Campion, who grew up on Dundrum Farm near Midway, Kentucky, graduated with a dual degree in Accounting and Spanish from the University of Kentucky in 2020. After University, Campion completed the Irish National Stud course in Co. Kildare, Ireland.

Campion said, “Since graduation, I've held a role where I was able to use my Spanish in a business setting and also had the opportunity to get some skin in the game doing a couple of pinhooks and having a small consignment of my own. So when this opportunity arose. I was thrilled to build on these experiences and go full time into the business.”

Paramount's Pat Costello added, “I've known Paddy all his life and have seen his passion for our business grow greatly over the last while. I believe he will be a great fit for our company.”

The post Paddy Campion Joins Paramount Sales appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Veterinarians with expertise in equine stud medicine will present a programme of lectures on a variety of topics including mare management to foaling and foal care. There will also be a panel discussion on career options and planning, a late lunch and a tour of the Irish National Stud and Gardens, weather permitting.

To register, please visit the IEVA website.

The post IEVA CPD Series Continues With Stud Medicine Programme appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Mac Swiney lit up the 2021 season for trainer/breeder Jim Bolger when beating his stable-mate, the 2,000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare (Ire), to land the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

A three-time winner as a juvenile, he had ended his debut season with victory in the G1 Vertem Futurity having also landed the G2 Beresford S. Mac Swiney's dam Halle Na Saoire (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) is a full-sister to the Group 2 winner Light Heavy (Ire).

Anngrove Stud's Alastair Pim commented, “We are delighted to stand Mac Swiney. It's rare that a small stud gets the chance to stand a Classic winner in his first year at stud. He was a high class two-year-old who showed speed and versatility and is a Classic winning three-year-old. As the late great Paddy Mullins said to my father 'every National Hunt mare in the country will stay three miles, it's the bit of speed they need in the final furlong' and Mac Swiney certainly fits that criteria.”

MacSwiney, described by Bolger as 'tough, courageous and adaptable' joined the Irish National Stud roster initially for 2024. However, the switch to Anngrove Stud is thought to better suit his appeal to the dual-purpose breeders.

Irish National Stud boss Cathal Beale said, “In recognition of the Irish National Stud's enduring support of National Hunt racing and breeding we are delighted to offer a horse of Mac Swiney's calibre to the breeders of Ireland, he is a beautiful specimen with lots of quality and a big strong athletic walk. INS has a long tradition of standing our dual-purpose horses with the Pim family at Anngrove Stud. The sire line speaks for itself with horses like Pied Piper flying the flag for New Approach.”

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It was Liz Lucas's Swanbridge Bloodstock who signed for the Order Of St George (Ire) filly out of Princess Vega at the November National Hunt Sale at Goffs for €48,000 last year. According to Hogan, so pleased are the new owners with their Order Of St George filly from the top-notch family, they decided to push the boat out to secure the dam who was sold by the Irish National Stud in foal to Walk In The Park (Ire).

Hogan said, “She was bought for Swanbridge Bloodstock, who bought the Order Of St George, who is the daughter of this mare. She's a nice mare and the pedigree speaks for itself. They know the family and they were very anxious to get her.”

It was Catherine Magnier who pushed Hogan furthest and filled the role as determined underbidder. The pair were left fighting it out from the six-figure mark for Princess Vega, who, like her superstar dam Quevega, was trained by the champion trainer in Ireland, Willie Mullins.

Princess Vega, a winner of a Tramore bumper on debut for Mullins, will now join the broodmare band of Swanbridge Bloodstock in Britain, which features well-known mares like Alasi (GB) (Alflora {Ire}), Intense Tango (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Western Victory (Ire) (Westerner {GB}) and more. 

Graduates of the British National Hunt breeding operation includes Midnight River (GB) (Midnight Legend {GB}), Prince Of Scars (Ire) (Flemensfirth) and last year's impressive Goffs UK Spring Sale Bumper winner Crest Of Glory (GB) (Black Sam Bellamy {Ire}).

