Don Connor de la Vega!
John O’Connor has been at the helm of Ballylinch Stud, one of the most influential stud farms in Ireland, since 1988. Among its residents is the great Lope de Vega, a sensational winner of the Prix du Jockey Club, whose stud career has been equally remarkable. He sired, for example, Look de Vega, who also won the Prix du Jockey Club and is now among the leading contenders for the Arc, as well as a future resident of Ballylinch.
This stallion-maker has always been passionate about champions, and therefore about the Arc, which was the scene of one of his greatest disappointments, but also the prelude to a reunion at Ballylinch, as ironic as it was unexpected...
Carriganog,
at the foot of a rainbow
You can’t get more Gaelic than Carriganog for a place name; it’s a name straight out of Celtic legends!
How can you not believe in the influence of Irish leprechauns on this land of champions? Grandfather Joseph Crowley trained there successfully, then handed over the reins to his daughter Anne-Marie for several seasons. She then passed them on to her husband Aidan O’Brien before Ballydoyle, and now their son Joseph O’Brien is off in search of Carriganog to find pots of gold at the foot of rainbows, all over the world...
Loyal to the Longchamp vein
One Arc left its mark on the Coolmore team was the historic trifecta achieved by the syndicate in the 2016 edition, dominated by the mare Found, the stud’s mascot. Today, she parades on the grasse, and the spoils of her triumph greets visitors at the entrance of the offices, like a littering necklace in the window of a grand jeweler.