Ballylinch Stud star sire Lope De Vega added three new top-tier winners to his tally in 2020 - Gytrash, Lucky Vega and Aunt Pearl
Stallion Book Snippets: Gytrash got the ball rolling when Australian-bred son took the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington in February and he was followed in the northern hemisphere by Lucky Vega, who impressed when successful in the Phoenix Stakes, and Aunt Pearl, who became her sire’s second winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf after Newspaperofrecord.
Lope De Vega now has 12 Group/Grade 1 winners on his record, among 125 stakes performers. His other headline acts include champion two-year-old and Lockinge hero Belardo, Irish 2,000 Guineas victor Phoenix Of Spain and dual Australian Group 1-winning sprinter Santa Ana Lane.
Lope De Vega is a son of the great Shamardal, who died in April. He offers plenty of encouragement for supporters of the growing number of Shamardal sons at stud, including Blue Point, who covered his first mares in 2020, and Almanaara, Earthlight, Pinatubo, Portamento and Shaman - all of whom will stand their first seasons in Britain and Ireland in 2021 and also feature in the Weatherbys Stallion Book.
Lope De Vega will stand at Ballylinch Stud at a fee of €125,000 in 2021.