Princess Vega proved to be the highlight of the two-day sale which saw turnover fall by 29% to €3,082,400 compared to 12 months ago. The average fell 19% to €12,898 while the median was also down 11% to €8,000. The clearance rate stood at 65%.

Goff chief executive Henry Beeby commented, “As ever Goffs February has been dominated by weanlings and once again has delivered the highest-priced Flat and National Hunt weanling of the February sales season by some margin. That is the strength of the sale and what sets it apart as, like November and December, Kildare Paddocks was awash with pinhookers finalising their 2024 yearling drafts and adding to their three-year-old stores of two years' time which led to several lively bidding duels for those youngsters adjudged to be the most commercial.  

“Of course, a clearance rate of 65% is a clear mirror of the autumn sales season and those the market deemed less appealing were friendless in the ring. However, the familiar cry of 'it's hard to buy the good one' was as evident as ever and we are all having to adapt to the evolving nature of the market.”

Beeby added, “Trade for the breeding stock session mirrored the weanlings with keen competition for some headed by the €150,000 top price and less interest in others but we have welcomed a diverse overseas contingent over the two days who are enticed year after year by the undeniable quality of Irish bloodlines and the proactivity of ITM working alongside the Goffs Purchaser Attraction Team and our superb international agents. Indeed, buyers from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Libya, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, UK and Zambia have all featured in the results and ensured a truly cosmopolitan feel to the sale.

“So Goffs February confirms its market leading status again with two vibrant sessions and a big crowd from start to finish. As ever, we extend our thanks to each vendor and all our purchasers for we are nothing without them.”

“It's Not Rocket Science,” – Havana Grey Continues To Shine

Willie Browne: bought a Havana Grey weanling for €90,000 | Goffs

There's no such thing as a dull day when it comes to Havana Grey (GB). The Whitsbury Stud-based stallion lit the touch paper to the February Sale on Wednesday when a colt of his was knocked down to Yeomanstown Stud for €85,000 and the big results kept coming for the sire sensation on Thursday when top judge Willie Browne signed for a Havana Grey filly under the banner of JB Bloodstock to the tune of €90,000. 

That meant that Havana Grey accounted for three of the top five weanlings sold at Kildare Paddocks this week. The €90,000 filly (lot 291) was offered by The Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of her breeder Tommy Severns, who was rightfully overjoyed by the result.

He said, “I've loved her from day one. She was always a pretty classy filly and the dream was to keep her, but as a small operation, we have to keep trading. Billy Jackson-Stops felt she would stand out a bit here, so we targeted this sale as a result. 

“It's all a credit to the team at Stoneyhill Stud in Gloucestershire, where she was born and bred. We then sent her to Triermore Stud in County Meath, where Paul McDonnell and Terry Denning do a great job. The filly has thrived since she went there and having seen the videos, she looked great on the complex, so Bill and his team at The Castlebridge Consignment deserve a lot of praise too.”

The January-born Havana Grey filly is out of the Selkirk mare Scots Fern (GB), a three-time winner. Scots Fern has already produced two winners, Giava Dream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and Hebridean Nomad (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), from five foals.

Severns added, “It's our (Stonehill Stud) second year in operation and a result like this is so important. Ed Harper deserves a lot of credit, too, as he was very strong on Havana Grey and advised me to use him. 

“We've got six mares at home, so we're a pretty small operation, though a result like this may help us to go out and improve the quality of stock on the farm. I'm a polo player by day, so I'm currently in Argentina. I'm actually gutted to not be there, but that's the way it is.

“Scots Fern has been great for us and she foaled a smart filly by Perfect Power (Ire) last week. We haven't finalised our mating plans for the year, but there are an exciting bunch of stallions on the list so far.”

For Browne, who revealed to be down on numbers with regards to his foal purchases in 2023, the Havana Grey filly proved to be exactly what he was searching for. The legendary breeze-up trainer and pinhooker admitted that his new acquisition didn't come cheap but explained how she could slot into any yearling sale in the autumn. 

