Ivar All Set for Next Chapter in Argentina

Argentinian champion and U.S. Grade I winner Ivar (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) is preparing for his Southern Hemisphere homecoming next month, when he will take up stud duty at Haras Carampangue in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 7-year-old, who was campaigned by Kentucky-based Bonne Chance Farm and its South American partner Stud RDI, began quarantine shortly after his second-place finish in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. and will depart for his new home at the end of April, leaving him plenty of time to adapt to his second career before the breeding season begins in August.

While the Southern Hemisphere breeding season is still months away, breeders in Argentina are already eager to send their mares to millionaire Ivar. Bonne Chance Farm CEO Alberto Figueiredo estimated that the new stallion will breed around 140 mares in his first season.

“All the good breeders and important names in the industry in Argentina are interested,” Figueiredo said. “There is general excitement about the horse. When you are in the stallion business, you have to pray that everything keeps going as you hope, but at least we are providing him with the best support he can have.”

Ivar's breeder and co-owner Stud Rio Dois Irmaos (Stud RDI) has retained a 55% ownership share in the stallion, but the syndicate also includes Haras Carampangue–the farm where he will stand–as well as Haras Abolengo, Gran Muneca, San Benito, La Nora and Santa Maria de Araras.

Haras Carampangue is home to four other stallions including 2013 GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. winner Suggestive Boy (Easing Along) and 2013 GI Hollywood Derby victor Seek Again (Speightstown).

Argentinian breeders are already more than familiar with Ivar from his undefeated 2-year-old season there in 2019, where he claimed two Group 1 victories and was named champion 2-year-old colt before shipping to the U.S. Under the tutelage of Paulo Lobo, Ivar was a winner in his second start in North America and then claimed the GI Turf Mile S. at Keeneland four months later. He ran third the following season in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile and last year, won the Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial S. and placed in two additional Grade I competitions.

Following his second-place finish in the GI Pegasus Turf in January, the decision was made for Ivar to retire. Figueiredo said that, had the horse won the Pegasus, they might have considered a trip to the Saudi Cup or keeping him in training for one last Keeneland spring meet, but ultimately they chose to give Ivar plenty of time to get through quarantine and let down before the fall breeding season.

Ivar wins the 2020 GI Turf Mile S. at Keeneland | Coady

“He ran in 11 Grade I races in his career and was so competitive, so we needed to look toward his second career,” he explained. “Since his first race in Argentina, he showed that he had a ton of potential and that he was a freak. He was a different horse. He won on the dirt and the turf and he ran until he was a 6-year-old, so he showed versatility, durability and soundness. He ran in three Breeders' Cups in a row. He was a tough boy.”

Figueiredo said that a stud fee is not yet set for Ivar's first year, but noted that he believes there is a good space in the Argentinian market for a stallion with his credentials. Ivar's sire Agnes Gold, a son of Sunday Silence who stood in Japan and Florida before making his mark in Brazil as a three-time leading sire, passed away in 2019.

Ivar was one of the first top-level performers to bring attention to Bonne Chance Farm, which is located off Pisgah Pike in Versailles and was founded by Brazilian businessman Gilberto Sayao Da Silva. Silva is a partner in Stud RDI, a breeding and racing operation established in 2008 with locations in Brazil and Argentina. In 2015, he launched Bonne Chance as his own boutique commercial farm in Kentucky.

Bonne Chance Bloodstock Manager Leah Alessandroni spoke on the significance of Ivar carrying the farm's silks to Grade I success so soon after the operation was off its feet.

“To have a horse like Ivar come up here and do what he did, holding his own against some of the best in the world on the turf and really showing up at the biggest stage every time, it's kind of hard to quantify what that means for a young organization like us. It's definitely something that we're thankful for every day and the significance is not lost on us.”

Of course Ivar is not the only success story of South American-breds performing at the top of the game in the U.S. for the Bonne Chance and Stud RDI partnership. Top performers include In Love (Brz), a gelding son of Agnes Gold who followed Ivar to victory in the GI Keeneland Turf Mile S. in 2021, and Imperador (Arg) (Treasure Beach {GB}), winner of the 2021 GII Calumet Turf Cup S. Now back at Stud RDI, Imperador bred over 80 mares in his first book and is expecting his first foals to hit the ground this year.

