Magnum Force

Whether you're a racing fan enjoying another glimpse of champions of yesteryear, or a breeder assessing the new intake to the sire ranks, the ITM Irish Stallion Trail is unmissable. From toddlers up, the throng of visitors to the 37 studs who opened their doors across the country on Friday and Saturday stand as testament to the draw of the annual showcase. Many readers of this publication will be in the fortunate position of being able to visit stallion studs at their leisure and to be welcomed with open arms....

This raft of stallions at the lowest range of the price scale is every bit as important as those at the top. For a start, if we look at Royal Ascot alone in 2025, we find the names Massaat and Washington DC alongside those of two of the week's Group 1 winners. Then there was Rajasinghe, whose offspring made their presence felt in two of the season's most prestigious sprint handicaps. Breeders with mares rated 70 or above could have used Rajasinghe for free this year, such was the desire...

Breeders' Cup victor Magnum Force has been retired and will stand at Ballyhane Stud in Ireland from next year. A fee for the Grade I-winning son of Mehmas will be announced later. The Ger Lyons trainee won at second asking at Cork, before running second in the Listed Julia Graves Roses Stakes at York last August. Third in Doncaster's G2 Flying Childer's Stakes in September, he triumphed by a half-length in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar on November 1. The son of the Fastnet Rock mare Tropical Rock...

In the TDN's Breeders' Cup Breakthrough series, we catch up with the six trainers who celebrated their first win at the Breeders' Cup World Championships in 2024. We discuss the road to securing that victory and what they hope to accomplish from here. Next up is Ger Lyons. After scoring in last year's GI Juvenile Turf Sprint with Magnum Force (Mehmas), the successful Meath-based trainer is hoping to get back to the same race this year with Lady Iman (Starman), who makes her next start in Friday's G2 Flying Childers...

DEL MAR, USA -- "If we get the horses we can deliver," said Ger Lyons after proving his point emphatically in the opening Breeders' Cup race on Future Stars Friday. "We have to up our game every day to take on Aidan. It's just fantastically competitive at home." That second point was also proved, again and again, in the hours to follow as Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) remained unbeaten in her taking of the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Henri Matisse (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) gave Aidan O'Brien a record-equalling...

Europe drew first blood Friday, albeit with an upset choice, as Magnum Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) came from off the pace to win the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and kick off the Future Stars Friday action at Del Mar. The Irish-bred son of Tally Ho Stud's Mehmas came through at second asking going five furlongs at Cork in Ireland before having two near misses to rivals he lined up against again Friday (second in the Julia Graves Roses Stakes and third in the G2 Flying Childers Stakes behind...

DEL MAR, USA -- Ahead of the big day on Saturday, Friday's Breeders' Cup card is all about the youngsters, and the European trainers have come mob-handed with two-year-olds.  After last year's triumphs for Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the Juvenile Turf Sprint and Juvenile Turf, expectations are again high that these trophies can be smuggled out of the country.  In the former, the form of the G2 Flying Childers Stakes could well be key, as the first three home at Doncaster...