He said, “She is a very good model and I couldn't fault her in any way. She was plenty expensive now but I suppose that's what you have to pay to get a Havana Grey these days-it's not rocket science. 

“I actually underbid another Havana Grey earlier in the day so I am very pleased to have gotten her. I usually buy around 12 foals a year and we were down on numbers this time round. They were very hard to buy in the winter. This filly could come back to the Orby or even to Book 2 but I've been very lucky selling at Goffs down through the years so we might keep her for the Orby.”

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Aimed at professionals who wish to acquire or perfect their general management skills, the 'Equine Management Executive Certificate' takes places over eight months, mostly online, but with two weeks spent in Kildare and Normandy with visits to businesses and farms, particularly involving Thoroughbreds.

The €8,000 course will have a maximum of 15 to 20 students who will be coached by academic and equine industry experts. A range of management courses on leadership, entrepreneurship, economic performance, financial management, marketing and sales, and innovation are conducted in English and will take place online on Fridays and Saturdays from April to October.

“This new professional and international training offer is an obvious choice for EM Normandie, a world-renowned business school based in both Normandy and Ireland,” said Elian Pilvin, group CEO and dean of EM Normandie. “Our aim is to develop programmes that reflect the excellence and specific characteristics of our region – Normandy is renowned for its equine industry – and to support students and professionals throughout their careers.” 

Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud added, “For over 50 years, the Irish National Stud has been offering world-class equine education programmes, and we are delighted to be collaborating with EM Normandie on the Equine Management Executive Certificate program, combining our know-how and enhancing the skills of future participants in our courses.”

Potential candidates must be proficient in English. Further details can be found on the EM Normandie website. 

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The two-day Irish Stallion Trail kicks off on Friday and Bolger is backing Mac Swiney to go down a bomb. The legendary trainer also revealed that he plans on supporting the Group 1-winning two-year-old and Irish 2,000 Guineas hero with 20 mares in his first season at stud.

Bolger said, “He's the new kid on the block and he'll be a big attraction. Anybody who goes and sees him on the Irish Stallion Trail, they definitely won't be disappointed.”

He added, “I've 20 mares lined up for Mac Swiney. He's a very meaningful horse to us. We knew from the time he arrived here first that he was special. He's such a good looker. He looked like a real one even from the time he was foaled. Looks-wise, he never disappointed and I'd be very disappointed if he didn't go down well.”

Mac Swiney showed top-class form as a juvenile by taking out the G1 Futurity S. on his final start at two. He built on that promise at three when taking the scalp of his stablemate Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in the Irish 2,000 Guineas before finishing an honourable third in the G1 British Champion S. over 10 furlongs later that season. 

With that in mind, Bolger says he is confident that Mac Swiney can appeal to every facet of the market and that he is fairly priced at an opening fee of €8,000. 

Bolger explained, “The sprinter/miler types are the ones that are most sought after in the sales ring and Mac Swiney falls into that category being a Group 1 winner at two and a Classic-winning miler at three. I'd be confident that that's the way he will be viewed. If that is the case, I think he'll go very well at stud. I think he's great value and I wouldn't have it otherwise because breeders, now more so than ever, deserve a break. I think he's proper value at that money.”

He added, “Along with his top performances at two and three, he's a great looker with the most wonderful temperament. They are going to find it very easy to manage him at the Irish National Stud.”

It didn't always appear likely that Mac Swiney would be available for Irish or even European breeders. Bolger revealed that there were offers, one in particular to abroad which piqued interests, but in the end, a deal was brokered with the Irish National Stud where Mac Swiney will stand alongside fellow Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Phoenix Of Spain (Ire), Invincible Spirit (Ire), Lucky Vega (Ire), Nando Parado (GB), Equiano (Fr) and Elusive Pimpernel. 

