My guide to the big hitters and hidden gems on the ITM Irish Stallion Trail

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Here he takes a look at the studs and stallions on show on the ITM Irish Stallion Trail. Subscribers can get more great insight from Martin every Monday to Friday.

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It’s the ITM Irish Stallion Trail on Friday and Saturday, so time for my annual plea to attendees to make space in their schedules for some of the smaller studs that are throwing open their gates.

Coolmore, Darley and Ballylinch Stud are breathtaking in their size, scope and wealth of stallion talent, but you will be guaranteed as warm a welcome from those operations off the beaten track, and see similarly smart sires too.

In fact, in my experience, you can often have more unguarded and open conversations with managers and staff at those operations that are less overrun with other visitors. And who knows, one of those chats might even lead to a cut-price nomination deal.

So where should you head this weekend? Let’s take a virtual trip around Ireland, travelling clockwise from Dublin.

Co. Meath and north Co. Kildare

Derrinstown Stud will likely be busy this time around, with last year’s impressive Haydock Sprint Cup winner Minzaal on show before his first season covering at the Shadwell-owned farm. His studmate Awtaad doesn’t deserve to be overshadowed, though, after supplying last year’s Group 2 winners Al Qareem and Anmaat and expensively sold fillies Bellosa, Create Belief and Mohjatty.

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero King Of Change, who stood his first two seasons at Derrinstown, has now moved north-west to Micheál Orlandi’s Starfield Stud, which has another new face this year in Dewhurst runner-up Dubawi Legend.

Lemongrove Stud nearby is home to one of the most intriguing newcomers to the stallion ranks anywhere in Ireland this year, in Tosen Stardom, a Japanese-bred son of Deep Impact who won a brace of Group 1s in Australia.

Poet’s Word: on show at Boardsmill StudCredit: Itm

Boardsmill Stud continues its decades-long service of supplying credible commercial stallions to National Hunt breeders with Court Cave, Poet’s Word and Sumbal, while Tara Stud is showing off its homegrown US Grade 1 winner River Boyne.

Social media devotees take note: Co. Meath might also contain the most photogenic stallion in Ireland, with the idiosyncratically marked Kool Kompany standing at Clongiffen Stud.

He also makes serious appeal for breeders, of course, as a precious son of the remarkably accomplished jumps sire Jeremy, as does his covering colleague on the farm Austrian School, a classy half-brother to jumps legend Tiger Roll.

Down to Co. Kildare

There is no end of star names available to see in the corridor of studs that are opening in the thoroughbred county this weekend.

In the space of just an hour spent at Kildangan Stud you will see Blue Point, Earthlight, Ghaiyyath, Naval Crown, Night Of Thunder, Profitable, Raven’s Pass, Space Blues and Teofilo – each and every one a Group 1 winner, many of them champions and one or two of them among the most exciting stallions in the world.

The Irish National Stud’s roster includes one of the oldest sires anywhere in Europe, in the stately breed-shaper Invincible Spirit, and some younger names who will hopefully assume his role as a reliable source of big income for the operation in Lucky Vega, Nando Parrado and Phoenix Of Spain.

The commercially astute Yeomanstown Stud is home to another doyen of Irish breeding, the ever-reliable Dark Angel, as well as exciting newer faces Invincible Army, Shaman and Supremacy.

Dark Angel: Yeomanstown Stud stalwartCredit: Patrick McCann

Rathasker Stud continues to offer its clients a range of credible budget sires, with Bungle Inthejungle, Coulsty and Gregorian currently on the roster, while Sunnyhill Stud is showing its promising young jumps stallions Lucky Speed and Fifty Stars.

However, the place in Kildare I’d have been making a beeline for this week if I’d been able to go on the trail is Aidan Sexton’s Sweep Lane Stud. As one of the only stallion farms in the county that I’ve never visited, it holds a certain mystique for me, and I wouldn’t mind having a nose at the bargain-basement offerings Le Cadre Noir and The Irish Rover.

Heading south

Ballyhane Stud and Burgage Stud in and around Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow, provide the perfect stop-off point between Kildare and the south-eastern counties, but they are of course much more than a convenient break from driving.

