Ballymacoll Stud: A Critique of their Mares

Ballymacoll Stud and Racing have for about the last 10 years been mainly built around 2 families: which I’d call the Sunny Gulf family (to us old-timers the Sun Prince, Sun Princess, Spectrum and Conduit family but also the Street Cry and Sharmadal family) and the Country House family (Reform, Golan, Islington and North Light). Other than that there are two other mares, one of which represents the Gaily family (the family of Pilsudski).

Despite their recent investment in Northern Dancer stallions, the main two families were remarkably clear of much Northern Dancer blood (the exception being Drama Class). So they can continue using Northern Dancer lines. I have no problem with this I just think they should go for more speedy blood.

Sunny Gulf family

There are two branches of this family these days, but both emanate from a mare called Sunny Valley (Val de Loir out of a daughter of Sunny Gulf). Her most important daughter in terms of the track was the outstanding Oaks winner Sun Princess (she also won the St Leger and Yorkshire Oaks). Her influence in the stable emanates today from Drama Class (a Caerleon mare out of a Sadler’s Wells daughter of Sun Princess: so some ND there). Drama Class in turn has 3 daughters in the stud; Scottish Stage (by Selkirk); Eleanora Duse (by Azamour); and Centred (by Dalakhani). She’s been a pretty good mare and has a yearling colt by Invincible Spirit and an Eleanora Duse full-sister foal. The Danzig/Green Desert sire line has been tried with Invincible Spirit (twice) and Sea the Stars, and perhaps another attempt ‘with say’ Kingman would be interesting: alternatives are Paco Boy, Showcasing and Arcano. The Danzig/Danehill line could be tried with Mastercraftsman or Fastnet Rock. They could try a total outcross with a sire like Canford Cliffs.

Although Scottish Stage has produced 4 winners from 5 foals to race I’d sell her now. All of them have lacked courage and all have shown promise but never delivered. She has a maiden 2yo colt called Voice Control (by Dalakhani) and a yearling colt and foal colt both by Shamardal (interesting breeding as Shamardal is from the same Sunny Gulf family). A tough decision as Scottish Stage was a good filly but with two other sisters I’d lose her, or at least sell her once she has another filly. She is in foal to Declaration of War (another Danzig/Danhill line sire).

Eleanora Duse is an unknown quantity as a broodmare. She has a yearling colt by Lawman, a foal colt by Dansili and is in foal to Oasis Dream (so 5 crosses of ND in the first 5 generations). It would be nice if that produce was a filly. She follows after her mother in that she’s been fertile early in her career. Maybe it is time to look at an outcross to ND stallions. The stud have used Lanwades sires and maybe they should look at Sir Percy or Leroidesanimaux or alternatively to a sire like Dalakhani at Giltown who has no ND, or something like Dark Angel or Canford Cliffs.

Centred is even more unknown as in her first year she is in foal to the repatriated North Light. Being by Dalakhani she should be in-line to be sent to these Danzig line sires or other Northern Dancer (non-Sadler’s Wells/Nijinsky: as they have that blood already) sires. I’d send her to Paco Boy for a bit of toughness.

The other branch is through Sun Princess’s faster half-sister Dancing Shadow (by Dancer’s Image). There are only 2 representatives in Spring Symphony (a Darshaan half-sister to Conduit) and Liber Nauticus (an Azamour daughter of a Daylami half-sister to Conduit),

Spring Symphony was an average racehorse but has been a pretty good mare and produced the Group 1 horse Glass Harmonium as well as the useful Arab Spring. She has an Azamour 2yo called Petrucci in training but has then hit a bad patch losing a yearling filly by Invincible Spirit, then being barren to Raven’s Pass then Fastnet Rock. She is a valuable mare and a daughter would be a dividend for Ballymacoll. Interestingly she did have an unraced daughter called Zarzuela (by Rock of Gibraltar) who was sold as a 3yo. Ballymacoll purchased her first foal by Medicean called Clara Schumann and she is an as yet unraced 2yo. She may be an important purchase. Spring Symphony has been successful when bred to non-ND line stallions and I’d look for another outcross now.

Liber Nauticus is in foal to Dark Angel. This last mating is a breath of fresh air as this family has spent the last 30 years being mated with a succession of 10-12f sires (in the main and Verglas was an exception and produced Glass Harmonium) and now need to be mated with speedier sires. Of course Oasis Dream and Invincible Spirit (or their sons) could be the right type of matings. The first horse from this family that ever caught my attention was Sun Prince by the sprinter Princely Gift. He won the Coventry, Prix Robert Papin, St James Palace and Queen Anne Stakes: there’s not much wrong with that! So I’d like a real infusion of fast blood: why not more sires like Dark Angel, so why not Showcasing, Zebedee or Kodiac?

