WHAT a coup for Bearstone Stud, standing Belardo for the first time this year after six seasons at Kildangan Stud.

At the weekend, his son Gold Phoenix, bred at Jim and Geraldine Ryan’s Milltown Stud, and a winner on his debut at Dundalk two years ago before being sold to the USA, won the Grade 1 Frank E Kilroe Mile Stakes at Santa Anita, his third win there and adding to a previous success in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, along with placed efforts in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship Stakes and Grade 3 Charles Whittingham Stakes, both at Santa Anita. His earnings are now approaching €650,000.

In spite of early success at stud, and attracting more than 180 mares in 2021, breeders shunned Belardo last year, and he covered just 33 mares. With larger crops coming on stream for a few years yet, Bearstone could well benefit from more success in the future. Irish breeders may yet have cause to regret not supporting him better.

Belardo was the champion two-year-old in Europe when he won the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, and he trained on to add the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes over a mile as a four-year-old. He will stand this year for £6,500, his lowest fee since going to stud in 2017 at €15,000. He made an immediate impact at stud, siring 18 individual two-year-old winners in his first crop in 2020.

His daughter Isabella Giles won the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket and the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood, while Elysium scored in the Group 3 Park Stakes at the Curragh and Lullaby Moon took the Group 3 Prix Miesque at Chantilly and the Listed Redcar 2YO Trophy. He also made a fine start in New Zealand, siring Avonallo, winner of the Listed Welcome Stakes at Riccarton.

Fashion

With fashion in breeding being what it is, perhaps it was not to Belardo’s advantage that after that his best runners were largely outside Ireland and Britain. Bellabel won the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes at Del Mar and ran second in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. Gold Phoenix has also excelled in the USA, while Verona was a Group 3 winner in New Zealand. His other stakes winner is the French listed wining juvenile Belloccio.

Trained by Roger Varian, Belardo won three of his five starts in his first season, starting at Yarmouth, where he strolled home over two lengths clear. In the Group 3 July Stakes at Newmarket he was a close fourth behind Ivawood, but then in the Listed Washington Singer Stakes at Newbury he romped home almost four lengths clear.

Although only fourth in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, Belardo was back to his best form in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October and he finished very strongly to win impressively by two lengths from Kodi Bear. Purchased by Godolphin after the Dewhurst, Belardo was assessed as the best two-year-old in Europe, and Timeform rated him on 126.

At three Belardo was fourth to Gleneagles in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas, second in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes and then a close second in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, clear of Integral and Gleneagles. He started his four-year-old campaign by winning the Listed Doncaster Mile, then added the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, defeating three Group 1 stars. In his final race, the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, he was a close second.

Top sire

Belardo is by Lope De Vega (Shamardal), winner of the French Derby and one of the top sires in the world. His dam Danaskaya, by Danehill (Danzig), was the champion two-year-old filly in Ireland and she is also dam of group winner Berling (Montjeu).

What of the female side of Gold Phoenix’s family? Well, he is the sole winner to date, along with a couple of placed runners, out of Magnifica, a winning daughter of Mizzen Mast (Cozzene). Jim Ryan purchased Magnifica for $70,000 at Keeneland, and he can look forward to Gold Phoenix’s yearling sibling as he is a son of Belardo!

At the time of Magnifica’s purchase, she was a full-sister to the multiple Grade 2 winner Jibboom (Mizzen Mast), and that same year Jibboom’s daughter Flying Jib (Oasis Dream) had won the Group 3 Athasi Stakes. There was more to come, however, as a little over a year later, Magnifica’s full-brother Giant Treasure (Mizzen Mast) gained the biggest success of his career when beating a high-class field to land the Group 1 Stewards’ Cup in Hong Kong.

Outstanding

Magnifica comes from an outstanding female line. Her winning dam Palisade (Gone West) is one of four winners from the Listed Cheshire Oaks winner Peplum (Nijinsky). The best of that quartet was Boatman (Irish River), and while he failed to win a stakes race, he was runner-up in a pair of Grade 1 races. Another daughter of Peplum, Emplane (Irish River), is the dam of a pair of group/graded winners, Aviate (Dansili) and the Group 1 runner-up Early March (Dansili).

Peplum is out of Chain Store (Nodouble), a stakes winner and an outstanding broodmare. She bred the brilliant Al Bahathri (Blushing Groom) and the top-class racemare Geraldine’s Store (Exclusive Native), and through her daughters she is the taproot of a number of big race winners.