BALLYLINCH STUD
John O'Connor with Soviet Star
Ballylinch Stud is set among an impressive 1000 acres on the Mount Juliet Estate in County Kilkenny. It was originally built as the home of The Tetrarch who retired here to stud in 1914.
Since 1988 Ballylinch Stud has been managed by John O’Connor, a highly qualified Veterinary Surgeon who graduated from University College, Dublin. John has also worked in France and Australia and has worldwide connections which enable him to do regular business in the USA, Japan and all over Europe.
The stud is now home to five top class stallions all of whom were Group 1 winners on the racecourse. Soviet Star is the sire of 6 indivdual Group 1 winners, including the 2005 champion miler Starcraft. King's Theatre is a top class dual purpose sire who is proven in every sphere having sired 2007 Cheltenham winner Wicheta Lineman and fellow Grade 1 hurdle winners Nobody Told Me and Nas Na Riogh alongside the extremely tough and consistent Young Mick who was a 10 time winner in 2006, and USA Grade 1 winner King’s Drama. The first Northern Hemisphere two year olds by Traditionally made their eagerly awaited debut in 2006 after his first Southern Hemisphere crop produced the Group 3 winner and Group 1 placed filly Chant, this first crop yielded 3 stakes horses from his first thirty runners including the Listed placed fillies The Real Thing and Russian Rosie and the Group placed colt Frederick Ozanam. Irish 2000 Guineas winner Bachelor Duke had an impressive first crop of foals in 2006 who were well received at the sales making up to €110,000 and 90,000gns in Goffs and Newmarket respectively. Whipper, who was a Group 1 winner at 2, 3 and 4 years and hails from a family which has produced the outstanding sire Shirley Heights has had his first arrivals in 2007, they are very nice individuals and we at Ballylinch along with our fellow breeders are delighted with them.
The stud’s intention is to build up a band of 20 to 25 group winning mares. Among the first to be purchased was Group 3 winner Ingabelle who later went on to produce Ballylinch hombred Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Priory Belle. Grade 1 winner Gravieres was purchased out of training at the Keeneland sales and has gone on to produce Group 1 placed Coliseum. Group 1 winning purchase Pharaoh’s Delight has produced Listed winner Pharmacist who herself is the dam of 2 stakes winners including 2006 Breeders Cup Turf, Grade 1, winner Red Rocks. Prix de Diane winner Caerlina was also purchased as a young broodmare and Group 3 winner Shigeru Summit went on to produce Listed winner Shizao. Listed winning purchase Majinskaya produced the Champion Irish two year old filly Danaskaya, multiple Listed winner and Group placed Modeeroch, and the Group placed three year old of 2007 Chinese Whisper. Recent additions to the broodmare band include the dams of two year old Group winners Etlaala and Always Hopeful along with the Listed winning and Group placed filly Slip Dance.
The main policy at the stud is to sell the colts and retain the fillies to race. Ballylinch have built up a strong reputation for producing top class sales yearlings who go on to produce high performances on the racecourse. In 2004 Ballylinch Stud sold Breeders Cup Turf Champion Red Rocks, and in 2005 the Ballylinch bred and sold yearling colt by Montjeu out of Majinskaya made 570,000gns at Newmarket Sales, he was subsequently named Chinese Whisper and is in training with Aidan O’Brien, he was a winner and Group placed at 2 and has been placed in 2 classic trails to date in 2007. We are hoping our 2006 sales graduates will continue this success.
Ballylinch Stud also undertakes horses for boarding, foaling, breaking and sales preparation, please contact us for further information.
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