Country House Family

This family is split into the descendants of two sisters to Reform. The first (full) sister was Knighton House and all her descendants trace through Hellenic (by Darshaan), who produced 3 Group 1 winners. The most famous was Islington, who won 4 Group 1s but has produced nothing near her ability: in fact she’s been a big disappointment. So far she has produced 6 filly foals of racing age and just two small winners, the best of which is Bohemian Dance (by Dansili). Her 3yo this year Upper Street (again by Dansili) is dire and the family appears to have a nasty attack of ‘the slows’. Her 2yo this year by Oasis Dream is Angel Vision who just may be the first good foal, judged by her first run. She may go on from her debut and hopefully be a good filly. There is a yearling full-sister to Angel Vision and a Dubawi filly foal. Islington is in foal to Sharmadal. Maybe Oasis Dream lights the way and Islington should return to one of his ilk like Invincible Spirit/Kingman. Upper Street should be sold, but with Bohemian Dance at least having won a couple of races she should be retained and sent to a stallion that provides an outcross to Danzig and Sadler’s Wells blood like Dark Angel or one of the Lanwades sires .

Islington had an older half-sister, Desert Beauty (by Oasis Dream’s dad Green Desert), whose daughter Desert Bloom (by Pilsudski) has kept the family to the fore through Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente (by Monsun). Desert Bloom’s first two foals were winners and the third was Fiorente. So far so good, but she then hit a poor patch. She has had two poor foals, then has been barren a few times. She does have a yearling colt by Fastnet Rock, but was barren again. She is now in foal to Redoute’s Choice and I’m sure the stud hope for a filly as the two fillies she had were either sold or died. As the outcross to Monsun was successful I’d try it again with perhaps Dubawi.
There is fortunately a Montjeu sister to Desert Bloom called Fleur de Cactus. She has just had her first foal (a colt) by Redoutes Choice and is now in foal to Dalakhani. There are options to send her to Dubawi and other outcross sires like Dark Angel.
Islington has three further sisters at stud. The oldest is the unraced Olympienne (a full-sister) and she started well with Patkai and followed that up with the reasonable colts Saptapadi and Modun. Since then it has been a bit grim. Her promising Monsun colt El Greco died as a young 3yo and since then she has been barren and produced the disappointing Pas de Cheval. She does have a 2yo filly called Moruadh (by Fastnet Rock) and a yearling colt by the same sire, but has since been barren twice. They must hope Moruadh is worth keeping. With Olympienne I’d try again with Oasis Dream or one of his sons.

Another full-sister is La Divina (she did run once). She has, like Islington, produced fillies only and her first foal is now a 2yo called Danvin (by Dansili) but is in the ownership of Juddmonte. One can only assume there is some kind of rights swap with Ballymacoll getting nominations to Juddmonte sires. She has a yearling by Dansili, a foal by Pivotal and is in foal to Ifraaj. The fact that there are two full-sisters to Islington in the stud and that Hellenic (Islington’s dam) was mated with Sadler’s Well several other times goes against the teachings of the great Tesio, who never believed in continually sending a mare to the same sire. However what was done was done and now Ballymacoll have 3 full-sisters and a worrying trait of the horses being slow and running very little. One awaits the performances of Danvin and her sister and hope that she does better than Islington with Dansili. I think there’s a case for getting out of one of these sisters and maybe La Divina is the one.

A final half-sister to Islington is in the stud and though not by Sadler’s Wells she is by her son Galileo. This is the (unraced again) Justlookdontouch, who has a yearling filly by Street Cry, a Hard Spun filly foal and is to produce to Leroidesanumaux. These matings look a touch much more varied and interesting but maybe now there’s a case for trying another Danzig line sire like Mastercraftsman, Kodiac or Kingman (there are enough of them!).