Joe Foley’s Ballyhane is one of only two studs heroically offering extended opening hours of 9am to 5pm on both days, but then it’s worth pointing out that approaching visitors can be seen from a well-placed stool in the Lord Bagenal Inn just over the road.

Here you can see the admirably prolific Dandy Man; one of my picks of the best value sires in Ireland, Elzaam; and the satisfyingly sibilant trio of youngsters Soldier’s Call, Sands Of Mali and Space Traveller.

Dandy Man: prolific sire at Ballyhane StudCredit: Ballyhane Stud

Burgage Stud meanwhile houses what I like to think of as the thinking man’s (and woman’s) selection of National Hunt sires, as they don’t tend to cover huge numbers but often return very good strike-rates: Jukebox Jury, whose first Irish-bred four-year-olds race this year, Sea Moon, who is making stealthy headway as a useful source of jumpers, and the interesting Fascinating Rock.

On to the south-east

Ballylinch Stud on the beautiful Mount Juliet estate in Co. Kilkenny will draw industry professionals, with a stallion roster that comprises big-hitter Lope De Vega, the upwardly mobile New Bay and that horse’s newly retired QEII winner Bayside Boy, as well as Make Believe and Waldgeist, but also racing fans with a keen sense of history, as you can see The Tetrarch’s box with its mosaic floor.

Ballylinch being a rare exception, this corner of Ireland is about jumps breeding. Elsewhere in Kilkenny are two homes of recent champion National Hunt sires: Whytemount Stud, where Stowaway went from being ignored to overrun with mares and topping the table, and where Affinisea is now being strongly supported; and Knockhouse Stud, where Beneficial was built into a big success and where Derby and Arc hero Workforce and young guns such as Boscaccio and Waldkonig now reside.

Castlefield Stud, a more recent addition to the roll of thoroughbred stallion studs in Ireland, is doing its damnedest to be the next base of a champion National Hunt stallion, by offering well-bred high achievers Hunting Horn and Mirage Dancer to the market. It also threw its hat into the ring with a Flat sire in 2022, and was rewarded by Alkumait becoming a half-brother to Dewhurst winner Chaldean later in the year.

Jet Away: Arctic Tack stallion is making wavesCredit: Mark Cranham

Head east to Wexford for Arctic Tack Stud (the other stud showing nine to five on Friday and Saturday), to see Jet Away, a dab hand with point-to-pointers and bumper horses, as well as Dee Ex Bee and Ol’ Man River, and Lacken Stud, where the extraordinary Sandmason story played out and Derby runner-up Khalifa Sat plies his trade.

Kilbarry Lodge Stud is in Waterford, and we’ll get to that county soon as we head west across Ireland, but let’s deal with Con O'Keeffe's farm first as it is further east. I can see it being a popular stop this year, as it has just gained the dual Derby winner Harzand, and it also stands the in-form Diamond Boy and well-bred Pillar Coral and Success Days.

Up to Co. Tipperary

Heading back inland is the main attraction of the ITM Irish Stallion Trail for many travellers: the chance to glimpse behind the gates of Coolmore, the pre-eminent breeding concern in Ireland and home to the champion sire every year for more than three decades until Galileo claimed his most recent title in 2020.

Since Galileo’s demise, the operation’s fortunes are resting more on the strapping shoulders of No Nay Never, who will be available to see alongside his newly retired son Blackbeard and his freshman son Ten Sovereigns.

Australia, Camelot, Churchill, Saxon Warrior, Sottsass, St Mark’s Basilica and Wootton Bassett are just a taster of the other celebrities on show here.

No Nay Never: top sire among the galaxy of stars at CoolmoreCredit: Sinead Ni Riain Professional Fin

Enjoy Coolmore while in Tipperary, but don’t forget Kedrah House Stud also in the county. It boasts one of the best-bred stallions in Ireland in Rich History, the Dubawi half-brother to Kyprios, Search For A Song and Free Eagle, and the productive veteran Well Chosen.

