JOE Foley’s Ballyhane Stud welcomes the highest-rated son of Bated Breath (Dansili), the Group 2 Solonaway Stakes winner Space Traveller, to the stallion ranks for 2023.

From an outstanding female family, Space Traveller beat Space Blues when winning the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot at three, and he came close to Grade 1 successes a number of times in the USA and Canada.

A dual winner at two, who trained on to race until the age of six, Space Traveller was well-named as his connections were not afraid to send him abroad to race, and in search of blacktype. He also displayed great versatility, winning over five and seven furlongs at two, and he started his travels early, going to France where he was runner-up in the Group 3 Prix Eclipse at Maisons-Laffitte.

Space Traveller was a visitor to Ireland at three, and on Champions Weekend here he beat the subsequent Group 1 winner Matterhorn to win the Group 2 Solonaway Stakes at Leopardstown. This followed his win at Royal Ascot.

On his only start at four, after a long break, Space Traveller was a highly creditable four and three-parts of a length behind Circus Maximus in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, but then had to endure a nine-month break from racing.

He showed that he had lost none of his ability when, at five, he added the Listed Ganton Stakes at York over a mile to his tally of victories, and then Space Traveller left Richard Fahey to join Brendan Walsh in the USA, and was runner-up in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile Stakes.

At six, Space Traveller made two starts, and both put him among the best in the USA. He was third on his penultimate outing to Colonel Liam in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, before rounding off his racing career with a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Frank E Kilroe Mile Stakes at Santa Anita.

Bated Breath is hugely popular with breeders, and for good reason. He consistently delivers in the sale ring and on the racecourse, Last year his yearlings sold for up to 600,000gns, and he passed the 50-mark in terms of stakes performers.

His leading runners are Grade 1 winner Viadera and the Group/Grade 1-placed stakes winners Space Traveller, Daahyeh and Beckford.

On the dam side of the family, Space Traveller and the group-placed Pellucid (Excelebration) are among four winners from the winning Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Sky Crystal, now in the Yeomanstown Stud broodmare band. Her grandam Crystal Spray (Beldale Flutter) was a hugely successful mare at stud and bred seven winners, many of them noteworthy.

The best of Crystal Spray’s runners was the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile winner and classic-placed Crystal Music (Nureyev), dam of the stakes winner and 1,600,000gns buy Firnas (Dubawi); Group 3 winner Dubai Success (Sadler’s Wells), the Group 3 winners and Group 1-placed duo of Solar Crystal (Alzao) and State Crystal (High Estate), and the Group 1 Irish Derby-placed Tchaikovsky (Sadler’s Wells).

Sure to prove popular with commercial breeders in search of value, the exceptionally good-looking Space Traveller has an introductory fee of €6,500.

Race record

SPACE TRAVELLER (GB), Bay or Brown 2016. Won five races, £564,998, from 5 furlongs to 1 mile, at 2 to 5 years including, Clipper Solonaway Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.2, Jersey Stakes, Ascot, Gr.3, Ganton Stakes, York, L, also placed second in Frank E Kilroe Mile Stakes, Santa Anita, Gr.1, Woodbine Mile Stakes, Woodbine, Gr.1, Prix Eclipse, Maisons-Laffitte, Gr.3, bet365 European Free Handicap, Newmarket, L, and third in Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, Gulfstream Park, Gr.1, Sky Strensall Stakes, York, Gr.3, Shalaa Carnarvon Stakes, Newbury, L.

At stud

Retired to Stud in 2023.

Information

Stands at: Ballyhane Stud, Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow, R93 K095 Ireland.

Contact: Joe Foley or Jane Foley

Telephone: +353 59 972 2068, Joe Foley +353 86 252 4135, Jane +353 86 806 6000

Email: info@ballyhane.com

Web: www.ballyhane.com.

Fee: €6,500