'I'm delighted with this colt' - first foals on the ground for Lope Y Fernandez

The National Stud has announced the birth of the first two foals - a filly and a colt - by the Group 3 winner and multiple Group 1-placed Lope Y Fernandez.

His first foal is a filly, born last Saturday, January 14, at John Bourke's Hyde Park Stud in County Westmeath. She is also the first foal of her dam Sempre, an unraced daughter of Kingman who was picked up for just 11,000gns at the Tattersalls July Sale by Kings Bloodstock.

Sempre is out of All Time, a Dansili full-sister to the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Passage Of Time, the dam of Group 2 winner and multiple Group 1-placed Time Test, who stands alongside Lope Y Fernandez at the National Stud.

"We had a gorgeous foal with great quality and physique by Lope Y Fernandez," said Bourke, who hit the headlines last spring with the victory of Cachet in the 1,000 Guineas.

Bourke was so impressed with the Lope Y Fernandez filly that he will be patronising him again.

“I will be sending two mares back to the stallion again this season, especially on the back of the first foal we have had," he said. "When I saw Lope Y Fernandez at the National Stud in December 2021, I thought he was a fantastic stamp of a horse with the best walk you could find."

Nick Bradley, breeder of the first colt foal by the son of Lope De Vega, was equally impressed by his offspring.

Lope Y Fernandez: the National Stud sire welcomed his first foals this weekCredit: Dominic James

"I am delighted with this colt – he is a cracking first foal out of the mare," he said. "He has great bone and quality, like his sire, and was exactly the type of foal I was hoping for, and more, when I bred to Lope Y Fernandez."

The colt's dam is a Charm Spirit half-sister to the Listed Prix de la Seine winner Shahnaza who was also placed in the Prix de Flore, Prix de Royallieu, Prix Corrida and Prix Allez France.

Bought for just €8,500 from the Aga Khan Studs' draft at the 2021 Arqana July Sale, she is out of a King's Best half-sister to Prix de l'Opera winner Shalanaya and Group 2 winner Shankardeh and is from the further family of Shergar.

Lope Y Fernandez was bred by S F Bloodstock and purchased for €900,000 by MV Magnier at the Arqana August Yearling Sale in 2018.

At two, he won the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh and was placed in both the Vintage and Chesham Stakes. The following season he ran consistently well in the best company and was placed in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, Breeders' Cup Mile, Prix Jean Prat and Prix Maurice de Gheest.

Remaining in training at four, he won the Listed Heritage Stakes at Leopardstown and was runner-up to Palace Pier in the Queen Anne Stakes. He retired as the winner of three of his 18 races and he was placed on seven more occasions.

Out of the Listed Ladybird Stakes second Black Dahlia, by Dansili, he is a half-brother to the Group 2 Vintage Stakes and Oettingen-Rennen winner Dark Vision.

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