Bolger said, “I got a very good offer from abroad and he nearly went away but I wasn't happy about it. Ken [Bolger], my nephew who runs Redmonstown Stud, approached the Irish National Stud and they had a deal wrapped up fairly quickly.”

Mac Swiney's dam Halle Na Saoire (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) is a full-sister to the Group 2 winner Light Heavy (Ire) and he represents a family that Bolger has been involved with since 1994. Amoura (Northfields), then an 11-year-old mare who had produced seven foals and just one winner at the time, was snapped up by Bolger for just $5,000 at Keeneland. 

She would go on to breed Siamsa (Quest For Fame {GB}), the dam of Light Heavy, but more importantly, Halla Na Saoire (Ire), who went on to produce Mac Swiney. 

Not only that, but Halla Na Saoire is also by one of Bolger's most famous homebreds, Teofilo (Ire), so you could say this latest Classic-winning stallion prospect is a Bolger special in every sense of the word. 

He concluded, “It's a family that started out with the Aga Khan followed by Prince Khalid Abdullah and now it's the Irish National Stud and myself. It's very exciting to see him off to stud and I'm confident that he will go down very well.”

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Rafha and Moon Cactus were both daughters of Kris (GB) (Sharpen Up), an outstanding miler who became champion sire of Great Britain and Ireland in 1985 when his oldest offspring were 3-year-olds, thanks largely to the terrific season enjoyed by Britain's Fillies' Triple Crown heroine Oh So Sharp (GB). Oh So Sharp became an excellent broodmare, responsible for Rosefinch (Blushing Groom {Fr}) who edged out Dancing Brave's full-sister Jolypha in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary in 1992. Rafha and Moon Cactus, though, did even more to advertise Kris's talent as a sire of broodmares.

Moon Cactus bred four stakes winners including the 1995 G1 Oaks heroine Moonshell (Sadler's Wells) and her younger full-brother Doyen, who excelled on firm ground in the summer of 2004 when firstly breaking Ascot's 12-furlong track record in the G2 Hardwicke S. at the Royal Meeting and then following up over course and distance five weeks later with a superb win in the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S.

Ultimately, though, Rafha has proved the most influential of these eminent matrons. Her legacy continues to expand, 33 years after her Prix de Diane triumph, and she is now even more revered than she was on that glorious summer's afternoon when she galloped to Classic glory at Chantilly.

It is not unfair to say that Rafha did not produce a racehorse of the distinction of either Moonshell or Doyen (or, indeed, of Colour Chart's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies-winning daughter Tempera), but four of the seven black-type performers whom she produced were stakes winners. Easily the pick of these was Invincible Spirit (Ire) (Green Desert). Trained, as his mother had been, for owner/breeder Prince AA Faisal by John Dunlop, Invincible Spirit was a tough sprinter who raced for four seasons, winning a listed race as a 2-year-old and at Group 3 level at four before enjoying his best campaign as a 5-year-old in 2002, taking the G3 Duke of York S. over six furlongs in the spring and the G1 Haydock Park Sprint Cup over the same distance in the autumn, putting in his best performance on the 17th and final start of his career.

A first-season stud fee of €10,000 was fair for Invincible Spirit when he started out at the Irish National Stud as a 6-year-old in 2003. He had maybe lacked some of the precocity that a lot of the breeders who patronise sprinting stallions like to see, but he was a Group 1-winning sprinter and had shown himself to be a durable one at that. Furthermore, it helped that he was a son of Green Desert (Danzig) who was very popular at the time, buoyed in part by his superb son Oasis Dream (GB), who had been an outstanding 2-year-old in 2002, most notably breaking Newmarket's six-furlong juvenile track record when winning the G1 Middle Park S.

