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Son of Shamardal headlines Ballylinch roster at €125,000

Lope De Vega (Shamardal) will stand for a career high fee of €125,000 at Ballylinch Stud in 2021, having stood for €100,000 last season. 

The stallion has enjoyed a great season on the track with his 13 stakes winners in the northern hemisphere, headed by three top-flight winners, including Aunt Pearl and Lucky Vega, who took the stallion’s Group 1 haul to 12, after their victories in the Juvenile Fillies Turf (Gr 1, 8f) and Phoenix Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) respectively. 

Lope De Vega’s barnmate New Bay (Dubawi) first two-year-olds have garnered a certain amount of hype, with the sire represented by 11 first-crop winners, headed by Royal Lodge (Gr 2, 1m) winner New Mandate and undefeated Oh So Sharp Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) winner Saffron Beach and as a result he has had his fee increased from €15,000 to €20,000.

Make Believe (Makfi) has also been subject to fee increase for 2020 with the son of Makfi (Dubawi) set to stand the 2021 season for €15,000, having stood last year for a fee of €12,000. The reason for the increase is largely due to the exploits of Mishriff, who handed his sire a first Group 1 winner when he landed the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2100m) in July, while has also been represented by the Group 3 winners Believe In Love, Ocean Fantasy and Rose Of Kildare. 

Meanwhile, last year’s Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Waldgeist (Galileo) covered 117 mares at Ballylinch last year and he remains at €17,500 for his second season, while the roster is completed by Fascinating Rock (Fastnet Rock), who has had his fee reduced from €7,000 to €5,000 for 2021.