NEW Bay went to stud at Ballylinch for a fee of €20,000, and this was reduced to €15,000 for his third and fourth seasons. Now, thanks to his phenomenal success, he will cost breeders €75,000 for this season.

If this is out of reach for some, they can take consolation that they can use the services of one of his two Group 1 winning sons, Bayside Boy, at Ballylinch, and at a very reasonable starting fee of €15,000. For this you will have access to a high-class two-year-old who went on to become a Group 1 winning miler.

He achieved the latter honour with his defeat of Modern Games and Inspiral in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, a fine farewell to a career that encompassed five starts in each of his two seasons in the care of Roger Varian.

An impressive debut win over seven furlongs at Newbury was followed by a head defeat in a listed race back at the same track a month later. Bayside Boy made amends when he beat a select field to land the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, accounting for Reach For The Moon, Twilight Jet and Lusail.

A third-placed finish to Native Trail in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes was followed by his first run over a mile, and he acquitted himself well when beaten less than two lengths by Luxembourg in the Group 1 Vertem Trophy.

His three-year-old debut in the French 2000 Guineas saw Bayside Boy’s chances compromised when he got a wide draw, and he was only two lengths behind Coroebus in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, running on late but failing to get in the money. Bayside Boy regained his winning ways in a listed race over a mile before enjoying the best possible swansong with his Group 1 win at Ascot.

Bayside Boy returns to the place of his birth to commence his stud career. A son of their Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby winner New Bay, (Dubawi), Bayside Boy was raced in partnership by Teme Valley Racing and Ballylinch Stud. Roger Varian said: “Bayside Boy was a strong, mature two-year-old who boasted excellent juvenile form. He is an exceptionally good-looking colt and was very sound to train. He possesses a lot of natural speed and his turn of foot in the Queen Elizabeth II showed what we always saw at home.”

Delighted

Ballylinch managing director John O’Connor added: “His sire New Bay is one of the very best stallion sons of Dubawi, and his stakes-winning and group-producing dam is from a high-quality family.” Ballylinch retained the next produce of Bayside Boy’s dam, Alava (Anabaa), his three-year-old half-brother Lord Of Biscay (Lope De Vega). He is trained by Varian, won on his debut and has classic engagements this year.

Bayside Boy is Alava’s second group winner, preceded by Forest Ranger (Lawman) whose six wins included four pattern races, notably the Group 2 Huxley Stakes at Chester twice. Alava was the best of eight winners from the stakes-placed Cerita (Wolfhound), while her grandam Tanapa (Luthier) was a Group 1-placed dam of 11 winners, eight of them stakes horses.

Race record

BAYSIDE BOY (IRE), Bay 2019. Won four races, £856,525, from 7 furlongs to 1 mile, at 2 and 3 years including, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Champagne Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.2, Fortune Stakes, Sandown Park, L, also placed second in Denford Stakes, Newbury, L, and third in Dewhurst Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1, Futurity Trophy Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.1.

At stud

Retired to Stud in 2023.

Information

Stands at: Ballylinch Stud, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, R95 DK51 Ireland

Contact: John O’Connor or Eoin Fives

Telephone: +353 56 7724217

Email: info@ballylinchstud.ie

Web: www.ballylinchstud.com

Fee: €15,000