Green Desert, himself formerly an outstanding sprinter, was already on the way to being respected as a sire of sires, not least because his Group 1-winning son Cape Cross (Ire) was starting to do well.  Curiously, Cape Cross ultimately became best known for his Derby and Oaks winner Sea The Stars (Ire), Golden Horn (GB) and Ouija Board (GB) but that slight anomaly shouldn't deflect attention away from the fact that Green Desert was a terrific conduit of Danzig's speed. Oasis Dream has been much more typical of the Green Desert line, becoming an absolute stalwart of the ranks of British-based sprinting sires over an extended period, just as his father was before him.

Invincible Spirit was an immediate success as a stallion. He had his first runners in 2006 and got off to a flying start when his first runner Spoof Master (Ire) won Britain's first 2-year-old feature of the new season, the Brocklesby S. Invincible Spirit continued to churn out winners as the year went on, so much so that his fee rose from €10,000 to €35,000 for the 2007 season.

Invincible Spirit's position was further consolidated in 2007 when his first 3-year-olds included the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club hero Lawman (Fr), whose Classic triumph was instrumental in Invincible Spirit's fee shooting up again to €75,000 in 2008.  Also running for Invincible Spirit in 2007 was the very fast 2-year-old filly Fleeting Spirit (GB), winner of the G3 Molecomb S. and G2 Flying Childers S. as well as being runner-up in the G1 Cheveley Park S. and G2 Lowther S. She subsequently developed into a wonderful sprinting mare, arguably her sire's second-best daughter behind Moonlight Cloud (GB), and her finest hour came when she won the G1 July Cup as a 4-year-old. With his career thus heading onwards and upwards, Invincible Spirit ultimately had his fee peaking between 2016 and 2019, when his nominations cost €120,000.

The six seasons 2015 to 2020 inclusive were particularly good ones for Rafha with both Kodiac and Invincible Spirit featuring in the top ten every year.

Although Rafha ended up as the dam of four stakes winners, her second most-distinguished child was not one of them.  Kodiac (GB) can be described as a three-parts brother to Invincible Spirit, as each is by a son of Danzig, Kodiac being by Danehill. Like Invincible Spirit, Kodiac was a tough sprinter, but unlike his superior sibling, he couldn't quite manage to score in stakes company, his four wins (from 20 starts) consisting of a maiden-race success and three triumphs in handicap company.  He did at least manage a couple of minor placings in stakes company, finishing second in the G3 Hackwood S. over six furlongs at Newbury and fourth in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over 1300m at Deauville as a 5-year-old in 2006.

Under normal circumstances, Kodiac's achievements would perhaps not have been enough to secure him a place at stud.  However, there's nothing quite like being in the right place at the right time. As the 2006 racing season drew to a close, it was clear that Invincible Spirit was about to be priced out of reach of many of the Irish small breeders who had used him so satisfactorily in his early years. At the time Danehill was at the peak of his popularity as a sire of sires, so it made sense for Tally-Ho Stud to take a chance that Invincible Spirit's fast three-parts brother by Danehill might appeal to many breeders and might become a successful sire.

That was the theory and, happily, it proved to be a sound one.  Kodiac started out at a fee of €5,000 in 2007 (which had to be lowered to €4,000 a couple of years later), but once he began to have runners in 2010, he soon started to pay back many of those who had put their faith in him.  He quickly established himself as an ultra-reliable source of tough, precocious and very fast horses, both colts and fillies. In a pleasing piece of symmetry, 10 years after retiring to stud, he was standing at a fee 10 times higher than it had been at the outset. The price subsequently continued to rise after that and, now aged 22, he is still churning out fast, precocious horses such as 2023 G2 Lowther S. heroine Relief Rally (Ire), who recently sold for 800,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

It is frequently noted that the 1993 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Urban Sea (Miswaki) usually has two sons in the top five of the General Sires' Table of Great Britain and Ireland.  The 2019 season was her piece de resistance, as her two Derby-winning children Galileo (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and Sea The Stars (Ire) occupied the first two places in the championship.  Under the circumstances, the fanfare justly directed at Urban Sea possibly takes some of the spotlight away from Rafha, whose feat of also having two sons consistently in the upper echelons of the sires' championship should not be underestimated.

