The late Galileo has rightly dominated the stallion conversation in the modern era. The son of Sadler’s Wells has produced Group 1 winners at a scarcely credible rate during his stay with the Coolmore breeding operation. Following his passing, Dubawi and Galileo’s most famous son, Frankel, vied for the right to be top dog in the UK – one or the other winning the three Great Britain & Ireland Champion Stallion titles between 2021 and 2023.
That pattern continues on the wider European scene, with Frankel emerging as the continent’s leading sire by prize money in each of the past three seasons. However, midway through 2024, Frankel sits only seventh on the list, two spots behind Dubawi. Leading the race at the halfway point is Ballyinch Stud resident Lope De Vega.
Group 1 Star at the Track
By four-time Group 1 winner Shamardal and out of the Group 3 winning mare Lady Vettori, much was expected of Lope De Vega when the colt made his racecourse debut in 2009. Happily, for connections, the good-looking chestnut wasted little time delivering on his potential.
Successful first time up at Deauville, Lope De Vega enjoyed an excellent Classic campaign – picking up wins in the French versions of the 2,000 Guineas and Derby before retiring to stud at the end of his three-year-old season.
A Force at Stud
Splitting his time between Ireland and Australia, Lope De Vega quickly made his name by providing a string of highly rated, group-winning performers, including Australian star Santa Ana Lane, Irish 2,000 Guineas champ Phoenix Of Spain, and Locking Stakes winner Belardo.
That represents a record of which any breeding operation would be proud, and the stats suggest that Lope De Vega’s influence is increasing with each passing year. Tenth in the 2018 European Prize Money List, he improved to ninth in 2019, seventh in 2020 and 2021, and fourth in 2022 and 2023.
Fast forward to July 2024, and Lope De Vega now sits atop the table – both in terms of prize money and number of winners. Already hitting the mark in Group 1 company in 2024, there may be further top-level successes to come.
Look De Vega Clear Arc Favourite
Topping the bill amongst the latest crop of Lope De Vega-sired three-year-olds is this hugely impressive performer from the French yard of Carlos and Yann Lerner. Three starts have yielded three wins by a combined 12½ lengths, with the most recent of those victories seeing the colt follow in the hoofprints of his father to claim the Prix Du Jockey Club.
That effort was enough to see Look De Vega rocket to the head of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe market, with the subsequent efforts of those who finished behind him only serving to enhance his claims. David Menusier’s Sunway could manage only seventh at Chantilly but finished a fast-finishing second in the Irish Derby; fourth-placed Ghostwriter went down by only two lengths to City Of Troy in the Coral-Eclipse, and the third home, Sosie, hacked up in the Group 1 Grand Prix De Paris next time out.
Lope De Vega flopped in his Arc effort and is yet to sire the winner of the greatest race in France, but 2024 may represent his best chance yet.
Lilals Lined Up for Classic Tilt
There can’t be too many items remaining on Willie Mullins’ to-do list. However, not satisfied with dominating the Cheltenham Festival, winning the Grand National, and marching back to Ireland with the British Champion Trainers’ title, the Closutton maestro has his eye on gatecrashing the 2024 Classic party.
Hailing from the world-leading National Hunt yard and going in the colours of emerging force, Wathnan Racing, Lope De Vega’s daughter, Lope De Lilas, is the filly tasked with fulfilling Mullins Classic dream as she limbers up for a shot at the Irish Oaks this weekend.
Following a low-key debut at the back end of her two-year-old season, Lope De Lilas returned with a bang to saunter to success in a 1m2f maiden event at Leopardstown. That effort prompted Wathnan Racing to reach for the chequebook and add this filly to a burgeoning roster, which includes four winners from the 2024 Royal Ascot meeting.
Moving from Maiden to Group 1 company is a tall order, but the bookmakers, understandably, aren’t particularly keen to take on the Wathnan/Mullins combo, with Lope De Lilas the clear second favourite across the board.