Irish National Stud acquire stallion rights to Phoenix Of Spain
Son of Lope De Vega will join a roster that is led by Invincible Spirit
Runaway Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas hero Phoenix Of Spain will take up stallion duties at the Irish National Stud at the conclusion of his racing career, with the operation having negotiated a deal with the colt's octogenarian owners Ann Plummer and Tony Wechsler.
"We purchased the stallion rights in the horse back in December," said the stud's chief executive Cathal Beale, before confirming the horse will continue to race for his current owners.
"He made an awful lot of sense in terms of what he'd achieved at two. He won the Acomb and was second to the champion two-year-old in Too Darn Hot. His form stacked up, his physical stacked up and pedigree stacked up, so it was just a case of whether we could make it happen.
"Obviously he's by Lope De Vega, which was a big attraction, as he's already an established Group 1 winner-producing stallion and I think he'll become a sire of sires in time," he said.
"Phoenix Of Spain is from a wonderful family as his dam, Lucky Clio, has had three other horses who are rated above 100. It's a deep pedigree and one that's effectively an outcross as you have to go back four or five generations to find any Danzig or Northern Dancer. He'll make a really nice option for breeders."
Beale was also glowing in his praise of trainer Charlie Hills' handling of the colt, having waited until Phoenix Of Spain was finely tuned before allowing him to make his three-year-old reappearance. He became the first horse in 45 years to win the Classic on his seasonal bow.
"Today's result is a real testament to Charlie Hills and his team as they swerved the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket despite having him 99 per cent ready. They made a big call to give him an extra few weeks and they've got their reward."
Phoenix Of Spain's Classic success continues the rise of Lope De Vega
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