It would be drawing a long bow to suggest that Lope De Vega (IRE) could have been the answer to Nathan Tinkler's financial woes but there's no denying the 2010 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey Club hero is running hot in both hemispheres.
There has been a long list of shuttle stallions that have faded away with little fanfare. I suggest that breeders in Australia would like to have a second chance with Lope De Vega (IRE) and his sire Shamardal (USA).
Lope De Vega's pedigree is littered with former shuttle stallions, as Shamardal is a son of Coolmore's Giant's Causeway (USA) while Lope De Vega's dam is by 5-time shuttler Vettori (IRE), who left three hugely popular horses in Group I Stradbroke Handicap winner St Basil, perennial fan favourite Mustard, and the Group I Ranvet Stakes and Group I South Australian Oaks winner Sound Action in addition to the Group I Thornden Mile winner Macavelli Miss.
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Less than a fortnight after Lope De Vega's son Santa Ana Lane scored a surprise victory in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, his dual Group 1 winning son Vega Magic lines up as the bookies favourite in Saturday's $10 million TAB The Everest (1200m) at Randwick.
Both 4yo geldings come from Lope De Vega's first crop, which also contains Listed winner's Lope De Capio and Man Of His Word. His second crop, now three, includes the Group II Reisling Slipper winner French Fern.
Sire of the recent Group 1 Natalma Stakes winner Capla Temptress, Lope De Vega has approximately 90 foals from his fourth and final crop who will hit racetracks this season.
Overall, he has in the region of 330 foals from his four crops, which is more than the 300-odd left by his injury-plagued sire Shamardal in his five seasons at Darley.
At the recent Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Lope De Vega proved extremely popular, highlighted by a 600,000-guinea colt who is closely related to Caulfield Cup runner-up Scottish.
At one stage it looked as if Lope De Vega was on a one-way ticket to Australia and was on the chopping block. He was catalogued for sale in the Patinack Farm Dispersal.
However, Patinack only owned the southern hemisphere breeding rights and Lope De Vega was hurriedly rushed back to Ballylinch Stud in Ireland after covering a career-high 144 mares in 2014.
A measure of his popularity in Europe, Lope De Vega stood at a fee of €50,000 at Ballylinch in 2017.
