Lope de Vega (Ire)

For this first of four parts of our annual Value Sires series in Europe, we will be dealing with the elite tier of stallions standing for a fee in excess of £50,000, which is approximately €57,000. The names in this bracket don't change that much, except for when a grandee retires or a young upstart bounces his way in. In 2025, we lost an increasingly prolific member of this cohort when Wootton Bassett died in Australia from pneumonia at the age of 17. The consequences of his passing will doubtless...

Ballylinch Stud has released the 2026 fees for its five stallions, with Lope De Vega receiving an increase in price to €200,000 following another successful year with Group 1 performers such as Carl Spackler, Almaqam and Jonquil. "Lope De Vega reaffirmed his position as the world's leading stallion in 2025, once again topping the global tables for the number of worldwide stakes horses, a title he also achieved in 2024," said Ballylinch managing director John O'Connor. "His remarkable consistency and versatility across continents continue to inspire confidence in breeders and...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Every Vote Counts in New York. Third Start The Charm For Pinatubo Filly Klaravich Stables' Every Vote Counts (Pinatubo) strolled to a 1 1/4-length victory during the Belmont at the Big A meeting on November 2 (video). Trained by Chad Brown and bred by The Sparkle Roll Partnership, she was making her third start. A 220,000gns Tattersalls October yearling, the daughter of G2...

6th-WO, $115K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:34 p.m. ET. Mike Repole's European purchasing run last year included TOLD (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). The owner took home the colt for €200,000 out of Book 1 of the Goffs Orby Yearling sale. Sent to Kevin Attard, Told is out of Cartesienne (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). The dam's own half-siblings include the Eclipse Award-winning Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Mawj (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Ire}) and English stakes winner Modern News (GB) (Shamardal). TJCIS PPS

Multiple Grade I winner Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) has been retired from racing and will stand at Lane's End for the 2026 breeding season, the farm announced. Bred by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, Carl Spackler was campaigned by e Five Racing before being acquired by Ace Stud. Named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' in his second career jump at Gulfstream Park after breaking his maiden by 8 3/4 lengths, he claimed his first graded victory August of 2023 when he took home the GII National Museum...

Soft ground at Doncaster on Friday meant that times were distinctly unimpressive, but a filly with a future shone through in Lilt (Lope De Vega). A daughter of James Wigan's star mare Dank (Dansili), the William Haggas-trained newcomer was allowed to saunter along on the front end by Cieren Fallon and when threatened by Hollywell Stream (Lope De Vega) gave more to seal a cosy neck success. "She had given me a nice feel at home and had a freebie there," the rider said of the daughter of the Breeders' Cup Filly...

Beauvatier, an impressive winner of the G2 Challenge Stakes earlier this month, will take up stud duties at Haras d'Etreham for the 2026 breeding season, after an intended swansong in December's G1 Hong Kong Mile. A stud fee will be announced at a later date. Trained by Yann Barberot for a partnership consisting of Philippe Allaire, LNJ Foxwoods and Haras d'Etreham, Beauvatier won each of his first four races as a juvenile, including the G3 Prix la Rochette, before ending that season with a third-place finish in the G1 Prix...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a full-brother to multiple Group 1 winner and Classic heroine Lake Victoria (Frankel). 4.50 Leopardstown, Mdn, 2yo, c/g, 7f 30yT DRUIDS GLEN (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) is a significant newcomer for Ballydoyle on an intriguing card, being a full-brother to the yard's outstanding Irish 1,000 Guineas, Breeders'...

We should have seen it coming really. Night Of Thunder burst onto the scene in 2019 to be champion first-season sire with seven stakes winners to his name. Not all leading freshmen go on to put themselves into contention for champion sire honours, of course, but six years later this is exactly what the prolific Night Of Thunder has done, and he looks almost certain now to follow the achievement of his own sire Dubawi, who was champion in 2022. Dubawi, who turns 24 in January, took longer to get...

Wertheimer et Frere homebred Sosie, third in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, is pointing to the G1 Hong Kong Vase, trainer Andre Fabre announced. The three-time Group 1-winning son of Sea The Stars was slated to retire at the end of the season. "He ran his race [in the Arc], he ran right up to his form. The plan with him now is to go to Hong Kong," said Fabre, who has won the Vase three times with Borgia (Acatenango) (1999), Flintshire (Dansili) (2014) and Junko (Intello) (2023)....

European champion two-year-old Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega) has been retired from racing and will take up stud duties at Kildangan Stud in Ireland next year. A stud fee will be announced at a later date. Trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin, Shadow Of Light joins the Darley roster as a dual Group 1 winner, having become only the third two-year-old since the Pattern began to win both the Middle Park Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes. Beaten just once in five starts that season, when filling the runner-up spot in...

Beauvatier (Lope De Vega) may have come into Friday's G2 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes at Newmarket on the back of a minor slump, but he proved much the best of the line-up to restore confidence. Delivered by Alexis Pouchin to overwhelm Poet Master (Lope De Vega) inside the final furlong, the 7-1 shot registered a 2 1/4-length success as the 2-1 favourite Cosmic Year (Kingman) disappointed in third. "He was very relaxed today, perfect, as he can be difficult sometimes and can pull," Pouchin said of the Yann...