“There is a pipeline of these outstanding racehorses coming from the programs in Brazil and Argentina,” Alessandroni said of the Stud RDI operation. “The program that they've built there is so underappreciated on a global scale. When you look at the numbers and what they've done in South America with groups of horses that arguably aren't as respected as much as they should be, they have kind of forced people to look at the South American product and respect it.”

“To have even a little bit of that influence through Bonne Chance is awesome,” she continued. “I feel like we're sleeping on a giant because I'm so excited to see the future for Ivar as a stallion, but also for the future of the partnership of Stud RDI and Bonne Chance.”


At Bonne Chance, Ivar's dam May Be Now (Smart Strike) is creating her own pipeline of future broodmares for the Kentucky operation. Her 2-year-old Open Heart, a May-foaled daughter of Yoshida, was retained by the farm and is in the early stages of training under Paulo Lobo.

This year she produced a filly by Uncle Mo. Alessandroni said that they will take a few months to let the Mar. 11-foaled filly develop before deciding if she would be pointed toward the racetrack or the sales ring.

“She definitely favors Uncle Mo, which is one of the reasons why we bred the mare to him because we were looking for that type. She's a good mover out in the field and is a very quality filly. We're really excited about her.”

May Be Now was acquired as a yearling by Stud RDI and was a Group 2 winner in Brazil. She spent her first few years as a broodmare there before returning to the U.S. shortly after producing Ivar. She was sold in foal to Hard Spun in 2017, but was bought back by Bonne Chance as Ivar was making a name for himself.

In a few years, the team at Bonne Chance hopes to be represented by sons and daughters of Ivar. Because Southern Hemisphere horses are at a disadvantage early in their racing career as they are born in the later months of the year, Figueiredo said that Stud RDI's Ivar babies will likely race as 2-year-olds in Argentina and those that show promise will ship to the U.S. after their juvenile season.

“We would be really excited by that,” Figueiredo said enthusiastically.

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Dance Brightly Dead in Chile

Dance Brightly (Mr. Prospector–Dance Smartly, by Danzig) died at the age of 27 in Chile, Turf Diario reported.

The Sam-Son Farm homebred raced for trainer Mark Frostad and ran out a maiden special weight winner at Woodbine in October 1997. The Ontario-bred then ran second in the Listed Coronation Futurity later in his juvenile season, but was ultimately retired due to an injury suffered in a workout in 1998.

A son of Canadian Horse of the Year and Canadian Triple Crown heroine Dance Smartly started his stud career at Hill 'n' Dale Farm in Kentucky in 1999 and shuttled to Haras La Quebrada in Argentina. He later moved permanently to Chile at Haras Carioca beginning in the autumn of 2004. At stud, the bay sired 26 black-type winners, 11 of them graded/group winners. His quintet of top-level winners are led by Mea Domina, who took the GI Gamely H. and the South American Group 1 winners Sabor a Triunfo (Chi), Montignac (Chi), Mama Delia (Arg), and Esta Bailando (Chi). A total of 17 black-type winners have been produced from his daughters, with Irish Glory (Chi) (Irish Brother {Arg}) the only one at group level.

Dance Brightly is a full-brother to Canadian Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Dancethruthedawn (Mr. Prospector), who also took Saratoga's GI Go for Wand H., as well as dual Canadian Classic hero Scatter The Gold (Mr. Prospector), and the graded-placed Dance to Destiny (Mr. Prospector). A half-brother, Dance With Ravens (A.P. Indy), won the GII Grey Breeders' Cup S., and another half-sibling, the Thunder Gulch mare Dancethruthestorm, is the granddam of GI Northern Dancer Turf S. hero Say The Word (More Than Ready), who was also named the Canadian Champion Turf Male in 2020.

The second dam is the influential blue hen Classy 'N Smart (Smarten), who was also a Canadian champion. In addition to Dance Smartly, she foaled Grade II winner Strike Smartly (Mr. Prospector) and the GI Philip H. Iselin H. hero Smart Strike (Mr. Prospector), who became a top sire; as well as Grade I winner Full of Wonder (Mr. Prospector).

