St Mark's Basilica

Coolmore Stud's Mark Byrne has acknowledged that many breeders will be in two minds about covering their mares after what he described as one of the most "unusual" years of trade in 2023 but but encouraged supporters of the stud to retain the faith by saying "it's not always dark at five o'clock." Byrne was speaking during the Irish Stallion Trail where visitors to Coolmore got a chance to see newbies Paddington (GB), Little Big Bear (Ire) and The Antarctic (Ire). Parallels were drawn between the quandary facing breeders in...

With the foal sales at Goffs and Tattersalls confined to the rear view mirror, perhaps now is the time to get a good gauge on the young sires coming through.  Bragging rights belong to St Mark's Basilica (Fr), who topped the December Foal Sale at Tattersalls when a filly by the multiple Group 1-winning stallion out of Oaks winner Talent (GB) sold for 575,000gns.  The St Mark's Basilica sale-topper was consigned by Ashbrittle Stud and bought by agent Jill Lamb on behalf of Newsells Park Stud, with the former labelling...

Friday marked a breakout result for five-time Group 1-winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) as a filly by Coolmore's freshman sire out of the Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) topped the December Foal Sale at Tattersalls on 575,000gns. The aggregate fell 11% compared to this day 12 months ago to 17,943,000gns while the clearance rate climbed 7% to 87%. The average fell 13% to 95,952gns and the median dipped 9% to 62,000gns. It was bloodstock agent Jill Lamb, bidding on behalf of Newsells Park Stud, who came out on...

It is the most wonderful time of the year. No, I'm not talking about Christmas, but the upcoming foal sales.  What is it that we all love about this time of year? Surely much of the attraction about the foal sales revolves around seeing the progeny of first-season sires and predicting who is here to stay and who will be banished to the memory banks in the years to come.  The best part of the whole thing is you get to put your money where your mouth is and there...

Coolmore has introduced three new names to its Irish roster for next year with Paddington (GB) heading the list of newcomers at €55,000. The son of Siyouni (Fr) won six of his eight races this year, including four Group 1 victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace, Eclipse, and Sussex S. Little Big Bear (Ire), winner of the G1 Phoenix S. at two followed by the G2 Sandy Lane S. this year before finishing runner-up in the G1 Commonwealth Cup, will stand for €27,500. The Antarctic (Ire), a...

Aidan O'Brien says that he is looking forward to seeing what Paddington (GB), the brilliant Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace S. winner, can do over an extra two furlongs in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday and says the colt has made rare progress this season.  Paddington provided O'Brien with a record 83rd Royal Ascot victory when slamming the 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the St James's Palace. The master of Ballydoyle went on to secure his 85th winner at the royal meeting before passing...

The first foal by European Champion 2-year-old and World Champion 3-year-old St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) was born at Kiltinan Stud in Fethard, Co Tipperary, Ireland on Jan. 9. The colt is out of Vital Force (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and owned by the John Ferguson-headed Natalma Bloodstock. Vital Force is a half-sister to Godolphin's G2 Coventry S. winner Buratino (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and from the immediate family of Danehill Dancer. "He's a good first foal with a good frame to fill into and a confident temperament,"...

Offered as lot 1622 at the midway stage of the first of two Sceptre Sessions during the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in Newmarket, the Archangel Gabriel (Arch--Princess Kris {GB}, by Kris {GB}) fetched a final bid of 800,000gns from Hunscote Stud to dissolve the partnership between that operation and Chris Humber. The 9-year-old, a full-sister to US Grade I winner Prince Arch and a half-sister to G1 National S. winner Kingsfort (War Chant) and to the dam of Group 3 winners Pincheck (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Valeria Messalina (Ire)...

Off the back of a star-studded season, No Nay Never will stand for €175,000 in 2023, which represents a €50,000 rise, while his dual Group 1-winning son Blackbeard (Ire) will join him on the Coolmore roster next year at a price of €25,000. No Nay Never has had an exceptional year. Older filly Alcohol Free (Ire) landed the G1 July Cup at Newmarket, but it has been his Coolmore-owned and Aidan O'Brien-trained juveniles that have set tongues wagging this term. Like his father, Blackbeard landed the G1 Prix Morny in...

St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a Group 1 winner at two and an unbeaten Classic winner at three who earned Horse of the Year honours last year, is set to cover a strong book of mares at Coolmore this season when he debuts at €65,000. A handful of black-type winners and producers have already been scanned in foal to St Mark's Basilica, including: Believe'N'Succeed (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}): the dam of G1 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and New Zealand champion sprinter Bounding (Aus) (Lonhro...

Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar), the Aga Khan's unbeaten 2008 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner and the dam of last year's champion French first-season sire Zarak (Fr), will be covered by another Aga Khan superstar, Siyouni (Fr), in 2022. Zarkava has already produced the listed-winning filly Zaykava (Fr) from a mating with Siyouni, and she has a yearling colt by the French champion sire. Zarkava's listed-winning and Group 1-placed daughter Zarkamiya (Fr) (Frankel {GB}) is currently in foal to Siyouni. Siyouni stands for a second consecutive season for €140,000 at...

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Knicks Go (Paynter) was named the Longines World's Best Racehorse of 2021 during a virtual ceremony of the Longines World Racing Awards presented from the National Horse Racing Museum in Newmarket, England on Tuesday. Also during the ceremony, the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe--won last year by Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger})--was announced as the Longines World's Best Horse Race of 2021, and Ryan Moore was celebrated as the Longines World's Best Jockey. The 6-year-old Knicks Go earned a rating of...