Dollar Matings' series.     CONSTELLATION (Bellamy Road-For Royalty, by Not For...

The mating plans for the high-quality Shadwell broodmare band were announced by the stud on Monday. Nunnery Stud's four stallions, led by new recruit Mohaather (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), will all be well supported by Shadwell. Several top-flight winners are booked to the 2020 G1 Sussex S. victor, among them dual Group 1 winners Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway) and South African multiple Grade 1 winner Majmu (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}). They are joined by Ghanaati's Rahy half-sister, the stakes winner and G1 Oaks third Rumoush, who already...

It took until the final lot of the Goffs February Sale for the six-figure mark to be reached and it was a round €100,000 for the top lot of the two days, Rubira (Aus), a young southern hemisphere-bred daughter of Lope De Vega (Ire) in foal for the first time to New Bay (GB). The 6-year-old mare was formerly trained in by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman in New Zealand where she won the listed Diamond Lodge Gt North Champagne S. She was bought from the Baroda Stud draft by...

Every horse is a mystery. And a winner at 33-1 on its racecourse debut is a mystery that is partially disclosed, like in the case of Duke of Verona (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}), who came to win his maiden on 1-22-21 at Lingfield from very far behind--"from downtown", as a basketball pundit would have put it. But there is another little mystery: where does this name come from? Is there a connection among the horses in the pedigree? The investigation took a while. First line of inquiry: was there a Belardo...

Meon Valley Stud's foaling season has got off to the best possible start with the arrival of the first foal for the 2019 Oaks winner Anapurna (GB). The daughter of Frankel (GB) produced a chestnut filly by Lope De Vega (Ire) at the Hampshire farm early on Monday morning. "As you can imagine we're absolutely delighted," said Meon Valley Stud owner Mark Weinfeld. "You never know what's going to happen, so to have a filly as her first foal is fantastic. She arrived at six o'clock this morning and she's...

In a temporarily upside-down world, a comforting air of normality can be found in a perusal of the end-of-year stallion tables. To Benjamin Franklin's certainties of death and taxes, in this smaller world we can add just about the only sure thing in racing and bloodstock: Galileo (Ire) is champion sire. Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid to the King of Tipperary is the fact that, even at his home at Coolmore, the operation which naturally has free-flowing access to the supersire via some of the best mares...

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. Today's Observations features a half to a young Group 1-winning sire. 11.25 Deauville, Debutantes, €22,000, 2yo, c/g, 7 1/2f (AWT) VERDERON (IRE) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is a notable newcomer for Godolphin and Andre Fabre on the Polytrack, being a 500,000gns Tattersalls December Foal Sale purchase. The half-brother to...

NEWMARKET, UK--When there are two Dubawi half-brothers to Group 1 winners in a foal catalogue, the chances are that they will attract the attention of Sheikh Mohammed and go close to topping the sale, and that was exactly how it played out at Tattersalls on Friday. First up (lot 939) was the half-brother to the Irish champion 2-year-old filly Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy), brought to the sale from Ireland by his breeder Airlie Stud to head proceedings at 700,000gns. His price--100,000gns ahead of the top lot at last year's sale--made...

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...