DUAL classic star Lope De Vega (by Shamardal) has made an excellent start to his stallion career with nine stakes winners and a string of other blacktype earners from his first two crops, up to Monday night.

They include Group 1 winner Belardo, Group 2 scorer and Italian Group 3 classic winner Hero Look, Group 1-placed Consort, the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up Endless Drama, and also Fort Del Oro, the pattern-placed filly who was among the blacktype stars at the Curragh on Sunday.

Ballylinch Stud, which stands the stallion, bred and owns the bay, and the filly won the Listed Waterford Testimonial Stakes for the Defence Forces Cup while also holding an entry in today’s Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes.

The third living foal and second winner for the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes heroine Gilded (by Redback), she is a grand-daughter of Tumbleweed Pearl (by Aragon), a lightly-raced triple sprint winner who missed out on blacktype when only fourth in a seven furlong listed contest at Newmarket.

That mare’s half-brother Tumbleweed Ridge (by Indian Ridge), in contrast, was a prolific blacktype horse whose 10 wins featured the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes, the Group 3 Prix de la Porte Maillot, and three editions of the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes. The seven-furlong specialist is, in turn, the best of seven winners out of Billie Blue (by Ballad Rock) and his siblings also include Scarlett Rose (by Royal Applause), the multiple times placed dam of Group 2 Railway Stakes winner Formosina (by Footstepsinthesand) and of a Shamardal (by Giant’s Causeway) colt who made 200,000gns from the recent Book 1 sessions of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

The fourth dam of Sunday’s new stakes winner is Blue Nose (by Windjammer) who won a listed nursery at the Curragh and was thrice blacktype placed, including when fourth in 1979’s Group 2 National Stakes, a time when that finishing position did count for bold type.

Fort Del Oro comes from a family whose stakes winners are occasional rather than frequent, but she is clearly talented and it would be interesting to see how she might fare as a four-year-old, if she stays in training rather than go to the paddocks.

Isfahan takes Group 3 at Cologne

ISFAHAN won the Group 3 Preis der Winterfavoriten over a mile at Cologne. He is a son of Gestut Etzean stallion Lord Of England (by Dashing Blade), he is a half-brother to two blacktype-placed horses, and his dam Independent Miss (by Polar Falcon) is a grand-daughter of the Group 1 Aral-Pokal heroine Indica (by Athenagoras).

Cassina’s San Siro victory

CASSINA De Pomm won the Group 3 Premio Dormello over a mile at San Siro, a second blacktype success for the second-crop daughter of Allevamento di Besnate stallion Pounced (by Rahy). She was bred by Societa Agricola Besnate Srl, she is out of Clever Annie (by Danehill Dancer), and she comes from the immediate family of the Derby Italiano heroes Crackerjack King (by Shamardal) and Awelmarduk (by Almutawakel), and of their Group 1-winning half-brother Jakkalberry (by Storming Home).

Teofilo’s pattern success

LORITANIA won the Group 3 Premio Verziere – Memoriale Aldo Cirla over 10 furlongs at San Siro, a first pattern success for the daughter of Kildangan Stud stallion Teofilo (by Galileo). She was bred by Di Lualdi Lucia, and she is a half-sister to the mile stakes winner Lo Zoccolo Duro (by Acclamation). Her dam Sopran Lori (by Irish River) is a stakes-placed half-sister to the Group 1 Derby Italiano hero Cima De Triomphe (by Galileo).