THERE were tears galore, of joy and sadness, at the Curragh when the grey Phoenix Of Spain ran out a comprehensive winner of what will likely prove to have been one of the better renewals of the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas.

It was a magical weekend for the winner’s sire Lope De Vega (Shamardal), Ballylinch Stud’s dual classic winning standard-bearer. Just 24 hours after Phoenix Of Spain’s biggest success, his son Zabeel Prince, bred at Roundhill Stud, won the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan, the six-year-old’s first top-level win, and this brought to nine the number of winners at the highest level sired by the 12-year-old, who stood for €80,000 this season.

Back to the latest classic winning colt, Phoenix Of Spain. His racing career will be followed with more than a passing interest now as he will eventually stand at the Irish National Stud. With great foresight, the stud’s CEO Cathal Beale acquired the breeding rights to the three-year-old last winter, a move that was pre-emptive but necessary in the current cut-throat world of stallion acquisition. The gamble has paid off spectacularly.

Phoenix Of Spain was bred by the late Cherry Faeste, and victory was therefore bittersweet as her husband Arild, daughters, grandchildren and family members, including brother Philip Myerscough, were on hand to welcome back the colt. Making his first start of the present campaign, Phoenix Of Spain was a Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes winner at two and finished second to Too Darn Hot and Magna Grecia on his final starts as a juvenile.

Like his dam, Phoenix Of Spain was sold twice; for 78,000gns as a foal through Sheila Grassick’s Newtown Stud to Good Will Bloodstock, and 220,000gns as a yearling from Kilminfoyle House Stud, on the latter occasion to Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock.

There are so many symmetries to the story of Phoenix Of Spain. His dam Lucky Clio, a daughter of Key Of Luck (Chief’s Crown) was bought by Brian Grassick as a yearling for €130,000 and placed at three over seven furlongs. She was sold at the end of her second season at Tattersalls for just 17,000gns and was one of the very first purchases by Brian’s daughter Cathy, who had joined her father in the agency. She was acting for Cherry Faeste.

At stud Lucky Clio, now a 15-year-old, has produced nine offspring, eight colts and just a single filly.

That daughter is the winner Karisma (Lawman) and she was bought by Cathy Grassick for another of her clients, Yvonne Jacques of Carisbrooke Stud. Karisma’s first foal, born this year, is a colt by Lope De Vega and she is in foal to Siyouni (Pivotal).

Apart from the fact that Karisma is grey (a favourite colour), Yvonne Jacques enjoyed great racecourse success with another high-class runner bred by Cherry Faeste, the 10-time winner Grandeur who won just short of £600,000. His biggest success came in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita and a few weeks later he finished second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby before adding a second Grade 2 win to his CV in the Hollywood Turf Cup.

Great news for Arild Faeste is that Lucky Clio is back in foal to Lope De Vega, while waiting in the wings is a two-year-old full-brother to Phoenix Of Spain who was bought as a foal by Brendan Holland for €110,000. Last November at Goffs Tally-Ho Stud bought Lucky Clio’s colt foal by Awtaad (Cape Cross) for €58,000.

Lucky Clio is a half-sister to Special Kaldoun (Alzao) and his nine victories including two editions of the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein and four Group 3 races. Their dam Special Lady, by Kaldoun (Caro), was placed at two and she in turn was out of a winning half-sister to one of Kaldoun’s best runners, La Koumia.

A winner at up to Group 3 level in France, she went to America and won the Grade 1 Gamely Handicap and ran third in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.