St Mark's Basilica

Champion 3-year-old St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) is preparing to stand his first season at Coolmore Stud next year for €65,000, and his book is already set to include a plethora of Group 1 winners and producers. Gold Cup winner Estimate (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}), Matron S. victress Fiesolana (Ire) (Aussie Rules), Prix Marcel Boussac winner Tiger Tanaka (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) and Moyglare Stud S. winner Cursory Glance (Distorted Humor) are among the Group 1 winners already booked into the five-time Group 1 winner, as well as Northern Farm's triple...

Welcome to TDN Europe's annual Value Sires Series. Over the next few weeks we will analyse the continent's sires by sire crop and provide a general state of play in the stallion market and, most importantly, pull out some potential value that may be lurking beneath the surface. Of course, the concept of value is subjective and can depend upon a wide range of goals: whereas one breeder may be looking to produce an animal that they can race and pick up purses with for years to come, many more...

St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr})-Cabaret {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) arrived at Coolmore Stud on Monday and will stand for a fee of €65,000 in 2022.  The top-rated horse in the world in 2021, he is a half-brother to his fellow Classic winner and Coolmore sire, Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), the pair having been bred by Bob Scarborough and both trained by Aidan O'Brien for Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor. Winner of the G1 Dewhurst S. at two, St Mark's Basilica was never beaten after his...

Trainer Aidan O'Brien has "backed off" five-time Group 1 winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) after the 3-year-old once again exhibited soreness in the area of a minor injury he sustained this summer. St Mark's Basilica missed the G1 Juddmonte International at York last month after a cut on a hind leg caused by a thrown shoe became infected, and although the dual French Classic and G1 Eclipse S. winner returned to win the G1 Irish Champion S. 10 days ago, he has since been sore in the area...

Best horse in the world. Check. Top-rated miler. Check. The only two horses to win three Group 1 races in three different countries in 2021. Check. Highest-rated turf horse in America. Check. Most exciting juvenile in Europe. Check. When a sale can boast all of these as its graduates in a single season then it's not doing badly at all, but then the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale--and Book 1 in particular--has long been a world leader, both for its results and for its pull of potential buyers from across the...

It's a childish game but I've long amused myself by seeing how many song titles can be weaved into headlines and this weekend's results provided an open goal for a Neil Young classic, not once but twice.  Two hurricanes blew across Town Moor on Saturday at the opposite ends of the distance spectrum. Hurricane Ivor (Ire) (Ivawood {GB}) is an admirable sprinter who has bounced back from a blistering debut for Fabrice Chappet and subsequent illness that ruled him out of much of his juvenile season. He has been creeping...

Many open questions surrounding some of Europe's best will be answered in the space of less than an hour on Saturday, with Leopardstown's G1 Irish Champion S. and Doncaster's G1 Cazoo St Leger condensed in the middle of an absorbing spell of action. There will barely be time to reflect on the promise of the winner of the G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. that forms part of Irish Champions weekend before the focus is switched to Town Moor for its own glimpse of futurity in the G2 Champagne S. In...

With his six-length victory in last month's G1 Juddmonte International, Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) has joined St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Adayar (GB) (Frankel {GB}) atop the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings with a rating of 127. St Mark's Basilica won the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix du Jockey Club before besting Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and Mishriff in the G1 Eclipse S., while Adayar became the first horse to 20 years to sweep the G1 Derby and G1 King George VI and Queen...

This year's dual Classic and G1 Coral-Eclipse S. winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) is on track to resume his season in the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown on Sept. 11. The bay was forced to miss the G1 Juddmonte International after a cut on a hind leg caused by a lost shoe became infected. "St Mark's Basilica is on the right road," said trainer Aidan O'Brien. "It's a case of all good so far and we're on track." O'Brien also provided updates on his star 3-year-old fillies...

Just as the illustrious Pivotal (GB) was retiring from stud duties at the age of 28, Siyouni (Fr), who can certainly now be regarded as his most significant sire son, was reaching the peak of his powers with his first French championship. He finished last season by adding a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner to his burgeoning CV, and this year Siyouni is currently responsible for the joint-top-rated horse in the world in the dual French Classic and Eclipse S. winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr). At the age of...

A fortnight to go, apparently, until England casts aside all restrictions following the 16-month weirdness of the pandemic era. 'Freedom day', as it has been dubbed by those of Boris Johnson's government who are not currently serving time on the naughty step, has unfortunately not come in time for the regular 'July week' festivities in Newmarket. There will be racing with a reduced crowd and a sale taking place pretty much as normal, but without any of the parties and stallion parades that have become the staple of the town's...

Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown has been cut to four after Thursday's confirmation stage, with Aidan O'Brien declaring just St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) from his three initial entries left in earlier this week. With David Menuisier also opting to wait with Christopher Wright's Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), that means that Ballydoyle's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero faces two main rivals in the multiple Group 1 winners Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) plus the Jockey...