The six seasons 2015 to 2020 inclusive were particularly good ones for Rafha with both Kodiac and Invincible Spirit featuring in the top 10 every year. Kodiac in particular has been remarkably consistent. He first broke into the top10 of the sires' table in 2015, having finished 15th in 2014 (in which year Invincible Spirit achieved his best position, finishing second to Galileo).  From 2015 until this current season Kodiac has never been out of the top 10, and he regularly tops the table for the most number of winners in a season.

In one sense, Rafha's sons merit even greater respect than do Urban Sea's stars. Galileo and Sea The Stars were Derby winners who started out covering high-class mares from the outset but Invincible Spirit and Kodiac did not have that luxury, having instead had to 'make their own luck' as stallions. Despite these relatively humble beginnings at stud, the influence of both Invincible Spirit and Kodiac will not end when they cease to have runners because they have already started to establish their own sire lines.

Just as Lawman was Invincible Spirit's first headline-maker as a racehorse, so he was his first successful son at stud. Lawman's first crop included G1 St James's Palace S. winner Most Improved (Ire) and the star of his second crop was G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G2 Rockfel S. winner Just The Judge (Ire). G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Marcel (Ire) and G1 St Leger winner Harbour Law (Ire) followed, although–disappointingly–Lawman seems subsequently to have fallen out of commercial favour, notwithstanding that he is still in action at Haras du Mazet in France (having started out in Ireland at Ballylinch, where his fee peaked at €25,000).

The popularity of Invincible Spirit's best son Kingman (GB), winner of four consecutive Group 1 mile races as a 3-year-old in the summer of 2014, shows no sign of waning. An immediate hit at stud with his first-crop son Calyx (Ire) winning the G2 Coventry S. in June 2018, Kingman has gone from strength to strength and consistently posts eye-catching statistics when measured by totals of individual stakes winners or black-type ratios. With, to name but three sons, Calyx at Coolmore, four-time Group 1 winner Palace Pier (GB) at Dalham Hall and three-time Group 1 winner Persian King (Ire) at Haras d'Etreham, Kingman could well become a notable sire of sires.

Calyx currently lies in third place in the 2023 first-season sires' table for Britain and Ireland. Invincible Spirit's grandson thus sits ahead of three sons of Invincible Spirit with their first juveniles this year: Inns Of Court (fourth), Invincible Army (eighth) and 2019 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia (12th). All have a chance to become established as long-term residents of the stallion ranks in this part of the world, joining their elders Territories (Ire) and Mayson (GB) and Swiss Spirit (GB).

The 2011 crop which featured Kingman also contained Charm Spirit (Ire), winner of three Group 1 mile races during the 2014 season. He, too is currently in vogue thanks to his very fast son Shaquille (GB), winner during the summer of the G1 Commonwealth Cup and the G1 July Cup. Shaquille looks sure to be popular at Dullingham Park, where he will have a first-season fee in 2024 of £15,000. Another likely future flag-bearer for Invincible Spirit's line is his three-time Group 2-winning son Mutasaabeq (GB) who starts off at the National Stud in 2024 at a fee of £6,500.

Kodiac, too, is well represented by sons and grandsons at stud.  As was the case with their father, Ardad (Ire), Kodi Bear (Ire), Prince Of Lir (Ire) and Coulsty (Ire) all started out without any significant blaze of publicity. Each has done plenty to raise his profile since starting to have runners, while Ardad's three-time Group 1-winning first-crop son Perfect Power (Ire) is about to stand his second season at Dalham Hall Stud. The one drawback for the furtherance of the line is that Prince Of Lir's fastest son, G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Live In The Dream (Ire), is a gelding.

Being represented by a 2,000 Guineas winner at the age of 27 would be unusual, but for the redoubtable Invincible Spirit it may well happen.

