Belardo's Sire Lope De Vega to the Fore Again

Since announcing the arrival of dual G1 winner Belardo (Ire) (Lope de Vega) to the Haunui Farm stallion roster in 2017, his sire Lope de Vega (Ire) (Shamardal) has gone from strength to strength in the Southern Hemisphere.

Lope de Vega has enjoyed a stellar 12 months in Australasia with Group One winners Vega Magic (Goodwood Stakes & Memsie Stakes) and Santa Ana Lane (Sir Rupert Clark Stakes) and in fact, this season to date the Champion son of Shamardal (Ire) (Giant’s Causeway) has eight stakes winners to his credit in the Southern Hemisphere with a further three stakes performers.

Lope De Vega enjoyed New Zealand success this summer with two-year-old filly Spanish Whisper (Aus) (Lope De Vega) taking out the G2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes and this weekend saw another of his 2YO filly's to the fore as Rubira (Aus) (Lope De Vega) was an impressive winner of the Listed Counties RC Diamond Lodge Champagne Stakes.

Commanding a €60,000 service fee at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland, Lope de Vega has four crops of Southern Hemisphere bred foals having stood in Australia at Patinack Farm. With his oldest Southern Hemisphere progeny just five and his youngest crop now 2YO, it looks likely that Lope De Vega's star will only continue to rise in Australasia which bodes well for his only son at stud in the Southern Hemisphere, Belardo.

Belardo is a member of Lope de Vega’s first Northern Hemisphere crop, and landed the first G1 for his sire when successful in the Dewhurst Stakes which saw him crowned Champion 2YO of Europe. His 3YO season was tinged with what could have beens – fourth in the Irish 2000 Guineas less than two lengths from Gleneagles, 3rd in the G2 Challenge stakes and an agonisingly close second in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Ascot. Afforded the rare opportunity to race on as a four-year-old colt, Belardo secured his second G1 in the Lockinge Stakes which saw him retire to stud with a Timeform Rating of 126.

Belardo's first crop of foals are due to arrive this spring and he will return to Haunui Farm in 2018.