'He has made an explosive start to his career' - New Bay to stand for €75,000

Off the back of a brilliant Champions Day double, Ballylinch Stud's red-hot New Bay has had his fee for 2023 doubled to stand for a career-high €75,000.

The son of Dubawi, who stood the 2022 breeding season for a fee of €37,500, has yet again demonstrated why he is one of the most exciting young stallions in the world.

New Bay sired his first top-flight winner when Saffron Beach landed the 2021 Sun Chariot Stakes and she went on to add to the Prix Rothschild this term, while Bay Bridge upset Baaeed's applecart when running out a valiant winner of the Champion Stakes.

Ballylinch Stud director John O’Connor said: “New Bay has made an explosive start to his stallion career and confirmed himself as a top-level sire with the winners of the two feature Group 1 races on Champions Day at Ascot.

"He is one of only six European stallions to sire at least three Group 1 winners in 2022, and he is set to cover an outstanding book of mares in 2023 with the support of most of Europe’s top breeders.

"His statistics are impressive too, as only Frankel and Dubawi have a higher percentage of their runners rated over 100. New Bay’s sale
season reflected his results on track, with his yearlings averaging €96,000 and making up to 475,000gns.”

The second of New Bay's winners on Champions Day came in the form of Queen Elizabeth II Stakes victor Bayside Boy, also the winner of the Champagne Stakes at two and twice Group 1-placed that year. He has now been retired from the track and will stand alongside his sire at an introductory fee of €15,000.

Bayside Boy: QEII winner joins his sire at Ballylinch for 2023Credit: Edward Whitaker

Trained by Roger Varian, the three-year-old won four of his ten starts and is out of the Listed-winning Anabaa mare Alava, making him a half-brother to dual Huxley Stakes scorer Forest Ranger.

O’Connor said: "Bayside Boy is a very exciting new addition to the Ballylinch roster. He has all the attributes we look for in a stallion prospect, a top-class two-year-old and a Group 1-winning miler with an exceptional turn of foot.

"His sire New Bay is one of the very best stallion sons of Dubawi, and his stakes-winning and Group-producing dam is from a high-quality family. He was an outstanding yearling and I’m sure that breeders will be very impressed with both his looks and his athletic walk.”

The roster is again topped by lynchpin Lope De Vega, who remains unchanged at a fee of €125,000.

Now 15, the son of Shamardal is responsible for four top-level winners this term from 50 black type performers, including Prix d'Ispahan and Prix du Moulin heroine Dreamloper and Prix de l'Opera scorer Sweet Lady.

Significantly, Lope De Vega also became one of the youngest stallions in history to sire 100 individual stakes winners, while he was typically popular in the sales ring as well.

O'Connor said: “Lope De Vega once again confirmed that he is a world-leading sire with over 50 black-type horses including four Group 1 winners in 2022 alone. He has achieved success at the highest level on four different continents and is one of those rare sires who can truly be called a global success.

"This year saw Lope De Vega become one of the youngest stallions in history to sire 100 individual stakes winners, reaching the milestone at the same age as Deep Impact and a year quicker than Sadler’s Wells and Into Mischief.

"Ever popular at the sales, Lope De Vega’s yearlings sold for up to 1.8 million guineas and averaged €285,000."

Lope De Vega has continued to be hot stuff on the track and in the sales ringCredit: Ballylinch Stud

Make Believe has made a name for himself as the sire of the ultra versatile and talented Mishriff from 12 stakes performers overall and five individual Group winners. The ten-year-old son of Makfi has had his fee reduced to €10,000 for 2023, from €17,500.

“Make Believe made an outstanding start to his stallion career by siring the exceptionally talented and versatile Mishriff in his first crop," said O'Connor. "He backed it up with another bunch of high-quality black-type winners.

"His strongest crops have yet to run and trainers tell us that the Make Believes are sound horses with a strong will to win. His yearlings realised up to 220,000gns and averaged over three times his stud fee. He is a great-value proven option for breeders.”

The roster is completed by Waldgeist, the winner of the 2019 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a son of Galileo whose first crop of yearlings were well received this term. He has had his fee trimmed to €12,500 from €15,000.

O'Connor said: "He is a Group 1-winning two-year-old who went on to win a vintage Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. His first yearlings are giving every indication that Waldgeist could be just as successful at stud as on the racecourse.

"Waldgeist’s first crop was warmly received at the sales, with one in five making over €100,000 and averaging €66,000. They are now in the hands of some of the very best trainers in Europe and the USA, and we are really looking forward to seeing them on the racecourse.”

Read more

Brilliant Baaeed to stand at an opening fee of £80,000 at Nunnery Stud

Sea The Stars on the rise as Aga Khan Studs reveals 2023 roster

Solid year for Cheveley Park Stud sires as leading operation releases prices

'It's taken a lot of thought' - Havana Grey stud fee raised to £18,500 for 2023

Frankel's fee rockets to £275,000 after another stunning year

'There's no bigger name in the business' - Dubawi goes to career-high £350,000