Irish National Stud acquire stallion rights to Phoenix Of Spain

Runaway Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas hero Phoenix Of Spain will take up stallion duties at the Irish National Stud at the conclusion of his racing career, with the operation having negotiated a deal with the colt's octogenarian owners Ann Plummer and Tony Wechsler.

"We purchased the stallion rights in the horse back in December," said the stud's chief executive Cathal Beale, before confirming the horse will continue to race for his current owners.

The acquisition will see Phoenix Of Spain eventually join a stallion roster that is headed by the increasingly influential Invincible Spirit, and includes Decorated Knight, Dragon Pulse, Elusive Pimpernel, Free Eagle, Gale Force Ten and National Defense.

Irish National Stud chief executive Cathal Beale (left) with Coolmore's Paul SmithCredit: Patrick McCann

"There are very few stallion prospects who aren't already on their way to another stallion farm," continued Beale. "But he was one we had on our list, so we went and had a look at him late last year. Physically he was a horse we really liked and thought would progress from two to three as he's such a big, powerful individual.

"He made an awful lot of sense in terms of what he'd achieved at two. He won the Acomb and was second to the champion two-year-old in Too Darn Hot. His form stacked up, his physical stacked up and pedigree stacked up, so it was just a case of whether we could make it happen.

"We spoke to Geoffrey Howson and Matthew Houldsworth, who look after the owners' racing interests and luckily we got the deal done. Ever since then we've had a really great relationship with the owners and it's a brilliant story that they've had a Classic winner at this stage of their lives. I'm as thrilled for them as I am ourselves."

Tony Wechsler and Ann Plummer (third and fourth left) with their Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Phoenix Of SpainCredit: Patrick McCann

As a Group race-winning juvenile who has progressed into a Classic scorer at three, Phoenix Of Spain is likely to rank highly on the radar of many breeders, and Beale highlighted how the horse's pedigree should make him a straightforward match for a large pool of mares.

"Obviously he's by Lope De Vega, which was a big attraction, as he's already an established Group 1 winner-producing stallion and I think he'll become a sire of sires in time," he said.

"Phoenix Of Spain is from a wonderful family as his dam, Lucky Clio, has had three other horses who are rated above 100. It's a deep pedigree and one that's effectively an outcross as you have to go back four or five generations to find any Danzig or Northern Dancer. He'll make a really nice option for breeders."

Beale was also glowing in his praise of trainer Charlie Hills' handling of the colt, having waited until Phoenix Of Spain was finely tuned before allowing him to make his three-year-old reappearance. He became the first horse in 45 years to win the Classic on his seasonal bow.

"Today's result is a real testament to Charlie Hills and his team as they swerved the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket despite having him 99 per cent ready. They made a big call to give him an extra few weeks and they've got their reward."

Phoenix Of Spain's Classic success continues the rise of Lope De Vega