Sons of Kodiac who have yet to have runners include the dual Group 1-winning sprinter Hello Youmzain (Fr), G2 Coventry S. winner Nando Parrado (GB) and G2 Flying Childers S. winner Ubettabelieveit (Ire). Furthermore, this year's G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Good Guess (GB) will join his father on the Tally-Ho roster in 2024 at a fee of €17,500.

Elsewhere, Best Solution (Ire) had his first 2-year-old runners this year in Germany, in which country he recorded two of his three Group 1 victories (at, untypically for the progeny of Kodiac, 2400m). International stud success for stallions sired by Rafha's sons is, of course, commonplace. Most notably, Invincible Spirit briefly shuttled to Australia early in his career and there produced the tough sprinter I Am Invincible (Aus) who has become astonishingly prolific sire of stakes winners of all ages. He deservedly became Australia's champion sire in 2021/22, retained the title last term, is currently leading the standings this season, and is already respected as a sire of sires. The Invincible Spirit horses Cable Bay (Ire), National Defense (GB) and Shalaa (Ire) have all enjoyed success at stud in both hemispheres, while Cable Bay is about to get under way as a sire of sires with his fast son Dragon Symbol (GB) retiring to Whitsbury Manor Stud.

Invincible Spirit's G1 King's Stand S.-winning son Profitable (Ire) has headed out to Turkey ahead of the 2024 season, notwithstanding that he started out well on the Darley roster in Ireland with his first crop of juveniles containing 2021 G2 Queen Mary S. heroine Quick Suzy (Ire). Looking to spread Rafha's influence even farther afield will be the Invincible Spirit horse Digital Age (Ire), a Grade I winner in the USA in 2020 of the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. over nine furlongs on a firm turf track at Churchill Downs. Digital Age stands in South Africa at Mauritzfontein Stud. It should also be mentioned that the treble Group 1 winner Mishriff (Ire), a great grandson of Rafha through his female line, and successful on turf and dirt, is about to make his belated debut at Sumbe in France.

To return to Invincible Spirit and Kodiac, their success at stud has been one of the most heartening bloodstock stories of the 21st century to date. The sire-sons of each look set to ensure that this story will run and run, not to mention that each has plenty of good racehorses still to come. Most obviously, Invincible Spirit's unbeaten 2-year-old son Ghostwriter (Ire) stamped himself as a serious Classic prospect for 2024 when he extended his winning run in the G2 Royal Lodge S. at Newmarket at the end of September. Being represented by a 2000 Guineas winner at the age of 27 would be unusual, but for the redoubtable Invincible Spirit, it may well happen.

The post Rafha’s Influence Prevails Through Her Dominant Sons appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Studying Stud Management at Kildalton College in county Kilkenny while apprenticing under trainers Mags Mullins and Pat Foley, Browne subsequently worked for leading trainer Jessica Harrington's stables in county Kildare followed by a stint with Segenhoe Stud in the Hunter Valley, Australia.

Prior to being accepted onto the Irish National Stud course, Loughnane completed an Honours Bachelors Degree in Equine Science at the University of Limerick. During that four-year period, he spent summer holidays and college work placement at Mount Coote Stud, where under the guidance of Luke Lillingston, he gained valuable foaling experience.

“I would like to thank all our generous sponsors,” said Erin Dilger. “We were delighted to be able to award a record number of seven scholarships for this year for our various programs and could only do it because of their support and contributions. We treasure our close relationship with the Irish National Stud which counts Gerry Dilger as a past graduate.”

Click here for more information.

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Application Requirements:

• Resident of the US
• Bachelor's degree in equine science preferred, but not required
• Application and information due July 1, 2023

Scholarship Provides:

• Round trip airfare for travel. Ticket must be economy/coach class, maximum amount $1500. Must provide proof of payment for reimbursement.
• Fully paid tuition (approx. $6,500) for the Irish National Stud in Kildare, Ireland, including room and board.
• Travel/Medical insurance policy while in Ireland. Maximum $500.

Click here for the online application and more information.

The post Dilger Offers 2024 Irish National Stud Scholarship appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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