The rest of the Country House mares come through the Queen’s Castle branch. She was a Sovereign Path half-sister to Reform but nowhere near his class or indeed Knighton House’s ability. She won her 8f maiden and then established a strong line of broodmares. The most important mare in the stud is the now 21 year old Highland Gift (by Generous). She has produced two top class colts in Golan and Tartan Bearer who strangely were both by Spectrum, a relative failure at stud. Highland Gift has two daughters already in the stud and they are likely to be joined by Yarrow (by Sea the Stars) who had a promising debut the other day. They are also likely to be joined next year by the Galileo filly Long View. In addition Highland Gift is in foal to Arcano, which again is a more inspiring mating. She will not have too many more foals.

Her oldest daughter at stud is the black type placed Gift Range (full-sister to Golan) who has been a relative failure at stud so far. She has a 2yo colt by Dubawi called Christmas Hamper who is yet to run, but also has a good looking colt foal by Frankel and she is again in foal to Dubawi. The Frankel mating in-breeds to Rainbow Quest, so the result will be watched with interest. Again I’d think a mating with a Danzig line sire would be in order. Gift Range is virtually clear of Nearco blood, so fast Northern Dancer lines are of great interest.

The younger daughter is Leocorno (by Pivotal), who was a 2yo winner and a decent filly. Her first foal by Danehill Dance was dire, and her current 2yo by Oasis Dream called Onda District has already been gelded before hitting the track. This doesn’t always mean he’s no good, he could be just difficult to train. Her yearling filly by the same sire has been swapped with Juddmonte. She has then been barren for 2 years and so with 2 more daughters of Highland Gift likely to be joining the stud’s ranks I’d think Leocorno is a candidate to be culled. She can be replaced by Long View who sent to someone like Dubawi could produce classic types.

The final mare from this family is the maiden Rien Ne Va Plus (by Oasis Dream). She was the last foal of the Group 1 staying mare Sought Out (by Rainbow Quest and a grand-daughter of Queeen’s Castle), so she is a half-sister to the Derby winner North Light. On paper she is an important mare. Unfortunately she had problems with her first foal which died, was rested because of the problems and is now in foal to Big Bad Bob: this mare is a candidate for some interesting outcrosses like Leroidesanimaux or Iffraaj or a Galileo type sire.

Others

The Gaily (bought as a yearling in 1972 and Dick Hern’s first classic winner for Ballymacoll: actually their first as well) family is solely represented by Athene, who being 23 it is not clear as to whether she will be mated again. The Gaily line produced the admirable horse Pilsudski who was as tough as they come: it also produced Machinist, Greek Renaissance and Sir John Hawkwood. Unfortunately by the time Pilsudski revealed his class his dam, Cocotte (by Troy) had been sold. It is the one big mistake Ballymacoll have made. They have an Arcano filly foal out of Athene who now becomes very important. She hopefully will survive and be worth sending to stud. She was a late foal so the resting of Athene in 2014 could be because they don’t want another late foal or they are in fact considering retiring her.

The final mare is a recently purchased ($400,000) Danehill Dancer mare called Kitty Hawk. Named after the usually mentioned home of powered flight, this mare has unfortunately not taken off as a broodmare. Bought in foal to Giants Causeway the ensuing issue was a hopeless filly that was sold for 2,000 guineas. The best she has done since is to produce the moderate gelding Tercel (by Monsun). She has an, as yet unraced, 2yo called Plane Song (by Nayef) and a pair of Dalakhani colts: one a yearling and the other a foal. She was barren this year. Quite honestly I’d get out of her and save the stallion fee on getting something better for one of the core mares. They bought her because she came from the prolific Mrs Moss family that produced winner after winner in the 70s, 80s and 90s. They just haven’t been lucky with Kitty Hawk.

Summary

It is supremely arrogant of me to write this. Ballymacoll have been very successful as a stud producing piles of good horses. I have been following them closely for more than 40 years. What I’m saying here is that they should ditch mares like Scottish Stage, La Divina, Leocorno and Kitty Hawk. Having said that I’m sure one of them will now produce an Arc winner!!
In my arrogant way I feel they’ve slightly gone off the boil (though they may have some good 3yo fillies next season). I remember when they used faster stallions. I’d like to see them using them a little more again. I’d also like to see them using stallions that get 2yo winners. I can but hope.
It is easy for me to say all this as I spend no money. It is also easy for Ballymacoll as they are never going to read this.

 

The 'dire' Upper Street wins a 10f handicap at 16-1 off bottom weight. Recent gallops reports bemoaned the fact that she didn't reproduce on the track what she showed on the gallops. Well she did yesterday. Sorry.

Meanwhile her younger sister is an eyecatching entry for the Irish 1000G, cementing in my mind the thought that she might be useful.