Ballylinch Stud

   In this new series, the TDN takes a look at the success of European-based sires in North America, on a semi-weekly basis. This week's column (Feb. 18-Feb. 25) is highlighted by the victory of Godolphin homebred Lake Lucerne (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Albert M. Stall Memorial S. at Fair Grounds on Feb. 18. A worldwide influence for class, Dubawi celebrated his 250th stakes winner with Lake Lucerne's two-length victory for Brendan Walsh and Tyler Gaffalione in a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes in New Orleans eight days previously. The 6-year-old...

Whether it was Bayside Boy (Ire) at Ballylinch, Minzaal (Ire) at Derrinstown or King Of Change (GB) and Dubawi Legend (Ire) at Starfield, one of the main takeaways from this year's Irish Thoroughbred Stallion Trail was that the pedigree buffs and bloodstock fans love nothing more than getting a glimpse at the new stallions this country has to offer.  "Don't dream of putting a picture of that lad up on Twitter otherwise I'll have Eddie O'Leary tweeting that it's not the only pig down in Ballyhane," - Joe Foley. Few...

GSW and G1SP Lone Eagle (Galileo {Ire}--Modernstone {GB}, by Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) brought top price of £300,000 on Goffs Online Tuesday. The 4-year-old colt, offered by his trainers Freddie and Martyn Meade, was secured by Ballylinch Stud to dissolve a partnership. Victorious in Newmarker's G3 Zetland S. at two, he added a score in the Listed Cocked Hat S. the following season, in addition to finishing second in the G1 Irish Derby. "The Goffs Online service has had a strong year and this is another great result which shows...

Roster stalwart Lope De Vega (Ire) enjoyed another excellent year with his progeny and will remain at a roster-topping €125,000 at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland. Now the sire of 103 black-type winners since reaching his centennial earlier this year, the chestnut also sired a 1.8 million guineas yearling during the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales. No less than 26 of his progeny have won stakes worldwide in 2022, led by dual Group 1 winner turned $2.7-million Keeneland November alum Dreamloper (Ire). He is also the sire of G1 Prix Vermeille heroine...

Group 1 winner Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}--Alava {Ire}, by Anabaa) has been retired and will stand at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland in 2023. A fee will be announced in due time for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. hero and a limited number of shares will be available to breeders. Bred by Ballylinch and raced by Teme Valley Racing and Ballylinch in partnership, the Roger Varian-trained bay won the G2 Champagne S. as a juvenile and was also third at Group 1 level in both the Dewhurst S....

  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...

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,...

Caught off guard in Royal Ascot's G1 Prince of Wales's S. and Sandown's G1 Coral-Eclipse, James Wigan and Ballylinch Stud's Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}--Hayyona {GB}, by Multiplex {GB}) made it third time lucky at the highest level when upsetting the hitherto undefeated Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and a stellar field in Saturday's G1 Qipco Champion S. at Ascot. The race is a qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland next month. Having appeared set fair to join the upper echelons when routing his rivals...

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...

NEWMARKET, UK--A marker in bloodstock history was plunged firmly into the ground at Tattersalls on Wednesday, when those present at Park Paddocks bore witness to the highest-grossing day of horse trade that has ever taken place in Europe. An eye-watering sum of 49,545,000gns was spent on 144 yearlings throughout the eight-hour session, including the most expensive yearling in the world this year--a colt by Frankel (GB) sold for 2.8 million gns. He was one of eight bought for seven-figure sums, bringing the number of million-plus youngsters from the first two...