Whether it is Bayside Boy (Ire) at Ballylinch, Minzaal (Ire) at Derrinstown or King of Change (GB) and Legend of Dubawi (Ire) at Starfield, one of the main takeaways from this year’s Irish Thoroughbred Trail are pedigree buffs and stallion aficionados who love nothing more than a glimpse of new stallions that this country offers.
“Don’t dream of posting that guy on Twitter or I’ll have Eddie O’meadowTweet that it’s not the only pig in Ballyhane,” – Joe Foley.
Very few males make as much conversation as black beard (Ire)who would start his steed career with the Coolmore Stud for a fee of €25,000 and a high reputation to match that fee, was the minor double winner in Group 1 by No Now Never.
If you were not aware black beardhis antics before last season’s race, you could be forgiven for thinking he was a model student as he stood quietly in the stable while Coolmore’s Mark Byrne explained much of the 1,000 du Friday and Saturday school visitors came to see the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S Winners.
Last stop in 2023 @IREthuroughbred Stallion Trail is a trip to @coolmorestud look black beard.
Contrary to the weather outside, the Group 1 double winner helped warm up the Coolmore steed squad, as @markbyrne10 explain. pic.twitter.com/8i06T0FdvT
– TDN (@theTDN) January 14, 2023
Byrne said, “black beard is the horse that everyone wants to see. We are open to the public today and yesterday, of the approximately 1,000 people who visited us, most of them especially wanted to see black beard. He almost has a huge following on the track and it’s easy to see why – he’s a good looking horse, an expensive pony, with great strides and achievements and excellent race track pedigree.
“Keeping new stallions on the list is a really important thing for every stallion in the world and fortunately we have an exciting young stallion. No Now Never who I think will prove really good value.
He added, “The last two days have not only had Irish tourists, we have also welcomed a lot of French and British people. All participants in the Irish Thoroughbred Horse Trail were commended as it gave everyone the opportunity to go out and see these horses over the course of two days. A lot of business will be generated from the Trail, even if it is not done in two days, as we have a lot of breeders here on the Trail. You also have lifelong fans of different horses so they have a chance to meet your heroes like that. It’s lovely to be a part of that.”
With one of the top studs in Europe, a promising new Group 1 winning stallion to add to the roster for 2023 and one of the best lunches happening the whole way, no No surprise to find parking at premium at Ballylinch Stud.
Similar to what Byrne reported at Coolmore, Ballylinch was surprised with the majority of visitors wanting to keep an eye on Bayside Boy, who Bloodstock curator and Eoin Fives nominee revealed was going to be a bombshell with breeders.
Bayside Boy, new to the stallion ranks @BallylinchStudwas set to raise 150 mares during his first year at university. pic.twitter.com/Y2I3xoJ3Wb
– TDN (@theTDN) January 14, 2023
He said, “We’ve seen a splash here since we announced the Bayside Boy. We have been very busy showing stallions here but especially with Bayside Boy. Everyone wants to see him. He was very famous. We set aside a certain amount of shares to sell and they sold out. We had over 100 mares booked for him so we were happy with his spot. We figured he included a nice big book. He’ll be covering 15 of our best mares this year, which will ensure he’s off to the best possible start.
Fives added, “We’ve had a lot of people here in the last two days. There have been stallion shareholders very attached to the Ballylinch model and we also sold nominations here today and yesterday. A lot of people have just come in to see the stallions and it’s great to have everyone and it’s even better if there are people involved in this part of the industry because I think the breeding aspect of every which can be a bit esoteric to many people. “
If the source of blood seems like a mystery puzzle to some, a trip to Ballyhane Stud could do more harm than good, as the first beast to grab the limelight isn’t the Dazzling Man (Ire) or coming soon Soldier’s Call (GB)but a pig is about the size of a small car.
Can you guess which stud the European TDN team went to this morning? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/BLhY7CSEXL
– TDN (@theTDN) January 14, 2023
“Don’t dream of posting that guy on Twitter or I’ll have Eddie O’meadowI’ll tweet that it’s not the only pig in Ballyhane,” Joe Foley said, half jokingly. Of course, his request fell on deaf ears.
The pig, Dandy Man’s best friend, has set the bar high when it comes to entertainment but the five stallions on Ballyhane’s solid list for 2023 have stolen the show, particularly Soldier’s Call .
It was on Friday when the European TDN team visited Yeomanstown Stud, where Rob O’Callagahan was upbeat about the Invincibles (Ire) claim of the first season’s sire title, but Foley described the I am very happy with my dog in it. the fight.
He said, “We have tough old Dandy Man, who has been a friend of ours for many years, and he was the champion of European sprinters again last year. , as well as the previous year. He’s the mainstay of our team here. We’ve got four younger horses here including Elzaam (Australia)who was doing great, and then three younger horses—Soldier’s Call, Mali’s Sand (Fr) and Space Travel (GB).”
