TRAINED by Aidan O’Brien, The Irish Rover cost 150,000gns as a yearling and he was soon in the winners’ circle as a two-year-old, scoring over six furlongs at Newbury in mid-May, after collecting place money from two earlier starts.

That earned him a trip to Royal Ascot, where he was out of the money behind Calyx and Advertise in a huge field of 23 for the Group 2 Coventry Stakes. However, he showed his class at the Curragh in August when he was a close third in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, making the running and beaten only half a length and the same by Advertise and So Perfect, before running fourth at York in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes.

Fifth in Leopardstown’s 2000 Guineas Trial in April 2019, The Irish Rover was then a close second to Inverleigh in the Listed Committed Stakes at Navan three weeks later. His final race was in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes over a mile at Royal Ascot, won by his stablemate Circus Maximus from King Of Comedy, Too Darn Hot and Phoenix Of Spain. The Irish Rover has now retired to Sweep Lane Stud.

No Nay Never, the sire of The Irish Rover, was the champion two-year-old colt in France in 2013 when his three wins from only three starts were in three different countries. He scored at Keeneland on his debut, then added the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot before landing the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville. Then in 2014 this son of Scat Daddy won the Grade 3 Woodford Stakes back at Keeneland and was second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

He has already sired 20 stakes winners from his first two crops, including Group 1 July Cup star and new sire Ten Sovereigns.

The Irish Rover is a three-parts brother to West Palm Beach, a daughter of Scat Daddy who scored twice as a two-year-old in England and was placed at Santa Anita the following year. Their grandam is a half-sister to Sabona, winner of the Grade 1 Californian Stakes and second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and the Hollywood Gold Cup in 1988 and sire of stakes winners in the USA. His dam Hail Maggie was a half-sister to Trillion, a champion racemare in France and dam of the mighty Triptych, while this is also the family of Epsom Derby hero Generous.

THE IRISH ROVER (IRE), Bay 2016. Won one race, £82,608, over 6 furlongs, at 2 years placed second in Committed Stakes, Navan, L, and third in Keeneland Phoenix Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1.

Retired to Stud in 2020.

Stands at: Sweep Lane Stud, Nurney, Co Kildare R51D773, Ireland

Contact: Aidan Sexton

Telephone: +353 (0) 87 634 6729 or (0) 45 526763

Email: sweeplanestud@eircom.net

Web: www.sweeplanestud.ie

Fee: €2,500