14 Nov ‘He’ll be a fantastic addition’ – Bay City Roller on the path for a future stallion career after brilliant Group 1 win in Germany

Bay City Roller made a compelling case to be a part of his powerful ownership’s breeding operation when running away with Saturday’s Preis von Bayern in Munich.

The last Group 1 of the European season was a first of 2025 and a fourth in total for the colt’s sire New Bay, one of Ballylinch Stud’s leading lights. 

Bay City Roller had smart credentials prior to his appearance in Germany, having landed last season’s Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and finished just under a length behind the Arc hero Daryz in the Prix Eugene Adam in June, as well as filling the runner-up spot in two other French Group 2s. This emphatic performance, in which he made all of the running and powered seven lengths clear of Tiffany over a mile and a half, augurs well for the future.

The colt has a distinguished page, which led to trainer George Scott, in alliance with agent Billy Jackson-Stops and Clive Washbourn, taking him home for €320,000 from the Goffs Orby Sale, where he was presented by Church View Stables for breeder John Connaughton.

He is the third foal out of Connaughton’s homebred Teofilo mare Bloomfield, a dual Listed winner over extended distances in Ireland and a half-sister to Group 3 Athasi Stakes winner Prima Luce.

That pair are out of an unraced half-sister to blue hen Cassandra Go, ancestress of Halfway To Heaven and therefore the likes of Magical, Rhododendron and Auguste Rodin. Cassandra Go, a brilliant racehorse herself, was a sibling of top-class sprinter and sire Verglas.

Bay City Roller’s older half-brother Botanical has Listed form and their exploits have led to great interest in the younger siblings. At last year’s Orby her Blue Point filly was sold to Agrolexica International Trading for €850,000, while John Stewart’s Resolute Racing took home a colt by that same sire for €675,000 this autumn.

After winning on his debut at Sandown in midsummer 2024 in Washbourn’s colours, Bay City Roller was switched to Bahraini owners and now races for Victorious Forever, a combined entity of Shaikh Nasser bin Hamed Al Khalifa’s Victorious Racing and his brother Shaikh Khalid’s KHK Racing. The pair have had top-class horses such as Bradsell, Vandeek, Eldar Eldarov and recent Prix du Cadran winner Caballo De Mar.

Jackson-Stops, the Victorious racing manager, said: “It’s been a really enjoyable experience being here, we’re just very relieved and excited to have come home with the win.

“It’s huge credit to Shaikh Nasser and his brother Shaikh Khalid for allowing this horse to come here, it could have been very easy to have maybe put him away for the winter now but they’re great sports fans and it’s been a great result, a huge training performance from George Scott.”

Asked about future plans, Jackson-Stops told the Wettstar channel in Germany: “This horse will be put away until next year. We’ll look at a campaign in Group 1s for him next season with a view to the end of next year, hopefully he joins our stallion ranks. We’ve got quite a few stallions between Shaikh Khalid and Shaikh Nasser now, and he’ll be a fantastic addition.”

Publication: Racing Post
Writer: Tom Peacock
Date published: 8 November 2025

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Image: Bay City Roller winning the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last year (2024).