Dark Angel (Ire)

Nothing like coming 10-wide on your return to the races, but if you're going to make a comeback, why not do it big? Dynamic Pricing (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) kicked off her 2025 campaign by overcoming drama she likely won't see again, and took home the trophy for the GIII Beaugay Stakes to boot. Given a freshening after back-to-back third-place efforts in the Listed Winter Memories Sept. 13 and GII Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 17, she had not been to the winner's enclosure since her victory this...

English invader Choisya (GB) ( Night Of Thunder {Ire}) survived an objection to claim her first elite victory in Saturday's GI Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland, and according to her trainers, will now point to the GI Just A Game Stakes June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Festival at Saratoga. The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained mare registered a 100 Beyer in that victory, and with the race offering a fees-waived berth into the Just A Game, Ed Crisford reports that they will be taking advantage of their winnings. Until then,...

Coolmore stallion The Antarctic (Ire) sired his first reported foal last weekend. The Sepoy (Aus) mare Ibiza (GB) foaled a bay filly at Alne Park Stud. Ibiza is out of G2 Park Hill Stakes heroine Hi Calypso (Ire) (In The Wings {GB}) from the family of Arc heroine Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}). "We are delighted with our filly by The Antarctic," said Alne Park's stud director Grace Skelton. "She is a fine, strong and athletic foal." The Antarctic, a full-brother to three-time champion sprinter Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), won...

Clipper Logistics' Night Raider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a winner of the Listed Golden Rose Stakes last out, has, for now at least, been ruled out of a trip to Dubai, according to trainer Karl Burke. Both the G2 Duke Of York and the G2 Temple Stakes in May are local options for the 4-year-old. A winner of his first two trips to the post last year, Night Raider was tried in the G1 2000 Guineas, but ran unplaced, and the result was the same in the G3 Jersey Stakes...

Dear Sir/Madam, Maybe it is just tradition, but can someone please advise if there is a justifiable reason for the stallion statistics and championships for Britain and Ireland to be combined? This is at odds with other championships such as trainer, owner and jockey statistics. This situation was highlighted to me when Camelot received scant praise for being European champion sire, but Dark Angel had many column inches written about his achievement of being champion sire in Britain and Ireland. My suggestion is that stallion statistics should be reported for...

Without a doubt, one of the great privileges of working in racing journalism is being able to get close to the equine stars and hear first hand from the people who bred, own, train, or ride them, as well as the countless people who look after retired racehorses and give them a meaningful life long after their last race is run. At TDN, we try to bring our readers a wide range of stories, from the paddocks, breeding sheds, sales rings, training grounds and racecourses around Europe and beyond. We...

"He's been everything to us," was the sign-off from Gay O'Callaghan in this must-read TDN feature from Emma Berry, who had a golden opportunity during the Tattersalls December Sale to sit down with the Yeomanstown Stud patriarch, as well as his sons David, Guy and Robert, to discuss the remarkable story of their homegrown hero, Dark Angel (Ire). If you're one of the few who haven't read the piece already, then I urge you to correct that misdemeanour before we see in the new year, but first stick with me...

It's time to revisit our annual series to assess the sires of 2025 with the aim of working out where the value lies. We'll reissue the usual caveat that value means different things to different people. For the benefit of this series, we are using the euro as our currency for bracketing, and will deal with stallions in the following four tiers: €50,000 and up €20,000 to €49,999 €10,000 to €19,999 Under €10,000. Only one of the new additions to the European stallion ranks for 2025 makes it into the...

Thirty-five years after setting up in the stallion business, Gay and Annette O'Callaghan's Yeomanstown Stud can look forward to an extra special Christmas celebration as the family toasts its homegrown hero Dark Angel (Ire), the 2024 champion sire of Britain and Ireland.  For anyone who has watched the tenacity with which Gay works the sales in tandem with his sons David, Guy and Robert, and often with Peter back over from America, it is easy to predict that the celebration won't last long. For soon there will be mares to...

There is no little poignancy in the timing of Acclamation (GB) making his permanent exit from the stage just as his most celebrated offspring, Dark Angel (Ire), stands on the cusp of being crowned champion sire in Britain and Ireland. As the mares sale got underway at Tattersalls last Monday, the news filtered through that Acclamation, who had been officially retired only a matter of weeks beforehand, had died at the age of 25. His passing, though at a good age and with his legacy already assured, will leave a...

Rathbary Stud's influential sire Acclamation (GB) has died at the age of 25. The son of Royal Applause (GB) had recently been retired from covering duties. The stud announced the news via a statement on social media which read, "It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Acclamation this weekend. He leaves behind a legacy as a true legend of the Irish stallion ranks. He will be deeply missed by all at Rathbarry Stud but never forgotten." Bred by Tedwood Bloodstock and partners, the son of Princess Athena...

NEWMARKET, UK -- Among a boutique offering, a half-sister to two Group 1 winners, by the champion sire-elect, was always going to be a standout and the 18-year record for the top price at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale duly fell to Clara Stud's Dark Angel filly, who was sold for 900,000gns. Solo De Lune (Ire) (Law Society), now best known as the dam of Irish Oaks winner Moonstone (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), held the previous record at 775,000gns back in 2006 as part of the Britton House Stud dispersal. That...