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Irish Derby Hero Sovereign to Stand in Argentina

Classic winner Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}-Devoted To You {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}) will stand in Argentina at El Mallin Stud Farm in Capitan Sarmiento, Buenos Aires, in partnership with La Leyenda Stud Farm. A fee will be announced later.

“I have been looking for a Galileo descendant for years, but not just any horse; I wanted a good one,” said auctioneer and breeder Antonio Bullrich.

Group-placed as a juvenile, the former Aidan O'Brien trainee ran second in the G3 Ballysax S. and third in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial in the spring of his 3-year-old year. The Coolmore partners colorbearer trounced the G1 Irish Derby field later that term, and was also third in the G3 Vintage Crop S. and second to Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. after his Classic victory. The son of dual group runner-up Devoted To You, the chestnut is the best foal from his dam, who was second in the G2 Debutante S. and the G3 Park Express S. A full-sibling to the Group 3-placed Dawn Rising (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Sovereign was bred by Barrownstown Stud in Ireland.

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Breeze Easy Buys Argentine Star Far Away Love

In a deal organized by Chris Baccari, the Breeze Easy LLC of Sam Ross and Mike Hall have purchased Far Away Love, one of the leading fillies of the current 3-year-old crop in Argentina.

In her most recent start, Far Away Love took third in the Group 1 Gran Premio Seleccion-Argentine Oaks over ten furlongs on dirt at Palermo, on Oct. 9, after disputing the lead through a six furlong fraction of 1:09.26

The Gran Premio Seleccion was just the third start of Far Away Love's career. She debuted at Palermo on Aug. 14, in a six-furlong maiden event, which she took by five lengths. Far Away Love returned a month later for the G2 Clasico Francisco J. Beazley over nine furlongs. Leading throughout, she scored by five lengths from Super Bijou, who was only beaten a neck in the Seleccion, running a spectacular 1:47.02.  

Far Away Love comes from an Argentine shuttle crop sired by Violence, who in addition to North American Grade 1 winners Volatile, No Parole and Dr. Schivel, and current undefeated classic prospect Newgrange, has sired Argentine Group 1 winners Fiel Amigo and Dandy Del Barrio, both successful at the “Estrellas” meeting, Argentina's equivalent to the Breeders' Cup.

Far Away Love's dam, the Not For Sale mare, Far Away Eyes, was a winner in Argentina, and is a sister to Blues For Sale. A three-time group stakes winner in her native country, Blues For Sale is dam of Blue Prize, who captured the G1 Gran Premio Seleccion before coming to the U.S., where her successes included back-to-back scores in the G1 Spinster Stakes, and a victory over the year's champion older mare, Midnight Bisou, in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Three days after her Breeders' Cup win, Blue Prize topped the Fasig-Tipton November Sales, falling to a bid of $5 million from OXO Equine. Blue Prize's half-sister, Blue Stripe, captured the G1 Gran Premio Criadores, and is now in training at Santa Anita.

In addition to Blues For Sale, Far Away Eyes is also a sister to Cure For Sale, a listed winner in Argentina, and a Keeneland allowance winner, and multiple graded placed while racing in the U.S.

Key Cure, the second dam of Far Away Love, is a daughter of Cure the Blues, who was a five time winner in the U.S. before being exported to Argentina. She descends from the Ladies Handicap heroine, Sea Saga, ancestress of 11 Grade 1 winners, also including General Challenge, Notable Career, Evening Jewel, Denman's Call and A Shin Hikari, as well Southern Halo, multiple leading sire in Argentina, and responsible for More Than Ready during his time in the U.S.

Said Breeze Easy managing partner Mike Hall: “We watched film of Far Away Love's races, and were very impressed by the raw talent she's shown right from the start of her career. She's very fast and can clearly carry that speed. She is also lightly-raced, and has the potential to keep improving. It was appealing that she was by an up-and-coming U.S. sire, and so closely related to Blue Prize, which gives her a pedigree page that would be recognized anywhere in the world. We're very excited for her racing career in the U.S., and think she'll make a tremendous broodmare down the line.”

A 4-year-old of 2022 by Northern Hemisphere time, Far Away Love arrived in the U.S. on Feb. 5, and after completing quarantine, she will acclimatize at a training center in Florida, before commencing her U.S. racing career.

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