Lope De Vega (foaled 19 February 2007) is a retired Irish bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse and current breeding

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

2-year-old

Lope De Vega began his racing career at

Deauville Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film Fes ...

as a 2 year old on 26 August 2009, where he won by 2½ lengths. He also won his next race at Longchamp on 13 September 2009 before stepping up in class to

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

level for the first time in the Prix Jean Luc Lagadere. Lope De Vega was beaten for the first time by Siyouni in the Prix Jean Luc Lagadere - he finished 4th.

3-year-old

Lope De Vega's first start as a 3 year old came in the

Prix De Fontainebleau The Prix de Fontainebleau is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Long ...

on 25 April 2010, a noted trial for the

Poule d'Essai des Poulains Molof (Ampas, Poule, Powle-Ma) is a poorly documented Papuan language spoken by about 200 people in Molof village, Senggi District, Keerom Regency. Classification Wurm (1975) placed it as an independent branch of Trans–New Guinea, but Ros ...

, and he finished 3rd behind the

Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...

owned duo, Rajasaman, who won, and Siyouni, who finished 2nd. Lope De Vega's major breakthrough came in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains at Longchamp on 16 May 2010. Drawn wide in stall 15, Lope De Vega was held up until the top of straight, where he was pulled out wide to make his challenge, and he ran down

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

runner up Dick Turpin to win by 1/2 length. Lope De Vega followed up his first Group 1 win winning the

Prix Du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

by 3 lengths, which is the biggest winning distance in the race since it was reduced to 2100m in 2005. He was again drawn wide in stall 20, but he tracked across from the wide draw to take up a prominent position and drew clear in the straight to win eased down. In winning the Prix Du Jockey Club as well as the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, he emulated his sire

Shamardal Shamardal (27 March 2002 – 16 April 2020) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in the United Kingdom and in France and was voted the 2004 European Champion Two-Year-Old. Background Bred at Watercress Farm in Paris, Kentucky, Shamardal w ...

who won both races in 2005.

Stud career

In 2011, Lope De Vega retired from racing and stood at Ballylinch Stud, Ireland, for a service fee of €15,000. As of 2021, Lope De Vega's service fee is €125,000.

Notable progeny

Lope De Vega has currently sired 16 individual Group/Grade 1 winners: ''c =

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

, f =

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

'', g =

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lope De Vega (Horse) 2007 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in France French Thoroughbred Classic Race winners Thoroughbred family 11-d