Two Group One winning three-year-old colts, Magna Grecia and Phoenix of Spain, have been retired to stud for 2020, the former to Coolmore, the latter to the Irish National Stud. Both represent important sire lines, with Magna Grecia being by Invincible Spirit, who stands at the Irish National Stud for a fee of 120,000 pounds, and Phoenix of Spain being by young stand-out stallion Lope de Vega, who stands at Ballylinch Stud, in Ireland, for 80,000 pounds. Invincible Spirit is also the sire of Kingman (sire of Group One winner Persian King from his first crop), and the promising Territories, whose first yearlings included a Tattersalls October Yearling Sale session topper.

Magna Grecia’s grandsire is the redoubtable Green Desert, present in so many pedigrees on both sires’ and dams’ side, who brings the strengths of Danzig and Foreign Courier, by Sir Ivor out of the influential Never Bend mare Courtly Dee. Further doses of Northern Dancer occur through Sadler’s Wells and Lomond (whose dam was My Charmer, the dam of Seattle Slew). The important dose of Mr. Prospector in the dams’ side, through Urban Sea, is echoed in the sires’ side through the Native Dancer in Sharpen Up. But the most interesting aspect of this pedigree is the doubling of the great mare Rough Shod II, through Special, her granddaughter, and Lt. Stevens, her son. There are multiple doses of Princequillo, and My Babu and Djeddah in the sires’ side reels in the Turn-to in the dams’ side, through the son of Hail to Reason, Roberto. It must also be noted that Magna Grecia’s dam, Cabaret, is by Galileo, of course. With Juddmonte’s successful experiment in inbreeding to Sadler’s Wells resulting in the thrilling mare Enable, inbreeding to Sadler’s Wells must be considered a possibility for this young stallion. As well, mares by Dubawi, would seem to be perfection, as his grandsire was Seeking the Gold, and he would offer more crosses to Northern Dancer through different sources, not to mention another dose of Never Bend and Roberto.

Phoenix of Spain’s pedigree is fascinatingly unique. His sire, Lope de Vega, was produced by 3 x 3 inbreeding to Machiavellian, through his daughter, Helsinki, and his son, Vettori, a clever use of the zigzag pattern that produced this promising young stallion. Northern Dancer is visible through Storm Cat, Nijinsky II and Danzig, while Somethingroyal, Secretariat’s dam, exists through her son Sir Gaylord and her granddaughter Six Crowns. Mirroring the doubling of Machiavellian in the sires’ side, however, is a doubling of the full sisters Belle Mecene and Gay Missile, both by the previously mentioned Sir Gaylord, and out of Missy Baba, by My Babu. These sisters reach out to and interact positively with the tripling of Halo in the sires’ side, and the Blushing Groom, through Rahy, through Mariah’s Storm, the dam of Giant’s Causeway. Finally, this colt comes by his gray colouring honestly: he is triple bred Gray Sovereign, top and bottom, through his sire line primogenitors Caro and Kendor, and his female line offspring Regal Fountain. A wealth of Princequillo certainly doesn’t hurt. The same broodmare sires mentioned for Magna Grecia would work well with Phoenix of Spain, as his is a pedigree free of Sadler’s Wells (and Galileo), and the addition of more Mr. Prospector, through the great Urban Sea (Sea the Stars as well as Galileo are her sons), as well as Dubawi, should work brilliantly.

Looking forward to the first books of mares for these two young guns, and to their first crops in 2021, their futures would seem bright with possibilities, given the number of broodmares who should produce promising offspring with them.