Springfield House Stud is in the north of Tipperary, not far from the Kildare studs on the M7 motorway. The operation’s resident stallion Unfortunately, a welcome son of the short-lived Society Rock in active service, fired in a high strike-rate of two-year-old winners from his first crop last year.

Going south again

Coolmore’s National Hunt offerings are housed in Castlehyde Stud and Grange Stud, near each other in Fermoy, Co. Cork, and The Beeches Stud in Co. Waterford.

Reigning champion National Hunt sire Yeats heads a large roster at Castlehyde (which also includes a fair few capable Flat names, not least Starspangledbanner), while luxury jumps stallion Walk In The Park stands at Grange alongside Capri, Getaway and Vadamos.

Joint world champion Crystal Ocean and Classic winners Soldier Of Fortune and Wings Of Eagles are meanwhile among the main sights to see at The Beeches.

The Cashman family’s Rathbarry Stud outside Fermoy is another of those farms that might welcome a larger influx of visitors this year, as it will be showing off its globetrotting and multiple Group 1-winning new recruit State Of Rest alongside another icon of Irish breeding in Acclamation.

The operation’s jumps offshoot Glenview Stud, just down the road, also has a big draw on its books in the shape of Blue Bresil, one of the most talked about stallions of the moment thanks to sons Constitution Hill, Blue Lord and Royal Pagaille.

Blue Bresil: sire on fire thanks to Constitution Hill and Blue LordCredit: Tattersalls Ireland/Healy Racing

The Fermoy area is also the location of David Stack’s Coolagown Stud, where there is a new stallion in the shape of Sea The Stars’ multiple Classic-placed son Storm The Stars, but the same old unique reflections on life from the farm’s proprietor.

A new player in the stallion game here is Donal White’s Foxwood Stud, which is showing its interesting continental imports Night Wish, Racinger and Saintgodrel.

Heading back east you find The Old Road Stud, where Cloudings ruled the roost until his recent death. Its roster is now headed by St Leger winners Arctic Cosmos and Scorpion, plus new addition Ilaraab, a dual Group 3-winning son of Wootton Bassett.

Even further in an easterly direction is Woodfield Farm Stud, where Frankel’s three-parts brother Bullet Train and that sneakily smart source of winners Curtain Time can be found.

Not forgetting!

A few studs opening for the ITM Irish Stallion Trail are out on a limb geographically, but they could be incorporated into travel itineraries with careful planning. Either way, hopefully breeders and enthusiasts local to them will show their support.

In the west of Ireland, Claremount Stud in Co. Clare has Richmond Stakes winner Barraquero, while Roveagh Lodge Stud in Co. Galway is home to Fuisse, Monitor Closely and The Gurkha.

Make sure you consult the full list of studs and map on the official ITM Irish Stallion Trail website when planning your trip, as some farms are open only on certain days or at certain times, with a few available by appointment only.

List of studs

Map

What do you think?

Share your thoughts with other Good Morning Bloodstock readers by emailing gmb@racingpost.com

Must-read story

“Sanus Per Aquam, a Bolger family homebred Group 3 winner who was standing at stud in India, has died after being attacked by a swarm of bees,” comes the sad news from Asia.

Pedigree pick

Newmarket trainer Rae Guest is one to watch in bumpers, having sent out the Golden Horn filly Kutaiba to win at Huntingdon in November before selling her for £160,000 a month later, and he unleashes another blueblooded Flat-bred at Doncaster on Tuesday (3.30).

Luna Breeze is by Nathaniel – a fine source of Flat performers such as Desert Crown and Enable but also a dab hand with jumpers, as proven by the likes of Burning Victory, Concertista and Zanahiyr – out of the Mister Baileys mare Bahia Breeze, a dual Listed winner who found only Jeremy too good in the Sandown Mile.

Luna Breeze is therefore a half-sister to six winners including Beshaayir, who struck in the Ridgewood Pearl Stakes, Listed-placed Brioniya and classy handicapper Kaeso.

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Good Morning Bloodstock is our latest email newsletter. Martin Stevens, a doyen among bloodstock journalists, provides his take and insight on the biggest stories every morning from Monday to Friday