Man, legend, legend – @JoeFoleyBally provide two ponies by @BallyhaneStud‘s Soldier’s Call will continue to follow this season. pic.twitter.com/f1f4lCeapr
– TDN (@theTDN) January 14, 2023
Foley added, “Soldier’s Call has its first 2-year-olds this year and we have high hopes for them. He himself is a very fast horse and his horse also seems to be very fast. We have a group of them that are in pre-training and they are making great progress. The Sands Of Mali’s first ponies were very well received last fall and the rookie, Space Traveler, was given the highest rating. rhythmic breathing (GB) and not a mare Galileo (Ire) is not a Kingmambo mare and comes from a wonderful family. He is a beautiful horse and has wowed the crowds that have come here today and yesterday.”
Just a few fields from Foley’s Ballyhane base is Jukebox Jury (Ire), Attraction Stone (Ire) and Moon Sea (Ire) at the Burgage Stud. All three are making waves with their National Hunt runners, none other than the Irish Jukebox Judges winner who could have a successful year ahead with the 4-year-olds His first Irishman is set to run between flags and under the rule.
Ger O’Neill’s Castlefield Ranch is 10 minutes away and provides an accessible trio of stallions for National Hunt and Flat breeders. Australia’s Group 1 winner Mirage Dancer (GB), who boasts a fine Juddmonte lineage, caught the eye and was joined by the National Hunt steed Hunting Horn (Ire)best known for his success at Hampton Court at Royal Ascot for Aidan O’Brien.
But Alkumait (GB) could be the trump card in the Castlefield Stud pack. As the son of Showcasing, he established himself as a 2+ year old champion when he won Mill Reef S. and a half-brother with the hopes of 2000 Guineas Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}), his pedigree may come to light later this spring.
Alkumait was looking for a photo in ☀️ at Capital Stallions. Showcasing’s son is Chaldean’s half-brother and has shown class form when he won the G2 Mill Reef Stakes. pic.twitter.com/g4L4YpcCYu
– TDN (@theTDN) January 14, 2023
Alkumait part owner Jerry Horan said, “The Stallion Trail is a bee’s knee and it is remarkable how many have traveled from England and even beyond. The Stallion Trail has become a day in everyone’s diary. The team at Castlefield did a great job and the stallions look great. Alkumait came to Castlefield late last year because he hadn’t trained long when we got him but he’s become a good stallion now. Fortunately for the Alkumait organization Chaldean has appeared and more recently the half-sister has made 1,000,000 gns selling ponies so the future is bright. It’s a proper pedigree and we’re excited about him.”
Three stallions caught the eye on the Irish Thoroughbred Horse Trail in 2023
The first thing, like every good Irish wedding, is to thank those who can’t be with us, or in this case, people we don’t get to see. Of the 35 studs that have opened to the public, the TDN Europe team visited 11 and here are a few comments from those studs.
Ghaiyyath (Ire). An animal. Take a look at Ghaiyyath and it’s easy to see why his ponies sold so well last fall. As a first class racehorse, he has all the right attributes to make it a stallion and one would risk that the team at Kildangan Stud are quietly optimistic about the future with his kind. this. Although we didn’t take out the ruler, Ghaiyyath figured it was 17hh which is funny since he is the son of Dubawi (Ire) and his dam is the little Nightime (Ire). Kildangan-based Billionaire Earth Light (Ire) also eye-catching. A flashy chestnut, he boasts unadulterated pure strength and adds to the strong roster at Kildangan Stud.
Astronaut. A horse that wasn’t on the radar before visiting Ballyhane Stud, the Astronaut deserves consideration for a solo walk. The winner of the G3 Jersey S. and G2 Boomerang S. walks for fun and will resonate with breeders greatly if passed on to his flock. Residents of Ballyhane Soldier’s Call do exactly what he says on the tin and will get nimble horses that can help him settle in with his aim towards the first season stallion championship.
This is Space Traveler, one of the newest additions @BallyhaneStud. pic.twitter.com/mbermuRyDW
– TDN (@theTDN) January 14, 2023
Jukebox jukebox. If he’s good enough for Colin Tizzard and John Nallen, who are understood to be die-hard fans of the stallion, the Burgage Stud Jukebox Jury is likely to make waves this year with its first. consisting of four-year-old Irish children. For his credit, he has been a hit with his runners so far but the best has yet to come from Irish winning horse St Leger. illusion dancer is another exciting National Hunt stallion and ticks a lot of boxes for just €3,500 at Castlefield Stud.
A big year can be stored for @BurgageStudHis Jukebox jury, who had the first group of four-year-old Irishmen to run for him. pic.twitter.com/UVS3jquGca
– TDN (@theTDN) January 14, 2023
