No Nay Never

   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 Indigo Woods at Fair Grounds. Blue Is the Colour Larry Rodgers and Coast Racing's Indigo Woods (Blue Point) prevailed by a half-length and maintained her perfect record in the Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds on March 7 (video). A winner of a Churchill maiden in October, the Brendan Walsh trainee was bred by Tinnakill House. The 10th foal out...

Group 1 winner Whistlejacket has had his first mares scanned in foal. The son of No Nay Never, who stands at Haras de Grandcamp, commands €14,000 this year. The Prix Morny hero has multiple stakes-placed Epson Blu Cen (Blue Point) in foal, as well as Flame Of Fame (Shakespearean), the dam of stakes winner Feel Your Power (Captain Marvelous). Another mare in foal to the chestnut is U.S. stakes winner Barleysugar (Kyllachy), the dam of stakes performer Lord Wootton Cen (Wootton Bassett). Eric Lhermite said, "We are very pleased with...

   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 Immortalised at Gulfstream Park. Romanised Colt Ageless At Gulfstream Sean Feld and Starry Night Racing's Immortalised (Romanised) made it two wins from three starts, after taking a Gulfstream contest on Thursday (video). Trained by Brendan Walsh, the three-year-old colt was bred by Elevage Haras de Bourgeauville. Sold for €37,000 to Feld Family Finds out of Arqana's Vente d'Elevage in 2023, the February foal...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This holiday edition is highlighted by the victory of No Pressure in Florida. Florida Clime The Answer For No Pressure Lindy Farms' No Pressure (No Nay Never) rolled to a three-quarter length victory stretching out over the Gulfstream turf for Philip Antonacci on Boxing Day (video). The homebred debuted during the Belmont at the Big A meet and ran second by a neck over six furlongs in September. Baroda Stud consigned No...

Galileo and Dubawi, two titans of the sport whose fates have been so entwined for the past two decades that the marrying of their superior bloodlines to one day give us a champion sire was perhaps as inevitable as it is satisfying for us bloodstock nuts. On 12 occasions, in 2008 and then every year between 2010 and 2020, Galileo topped the end-of-year sires' table in Britain and Ireland. On four of those occasions Dubawi filled the runner-up spot, before the Darley stalwart finally enjoyed his day in the sun...

It might be over-egging the pudding a bit to describe this year's Prix Morny as a familiar tale of woe for the home team. However, in order to understand why the 2024 winner, Whistlejacket, is such a welcome addition to the Normandy stallion ranks for next season, it's important to acknowledge the gaping void that necessitated his purchase in the first place. Increasingly, France seems to be falling behind its British and Irish counterparts when it comes to producing top-class, sprinting juveniles. This struggle was depicted in no uncertain terms...

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...

Group 1 winner Whistlejacket has been acquired by a group of breeders led by Jean-Philippe Dubois and will stand for €14,000 at Haras de Grandcamp next year, France-Sire reported on Friday. The full-brother to fellow juvenile top-level winner Little Big Bear will have his stallion career and syndication managed by Jean Daniel Manceau of Capucines Bloodstock. Dubois said in a statement, "I had the opportunity to follow the two-year-old season of Whistlejacket, a true model of precocity and courage. His victory in the Prix Morny made an impression, It has...

   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...

No Nay Never heads the Coolmore roster for the 2026 breeding season at €100,000, while the G1 Coral-Eclipse and G1 Irish Champion Stakes winner Delacroix, a son of Dubawi and the outstanding racemare Tepin, has been introduced at €40,000. Only the late Wootton Bassett has sired more individual Group-winning juveniles in Europe this year than No Nay Never, whose standout two-year-olds have included the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine True Love and the G2 Norfolk Stakes winner Charles Darwin. The G1 City Of York Stakes scorer Never So Brave has...

It didn't take long for Ballydoyle to register a winner on Qipco British Champions Day as Mission Central (No Nay Never) came good in the second act of the afternoon at Ascot. Following an eight-length Curragh maiden win with success in the Round Tower, he was sent to the Flying Childers at Doncaster but failed to get into the five-furlong contest dominated by Revival Power. This was much more in his comfort zone and he was always travelling notably strongly tracking the pace before being launched by Christophe Soumillon inside...

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'...