National Stud

Everybody loves a bargain, especially in January in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. The latter may barely have affected the bloodstock sales so far, but a knock-on effect may be felt if smaller or syndicate owners start to reduce their racing investment, which in turn would surely have a bearing eventually on the lower end of the yearling market. The top tier generally takes care of itself, while the middle market has been given a great boost by increased international participation, though that in itself is not necessarily a...

The micro-share syndicate MyRacehorse is branching into the world of breeding  with a syndicate involving star stayer Stradivarius (Ire) and in partnership with the National Stud. Through the latter the group purchased the Dark Angel (Ire) three-year-old Blackbird Power (GB) at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale. A six-furlong winner for Andrew Balding, she will be sent to Stradivarius next season, with shares of both the mare and her resulting foal will be sold before both are reoffered at the Breeding Stock Sale at the end of 2024. "When The National...

Stradivarius, the three-time Gold Cup winner and the undisputed champion stayer of his generation, has been retired to stud.  Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) won three Yorkshire Cups and two Doncaster Cups but will be best remembered for those epic Gold Cup triumphs at Ascot. Owned by Bjorn Nielsen, who told TDN Europe about his intention to support the popular chestnut at stud upon his retirement, Stradivarius will join the roster at the National Stud.  The 8-year-old bows out from the game as...

Goodwood may not have attracted as big an international contingent as last month's Royal Ascot festival, but Thursday's G3 Bonhams Thoroughbred S. was very much a continental affair as Germany's G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) second Rocchigiani (GB) (Time Test {GB}--Ronja, by El Corredor) showed his class to garner the 3-year-old one-mile test. Last term's G3 Zukunftsrennen victor, who ran fifth in the Royal meet's June 18 G3 Jersey S. last time, was positioned in second as Norway's Norsk 2000 Guineas hero Hotline Bling (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) established a...

Edited Press Release The 2022 Diploma cohort from the National Stud graduated on Friday 24th of June with family, friends and industry guests in attendance at the Joan Westbrook Lecture Theatre. "This group of students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and are all going onto full time roles within the industry." said CEO Anna Kerr. "It has been one of our busiest seasons to date with a record number of mares covered and the experience they have gained will give them an excellent foundation to build from. Industry...

Anyone who attended the European yearling and breeding stock sales last year won't have failed to have picked up on the heightened appetite for the stock of Time Test (GB). The exploits of his early runners had caught the imagination and backed up by the promise of more to come, demand for his yearlings and foals soared, at one point reaching a high of 400,000gns (paid by SackvilleDonald for a colt from John Foley's Ballyvolane Stud who had been pinhooked for 52,000gns as a foal). Time Test's retirement to the...

A breeding right to young National Stud stallion Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was last year's leading European first-season sire by black-type winners with four, topped the Goffs Online Sale of Stallion Breeding Rights when fetching a bid of £100,000 from Dash Grange Stud. A breeding right to last year's champion European first-season sire Cotai Glory (GB) was purchased by Paul Harley Bloodstock for €40,000, while Joseph Burke purchased a breeding right to Profitable (Ire) for €35,000. Burke, who brokered the deal for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners to purchase Profitable's...

Tours of The National Stud will begin again from Feb. 18 through Discover Newmarket. Visitors will be able to view new stallion Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), as well as Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Aclaim (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). The 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour will allow visitors to hear about the history of the stud and the work that goes into producing future champions. They will also be able to view mares and foals at close range. The tours run on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holiday...

The real Lope de Vega, dubbed the Spanish Shakespeare, was as prolific a playwright and poet as he was a lover, and is believed to have fathered about 15 children, some legitimate, others not so.  That's small fry for a stallion, of course, and the horse who has carried his name with such distinction, both on the racecourse and at stud, could well end up with at least that many sons following him to stud. So far, in Ireland, he is represented by Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) and Lucky Vega...

William Stone trainee Romantic Time (GB) (Time Test {GB}), who snagged five-furlong heats at Great Yarmouth and Sandown in July, stepped forward off a three-length eighth in Newbury's Listed St Hugh's S. last month to pounce for victory in Thursday's G3 IRE Incentive Scheme Dick Poole Fillies' S. at Salisbury. She was an unconsidered 28-1 outsider for this first outing over the six-furlong trip and an attempt at becoming the second pattern-race winner in two days for her freshman sire (by Dubawi {Ire}), following the success of Rocchigiani (GB) in...

Wood Hall Stud's 2-year-old filly Tardis (GB) (Time Test {GB}), who hit the board contesting five-furlong heats at York and Haydock in June, graduated in a July 13 maiden tackling an extended five furlongs at Bath last time and continued on the upgrade with a first black-type win for her freshman sire (by Dubawi {Ire}) in Friday's Listed BetVictor St Hugh's S. at Newbury. Breaking with the tailenders and in rear through the initial fractions, the 11-1 chance made relentless headway from halfway to go seventh entering the final furlong...

Paddy Meehan, the former head stallion man of the National Stud, died at home on Wednesday, July 28 at the age of 56. Born in Co Meath, Ireland, Meehan grew up at Ballymacoll Stud where his father Oliver was stud groom. He moved to Newmarket in 1987, initially to work for Lanwades Stud, and remained in the town for more than three decades. He also worked at Stetchworth and Middle Park Studs but was best known for his long association with the National Stud, where he was a popular face...